Black Trim

M

MIKE GILLEAN

New member
2001 Nissan frontier. Black plastic bumpers, grille and fender flares. I have used Black Again for years with good results. Lately, as soon as it rains, it is washed off, and the black surfaces chalk up very lite grey, but not loose so it could be wqshed off. Black Again will darken the plastic, but not completly black on the tops and sides. Areas that do not get much sun darken properly, so it is sun related. Has to be parked outside. I have no trouble with any other finishes on car, I use Ultima, Classe and cover inside. This plastic part drives me nuts. I tried Forever Black once on a fender flare, and on another car. It finished streaky. Any ideas? Mike
 
I only use Black Wow on textured plastic panels...although I did ask Richard to see if his dad will make a spray version since it does get troublesome sometimes....
 
I generally use the Klasse twins or Collinite 845 on textured black plastic trim. No streaking/running in the rain, no dust attraction, and it doesn't need redone very often. Works best if the trim is in decent condition.
 
The permanent solution is to take them off and have a body shop professionally paint them again. Black wow is the best trim product I've used for a long lasting solution.
 
my girlfriend has an 01' xterra that suffers this same problem, but like every other older model xterra/frontier, the bumpers and grille aren't made out of the same type of plastic that things like black wow and other products adhere(well) to.



This summer i am planning to sand and paint the bumpers, grille, and mudflaps with some sort of rattle can trim black..
 
Accumulator-I expect you to suggest 845 for waxing paint but plastic trim? are you for real? I never heard of intentionally putting wax on trim. I've done it by accident plenty of times though. I'm guessing IW doesn't stain trim.
 
dublifecrisis said:
Accumulator-I expect you to suggest 845 for waxing paint but plastic trim? are you for real? I never heard of intentionally putting wax on trim. I've done it by accident plenty of times though. I'm guessing IW doesn't stain trim.
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Might sound weird but IME it works fine if you use the right wax (very important). Here are some specific examples that worked well for me:



-I've used wax (first Malm's liquid and then Souveran) on most of my XJS's plastic and even rubber trim since the late '80s.



-I used both 845 and 476S(!) on the exterior rubber and plastic trim of my outside 24/7 Volvo 245 wagon. Looked hideous whenever it needed redone but other than that it worked fine.



-I used the Klasse twins on the exterior plastic trim on my WRX wagon.



-I used 845 on the exterior plastic on my '00 Blazer after first polishing with 1Z Paint Polish. Worked great and that thing's trim was in pretty poor condition.



-I'm currently using both/either the Klasse twins and/or UPP spray on most of the black/dark gray plastic bits of my '01 S8 and my wife's '00 A8.



-I'm currently using the UPP spray on the plastic cowling at the base of the Yukon's windshield.



-I'm currently using 845 on the other black plastic trim on the Yukon.



-I've been using the Klasse twins on the '02 MPV's black plastic trim since new and it's stayed in great condition (like showroom new).



There have been a few cases where this LSP-based approach didn't work out:

-the black plastic foglight covers and sideview mirror trim of the XJS (not sure what's different about it compared to the rest of the plastic trim :confused:)

-very worn black plastic trim on the Audi A8 (e.g., wheelwell liners)

-the black plastic covers on certain wiperarms (forget which at the moment, this is very rare IME)



So *generally* this approach works great as long as the trim in question isn't really worn down. Two specific instances where I do go the other route:



-On pieces that I *do* use a dressing-based approach (e.g., rear bumper/runningboard treads on the Blazer and Yukon) I use Autoglym Bumper Care.



-On my friend's '93 Audi the rubber around the sideview mirrors was *horribly* oxidized, and I mean it was really, really awful. I cleaned it up with Griot's Rubber Prep (super stuff!) and treated it with Ultima's trim stuff. This worked great and I'd feared that *nothing* would bring that trashed stuff back.
 
wow! sounds a lot better than the Gold Class Trim Detailer crap I've been stuck with on occasion. that stuff looks great until it gets a little wet then leaves nice vertical streaks everywhere as it runs down.
 
i've been using ultima trim and tire on my wife's 01 durango's trim (roof rack/rails, door handles, bumper, cowl in front of windshield) and tires. i've been getting pretty good durability and no streaking when it rains. the car is outside in the weather 24/7. apply about once a month or so to keep it looking fresh. haven't just let it go and see how long it really last on its own.
 
I asked for opinions on Black Wow on this forum 03-08-09, received several reccomendations. After ordering and applying BW and Black Again on different parts, after 3 weeks both have faded and rain sploched equally. What is not equal is the price. $8 for BA, $25 for BW. It's not the $$$, its the longetivity. Real Unhappy. M
 
MIKE GILLEAN- You might want to try my wacky-sounding approach ;) The black plastic trim on my Denali XL was done a *LONG* time ago and it's still just fine (as is the black plastic trim on the MPV).



The AIO/LSP approach doesn't work well in *every* case, and different LSPs work better/worse in some cases, but once you get the approach dialed in it's pretty much maintenance-free for a long, long time (especially with a spritz of FK425 after every wash).
 
MIKE GILLEAN said:
I asked for opinions on Black Wow on this forum 03-08-09, received several reccomendations. After ordering and applying BW and Black Again on different parts, after 3 weeks both have faded and rain sploched equally. What is not equal is the price. $8 for BA, $25 for BW. It's not the $$$, its the longetivity. Real Unhappy. M
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BW needs to be "soaked up" by the plastic trim in order to be most effective. To give you an idea, my 94 Dodge Caravan roof racks took 9 separate applications before it stayed black longer than a couple weeks :2thumbs:
 
I'm not a chemist, nor am I a professional detailer, so I might be wrong on this.



But I'm pretty sure that products like Black Wow, Back to Black, and Black Again are all Trim RESTORERS. In other words, their job is to moisturize and recondition trim that's already faded and worn.



If you're trim is already in good shape, or if you've recently revived it with one of the products mentioned above, then you will need something PROTECTIVE to maintain the appearance of the trime.



I believe that is why Accumulator has found his approach to be so effective. Using an LSP is more likely to seal in the moisture and prevent the trim from drying or fading.



I just bought a 2009 CR-V with TONS of black trim. Originally I tried Mother's Back to Black. It worked ok, but left the surface looking oily and didn't last very long. Now I'm trying some plain old interior protectant. This doesn't get the trim to look as dark as the B2B, but it seems to last longer, and isn't as oily/wet looking.



I'm definitely going to try the Klasse Twins, as Accumulator suggested. I think the idea of a protective coating makes a lot more sense than repeated applications of a restorative product.
 
eyezack87 said:
BW needs to be "soaked up" by the plastic trim in order to be most effective. To give you an idea, my 94 Dodge Caravan roof racks took 9 separate applications before it stayed black longer than a couple weeks :2thumbs:
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Yep, trim that's very gray and dry will doakc Black Wow up. Two things will make it last as advertised. Leaving it on longer before going and buffing it off. Applying more than one coat. Once I figured that out I has lasted me not weeks but months.
 
My recomendation is to try some turtle wax ICE liquid polish. It does a fabulous job on black plastic trim, and is far more substantive than using typical protectants.
 
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