imported_themightytimmah
New member
I'd been struggling with trim problems on one of our cars (03 Taurus) lately - every dressing I tried, even CG's excellent Liquid Extreme Shine, looked crappy after a week or so on the mirror and windshield trim. After trying everything in my detail box, I dug around in the basement and found the trim dye kit I bought from Top of the Line a couple years ago - I hadn't used it in a year or two because I found the dye was streaky when applied with the kitchen sponge they provided.
I also grabbed a pack of differently sized foam brushes and went at it. After cleaning with APC and a pressure washer and allowing to dry, I applied a coat of black and a coat of clear to all the textured trims, and a coat of clear to all the smooth trims. Using foam paintbrushes, there was no streaking, and the total dye time was 10 minutes or so.
The results have been very impressive. The trim looks *exactly* as it did when it was new, without the glossy look that oil-based dressings often cause. It also doesn't run in the rain, as far as I can tell today. Sorry no pictures, as I finished in the dark and it's raining right now, but I'll try to get some tomorrow if the weather improves. Here's a pic off of TOL's page that looks pretty similar to my results:
The kit was around 50 bucks IIRC. For the pros thinking about it - I offered trim dying for my first 2 years of business and never had a customer spring for it. It's only really marketable to high-end customers and Chevy Avalanche owners, but it really would be a perfect solution for hobbyists that are sick of dressing trim weekly and having dressings run in the rain.
I also grabbed a pack of differently sized foam brushes and went at it. After cleaning with APC and a pressure washer and allowing to dry, I applied a coat of black and a coat of clear to all the textured trims, and a coat of clear to all the smooth trims. Using foam paintbrushes, there was no streaking, and the total dye time was 10 minutes or so.
The results have been very impressive. The trim looks *exactly* as it did when it was new, without the glossy look that oil-based dressings often cause. It also doesn't run in the rain, as far as I can tell today. Sorry no pictures, as I finished in the dark and it's raining right now, but I'll try to get some tomorrow if the weather improves. Here's a pic off of TOL's page that looks pretty similar to my results:
The kit was around 50 bucks IIRC. For the pros thinking about it - I offered trim dying for my first 2 years of business and never had a customer spring for it. It's only really marketable to high-end customers and Chevy Avalanche owners, but it really would be a perfect solution for hobbyists that are sick of dressing trim weekly and having dressings run in the rain.
