Exterior Trim

I

imported_buffer

New member
My wife has a 98 Civic that I have been taking good care of over the years. At 201,000 km it feels like it's just getting broken in. We love this car for all that it has done for us and we try to keep it looking new. The one area I am having problems in is the black exterior trim in the middle of the doors and the very bottom of the car. I was able to get the mirrors looking new using Klasse AIO and Sealant but the other areas aren't that easy. I have tried to do several passes with AIO but it keeps blackening the cloth even after repeated washes. How to I get this clean? Is AIO just pulling the color of the trim? The mirrors did the same thing at first but cleared up. Any thoughts?



Thanks

:ca
 
Its most likely accumulated grime, eventually it will come clean. I would reccoment some APC at 20:1, and then use a trim product like back 2 black, pb trim restore, forever black, or my personal fav TOL Grape. If all else fails, you can paint the trim body color. I have done it in the past with my civics with great results.



The mirrors are a different type of plastic thats why they came out differently. Mother back to black is OTC and works well to clean it up, after that just dress it occasionally with TOL Grape and you will be set. HTH.



:usa :usa :usa
 
I'm not a big fan of back 2 Black. I find that it doesn't really last all that long. I will try the APC 20:1 mix and see were that takes me. Didnt' think of that.



Thanks

:ca
 
This has always been a problem area for me too. I'm going to be polishing my car again pretty soon (thanks dealership!) and this time i'm taking off all the exterior door/bumper trim.

I'm going to clean it up real good, protect it, then pop it back on. Just need to make sure i have enough clips/grommets. Once it's clean it's really easy to maintain and keep it that way. I've never been one for trim dye products, so hopefully you can get yours looking good with just some apc. Good luck dude!
 
Popping the panels off was something that crossed my mind. Maybe not the door trim because I would be too afraid to bend it but the bottom trim shouldn't be that hard. I'll probably do that just to make things easier.



Thanks

:ca
 
buffer said:
I'm not a big fan of back 2 Black. I find that it doesn't really last all that long. I will try the APC 20:1 mix and see were that takes me. Didnt' think of that.



Thanks

:ca
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Yeah, for a dressing b2b doesnt last long but to clean the trim I find it works rather well. The plastic sideskirt is held on by clips, careful not to break them if you remove them. I think you would be pleasantly suprised by TOL Grape, cheap too.
 
Black Wow works well, Back to Black was the first thing I tried for exterior trim back in the day and I hated it. No durability whatsoever.
 
i tried back to black last weekend on the roof rack of a taurus wagon, it was so bad that it was a gray color. i put back to black on it 5 times and parts of the rack are still gray i would call it "lack of black" lol
 
02 SC Frontier said:
Black Wow works well, Back to Black was the first thing I tried for exterior trim back in the day and I hated it. No durability whatsoever.
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How long does Black Wow last? After a wash is the trim surface dry or sticky?
 
zingyginger said:
How long does Black Wow last? After a wash is the trim surface dry or sticky?
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Designed for any color exterior plastic such as on the MINI Cooper, Honda Element, Jeep Cherokee, Toyota Tacoma, and others, this gel will restore your trims natural color without use of dyes or colorants and provides a rich, long lasting look (measured in months), proven by the water beading action.



In months. This stuff is very durable and so easy to apply.
 
My '98 civic has the same problem. The trim at the bottom of the doors is the tough one to get looking good.



TrufflePig, have you actually used Black Wow? There has been some promo on this board by someone who developed it, and I'd like to hear from members who are unbiased and actually have used it.
 
Sherri Zann said:
My '98 civic has the same problem. The trim at the bottom of the doors is the tough one to get looking good.



TrufflePig, have you actually used Black Wow? There has been some promo on this board by someone who developed it, and I'd like to hear from members who are unbiased and actually have used it.
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Yes I have man. It works awesome.



When I got mine I wanted to put it through my tests and that is exactly what I've done.



On the cars that I've done, the first thing customers have noticed is how black their trim looks compared to when they dropped it off.



This stuff is really good. Works well. Goes on SO easy. I can't stress that enough. Smells like watermelon jolly rancher. Very easy to use.



And best of all, you only need a small amount of it.



Here check out before and after shots.



There is a huge difference. Some notes first.



This truck has never been waxed in i'd say a good solid few years. not regularly cleaned on the outside either. its a winter beater. You can see how the mirrors are all faded and how quickly the colour was restored. Its been a few weeks since that test and its still running strong through two rain storms and plenty of 32 degrees plus days.



The water just beads right off. Its great.



Before:



DSC05910.JPG




Taped up and half and half:



DSC05915.JPG






After:



DSC05920.JPG




DSC05924.JPG
 
Is the new look about what it appeared as new? It seems too glossy like it was painted vs natural.



I used some Mothers Back to Black on some black mirrors that look similar to these and it only did a fair job (best on soft plastics) although the plastic seemed to absorb the liquid like a sponge.
 
abnot said:
Is the new look about what it appeared as new? It seems too glossy like it was painted vs natural.



I used some Mothers Back to Black on some black mirrors that look similar to these and it only did a fair job (best on soft plastics) although the plastic seemed to absorb the liquid like a sponge.
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don't let the pictures fool you.



I did not wipe off the excess, as you can if you want the matte finish.
 
Although black wow will work on those mirrors, they can be polished and sealed just like paint with typical polishes.

The shinier layer underneath when burnished by the right polishes and a machine with 4 inch pads would look dramatically different. better result than in that pic and once sealed, won't wash or burn away like dressings do.

Black wow is what you use for those plastics that the wipers are on mostly and for really hard unpolishable trims like MG Rover RV8's



There is trimonex, renu it liner and nyalic protective laquer that you could use successfully on the trim
 
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