Little things

" " (a7rrows) 04/18/2018 at 10:57 • Filed to: None

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I bought a bottle of plastic trim restore and did my mirrors and I’m very happy.

Before and after :)

The water spot on the left is a good indication of how much they had faded under 16 years of Queensland sun.

Svend >   04/18/2018 at 11:07

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Nice. You don’t notice just how much the sun bleaches the plastic until you really look.

It’s a slippery slope though.

You dress/restore the plastic, then the tyres look dull, so you dress the tyres, then you notice the wheel arches look dull next to the lovely dressed tyres, so you end up buying an undercarriage spray which has no other purpose than to sheen the wheel arches for the brief period you have it sat there before you take it for a drive.

LOREM IPSUM >   04/18/2018 at 11:08

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Which product did you use? Looks good.

The black trim on our FX was faded, grey, and terrible looking when we bought it. Ended up using Wipe-New (by Rust-Oleum, as seen on TV) and the results were nothing short of incredible. Trim returned to black, brand new looking, and more impressively, still looks that way almost a year later.

Urambo Tauro >   04/18/2018 at 11:10

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Anybody know how this stuff works? I’ve read that some of these have a dye in them, but the stuff that I use comes out of the bottle in a beige cream. So if it’s not like black shoe polish, then what’s going here, and how does it work so well?

  > LOREM IPSUM 04/18/2018 at 11:13

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I used Mother’s Back to Black. It was on the pricier side but I’m happy with the results.

LOREM IPSUM > Urambo Tauro 04/18/2018 at 11:15

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Dunno. The Wipe New came out of the bottle crystal clear. Almost like applying clear coat with gloves and a microfiber cloth. Wipe on, let dry, profit.

  > Urambo Tauro 04/18/2018 at 11:17

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Right? I was expecting it to be black too.

LOREM IPSUM >   04/18/2018 at 11:17

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If you eventually run out:

https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2014/05/best-exterior-car-trim-cleaners/index.htm

MonkeePuzzle >   04/18/2018 at 11:19

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I used the same on my older car, it worked wonders. and lasted far longer than I expected.

Svend > Urambo Tauro 04/18/2018 at 11:20

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UV light leaches elements of the plastic out.

Restorers temporarily replace some of those elements, coatings add that element and seal it in with glass/ceramic layer with UV inhibitors.

You can tell if plastic can be restored by seeing if it returns to it’s former glory when wet, if so, then your good with a trim restorer, if not then a plastic dye is your best route.

  > Svend 04/18/2018 at 11:26

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Oh man thankfully I can’t see my wheel arches from eye level. The amount of shit that gets kicked up is unbelievable.

I considered buying a tyre cleaner too but cleaning products are so damn expensive :))). Have you got any recommendations how to do tyres with household products? 

Urambo Tauro > Svend 04/18/2018 at 11:27

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Oh, interesting. I’ll have to pay more attention to which product I get next time. My mirror housings might need some actual dye...

Party-vi >   04/18/2018 at 11:31

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Nice. I’ll do that before I sell mine.

Svend >   04/18/2018 at 11:43

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For a tyre cleaner all you need is a good all purpose cleaner and a stiff nylon brush. For a tyre dressing it’s a bit more important for a proper product such as Gtechniq T1 (tyres and trim) or T2 (tyres). Many tyre dressing ‘fling’ off as you drive and spat up the side of the car. Others don’t last very long.

Svend > Urambo Tauro 04/18/2018 at 11:49

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Ye’, plastics are made out of the crude oil and degrade in UV light, you’ll notice a brown ‘blooming’ on your tyre walls ovcer time. This is an added protectant added to the tyres in product to reduce the break down of the rubber in UV light.

Certain plastic leach in the light faster, as it does the structure of the plastic changes and becomes more brittle.

Nibby >   04/18/2018 at 12:01

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NORTH QUEENSLAND COWBOYS

Long-Voyager > Svend 04/18/2018 at 12:32

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Works for the black plastic outside. Use the spray foam for tires and wheel wells. All worries in 1 convenient can.

Pich, with Z32 now featuring Civic [Si] / No >   04/18/2018 at 13:29

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it went from one side to the other?

functionoverfashion >   04/18/2018 at 13:53

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That looks a LOT like my side mirror.

(only pic I could find)

And.. my mirror has some weird stuff happening around the edges of the glass.

Svend > Long-Voyager 04/18/2018 at 17:38

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I hate ArmorAll with a passion.

And Meguiars isn’t that much better.

I use Gtechniq T1 (Tyres and Trim) on exterior plastic trim and tyres. Lists ages on the trim and longer than many on the tyres without being too glossy, sticky or ‘fling off’ when driving.

Adam’s Invisible Undercarriage spray in the wheel arches.

  > functionoverfashion 04/18/2018 at 23:59

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Ooh, mystic blue? Mine is a coupe.

That is weird I’ve never seen that before... is that the laminate peeling?

Long-Voyager > Svend 04/19/2018 at 06:57

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Why do you hate it?

Serious question.

Svend > Long-Voyager 04/19/2018 at 07:10

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ArmorAll? The dressings are too glossy, remain tacky to the touch for too long and seem to attract dust.

Gtechniq T1 is slightly thicker than water but not near a gel and is easy on. Lasts three months easily on exterior plastic trim in the rain and a good month or so on tyres. It’s a nice lustre on tyres but if you want a more glossy look, just add another coat a few minutes later.

Long-Voyager > Svend 04/19/2018 at 07:19

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The Armorall I use leaves less gloss than your pic, just a nice satin black look, never had an issue with it slinging all over unless I left too soon after applying.

I will agree, it does have a somewhat greasy feel when first applied, but after an hour or so, that goes away. I usually do the inside first, then do my work on the outside, the greasy feeling is gone by the time I’m done.

Everyone likes what they like though, your products look to produce good results and they make you happy, that’s all that matters. ;)

Svend > Long-Voyager 04/19/2018 at 07:25

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So true. If we all liked the same things it would be a boring world.

The Adam’s Invisible Undercarriage I like (though it’s only a one area product) because it’s the wheel arch equivalent as 303 Aerospace on engine bays.

Long-Voyager > Svend 04/19/2018 at 07:33

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I may have to check that out. Where can one get it?

Svend > Long-Voyager 04/19/2018 at 07:48

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The Adam’s?

https://adamspolishes.com/

Their H2o Guard and Gloss is a fantastic sealant you can apply to a wet or dry car with a wet and a dry microfibre. Doesn’t smear or leave any on black cars.

Invisible Undercarriage

H2O Guard and Gloss (works on plastics too).

functionoverfashion >   04/19/2018 at 09:23

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It’s happened to both my E46's, I guess it’s moisture getting between the layers of the mirror?

Topaz blue wagon here.