Meg's Ultimate Black Plastic Restorer..../

[TheLawnRanger]

does not work....the first time. The plastic on the bumpers of my Colorado had been very neglected when I bought it. I tried this product and was very disappointed. There was no difference as the restorer just moved around without penetrating the surface. I decided to try it again at a later time and was very surprised. My plastic trim looked almost brand new. It seems that if plastic trim goes past a certain amount of time without care, it takes more time in addition to extra applications for the plastic restorer to work. I'm sure many of you knew this already.

 

[JHZR2]

I don't really have plastic surfaces to do this on but it's good to know.

 

[Audios]

Possibly just needed to soak in and then bond to the next application? Good to know I was looking at trying to bring the trim back on my E36 before ponying up the 300$ for new body plastics

 

[rekit]

On my 01 Tacoma PreRunner, I have found that even tho Back to Black says leave on for a while and then wipe off, I get better, more even results if I wipe it off after just a minute or so while its still wet-ish. It seems less streaky. I'm tempted to pull em off and paint them, but if that went bad, then what??

 

[SatinSilver]

Originally Posted by Audios
Possibly just needed to soak in and then bond to the next application? Good to know I was looking at trying to bring the trim back on my E36 before ponying up the 300$ for new body plastics


Try some Solution Finish (or Black Wow Pro) topped with C.Quartz DLUX. Should last years and has for a professional detailer on here that has an 08 truck that sits outside all the time in California. Available on Autogeek.com, not cheap but does last.

 

[C1KLTX]

I found that with some plastics it doesn't work at all. The rear bumper prices on the Trailblazer I ended up painting them with rustoleum trim and bumper paint. The door handles and wiper, it works on those. I use Mothers back to black, then put some turtle wax inside and out protectant on top of it. I got a month and half before it started to fade. The paint on bumper, is perfect 5 months later.

 

[Carmudgeon]

I used this stuff on some faded window trim for about a year, reapplying after every wash, and then ditched it for a more permanent and better looking solution -- trim paint.

Even the best OTC black restorers are temporary at best, and I doubt the exotic coatings priced liked printer ink are that much better, and still not permanent.

A can of good quality trim paint from SEM can be had for 20 bucks or less. A can of adhesion promoter (or just use bumper paint that doesn't require it) and a roll of 3M automotive masking tape add 20 bucks.

The painting is the easy part; the prep (cleaning and masking) is what takes time and care.

With the leftover paint, I refinished a pair of faded and scarred wiper arms on another car, and a piece of engine trim.

Haven't looked back.

 

[carloz]

The Mothers Back to Black works great though it is not a long-term solution.

 

[rekit]

I did some more looking around on the Tacoma Forums and found Magic Eraser pads by Mr. Clean-$4 for a box of 4 at Lowes and everywhere else I guess. They are made in Germany and no chemicals are listed. Evidently they are a micro-abrasive sponge, it feels like you are wasting your time rubbing (like 6000 grit paper)-BUT, best results I've ever gotten on my black flares. Spent around 10 minutes on each one. I cleaned them with some Dawn first. There was some banter on the ol interweb about Formaldehyde, but it seems to be in the manufacture, not the cleaning agent. It's raining steady for days here (like it did a year ago with Harvey), so pics are under a green carport. I also hit it some Son of a Gun too see if it would mess it up but it looks good, and added some protection.

 

[JLawrence08648]

All good ideas. I resorted to tire black paint! Messy!!! But works great for tire shine on older tires.