Restoring oxidized, black, plastic cladding....

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OK, lets make this the mother of all black cladding threads. I have a 2007 Escape that is probably 40% plastic cladding on the exterior. I want to restore it and make it look nice again. Armor-all seems to work fine but it only last for about 3 months or so.

Hit me with any and all ideas that have worked for you.

anyone have long term results from Wipe New yet?
 
we have used Mother's Back to Black for a long time here with excellent results.

Wipe New is on TV, it might be a while before I get any of that...
 
Steve... Have they changed the formula of Mother's Back to Black? I used it years ago on an old Saturn SL1 (with the black plastic bumpers) and it didn't last any longer than Armor All. I've never bought it since then because of that. It was also really thin back then, thinner than Armor All is.

The stuff on Autogeek looks promising... I've got some badly faded plastic trim on my Nissan Frontier that could use a pick-me-up.
 
I wonder if the plastic needs to be buffed to remover the oxidation. I've tried silicone spray, Meguiars ultimate black, Ragtop vinyl protectant, 303 protectant, and various other things with no long term success.

Putting large amounts of plastic on the exterior of a car is a huge mistake by the OEM's. My pre plastic cars look great. I'm starting to think I might have to buy all new plastic trim for my stang. I can't stand that whitish oxidized look.
 
I've been using Richard Lin's Blackwow Pro with great results. It seems to last about 2-3mo on my dad's Previa.

I have also heard great things about CarPro Dlux, but I have not used it.
 
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I've been using Richard Lin's Blackwow Pro with great results. It seems to last about 2-3mo on my dad's Previa.



I think most of us would consider that a failure. I could probably live with something that lasts a year.
 
Originally Posted By: turtlevette
I wonder if the plastic needs to be buffed to remover the oxidation. I've tried silicone spray, Meguiars ultimate black, Ragtop vinyl protectant, 303 protectant, and various other things with no long term success.

Putting large amounts of plastic on the exterior of a car is a huge mistake by the OEM's. My pre plastic cars look great. I'm starting to think I might have to buy all new plastic trim for my stang. I can't stand that whitish oxidized look.



The whitish look probably isn't just from oxidation alone. Likely it's a bunch of waxes that have been applied that turned the plastic white after soaking. Especially guilty of these are cheap cleaner waxes and NuFinish is notorious for turning plastic white.

Some of the best results I've seen was removing the black trim from the car and scrubbing them really well with full strength degreaser. Let them dry completely and often this can really restore them pretty well on its own or with just some normal protectant. But then while it's out you can always spray paint them with Krylon Fusion Satin or Hammer black. You'll end up with a very nice and shiny black piece that looks completely restored and will last.

http://www.jeepforum.com/forum/f9/painting-fender-flares-695037/index9.html

The faded gray trim painted black is an excellent example.
 
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Originally Posted By: turtlevette
Originally Posted By: The Critic
I've been using Richard Lin's Blackwow Pro with great results. It seems to last about 2-3mo on my dad's Previa.



I think most of us would consider that a failure. I could probably live with something that lasts a year.



If you know of anything that will last more than a couple months, please let me know.

Anything else that I've tried in this application has only lasted a few weeks.

I've heard that CarPro DLUX will do a year, but I have yet to try it myself.

Also, if you need to deep clean your trim, try lacquer thinner -- it works incredibly well.
 
Thanks for all the replies. I have a few things to address:

- I have back-to-black but it just doesn't seem to work well. It doesn't remove the whiteness as easy as armor all does.

- Black wow looks very promising but that stuff isn't cheap. I may not have the Escape long enough to justify the cost of something like that.

- I'll look into the CarPro DLUX too.

- Cleaning was discussed. I have found that mr clean magic erasers do well cleaning the cladding, too. I found that online somewhere and seems to work. Might be worth trying for others.
 
http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Black-Bumper-Trim-Dye/dp/B000FOIJXQ

Forever Black is a dye that applies to faded black plastic and rubber. It leaves a satin finish that looks quite good. It feels much like the dye for a rubber stamp, but dries with a finish to it.

I've used it with great results. Even on beat up black leather steering wheels. It does not wash off, fade, chip or peel. And it's really easy to apply. Done correctly, the parts look new.

But I think the very best solution is to purchase a quality spray can of "trim and plastic" paint, tape off the sections needing paint, prep and spray! As this will result in a very even color and will often completely hide sections of deteriorating rubber/plastic.
 
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I'll say it again. Give up on all those "restorer" products unless you enjoy reapplying and having it look only so-so a lot of the time. Cujet is right about paint, but I would recommend Krylon Fusion. It penetrates the plastic and will not chip off.

It's a lot of work to mask, prep, and paint a vehicle with a lot of plastic. But, applying restoration products takes time that accumulates as you repeat. Take the time to do it right - once.
 
There is no doing it once for plastic cladding. Nothing is permanent for it.
 
I should know better than to make statements that can be mistaken for absolutes. If you really want to get technical, NOTHING is permanent.

smile.gif
 
I've owned a bunch of cars with that atrocious cladding, a Saab 9-3, a Saturn SL1, a Buick Rainier, and a Honda CR-V.

Klasse All-in-One worked well to clean them up and reduce the hazy. I found it to last longer than Back To Black, and it wasn't slimy like Back To Black.
 
Interesting test, thanks.

The "Forever Black" dye performed very well. With just a bit of unevenness. However, with a few coats, that problem is easy to avoid.
 
The OP's regular treatment lasts 3 months so VRT has no real advantage compared to his current regime. I think the OP's looking for a more permanent fix rather than just constantly treating the plastic.
 
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