Funny fix for faded fenders / trim ??

V

viOlaziOne

New member
just came across this video on Youtube .. wasn't sure whether or not it was posted on here previously but a search yielded no results .. I thought it was funny and wanted to see everyone else's thoughts on this .. was he burning off oxidation ?? was he burning the fender dark ?? lol just an interesting watch .. wonder what this crazyness looked like up close or after a few days/weeks !!

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfN-iRwFbOM&feature=related]How to Fix Faded Jeep Fender Flares - YouTube[/ame]
 
I won't speak to the physics or chemistry of it because I don't know, but a heat gun has been used successfully to do the same thing. This is probably a safer method as it heats the surface of the plastic quicly, allowing the thickness of the plastic to quickly cool it back down.
 
I have seen this done before however I have not tried it. Who knows, it may just work. I may find a faded fender some day and give it a whirl.
 
It works, but most people who do it use a heat gun. I would much rather remove it and redye it if I know a trim restorer won't work.
 
Looks very interesting. Extreme caution would have to be taken not to get the heat to near the paint though...
 
I was kinda hoping for an explosion or massive fire with the torch next to the gas filler, but I left disappointed :D
 
I've seen a similar trick with a heat gun, he wasn't burning the oxidation simply doing a chemical reaction, releasing the embedded oils from the plastic and bringing them out but this can only be a certain number of times.
 
Looks like it works faster than a heat gun. I tried the heat gun but the one I used took too long. Like was already said you can only do it so many times.

I've been using a dye to fix really bad fading since a trim restorer can only do so much
 
Rocket said:
Looks like it works faster than a heat gun. I tried the heat gun but the one I used took too long. Like was already said you can only do it so many times.

I've been using a dye to fix really bad fading since a trim restorer can only do so much
Click to expand...

How long does the dye last? Ive never dyed trim before but where I live there are a lot of vehicles with faded trim and i see dollars sign's, so im looking for some good tips,trick and products for dyeing.
 
LegacyGT said:
I was kinda hoping for an explosion or massive fire with the torch next to the gas filler, but I left disappointed :D
Click to expand...

Kind of like the Red Neck joke about the guy that kills himself.

hey wanta see somethin cool

Yeah

here hold my beer
 
Time 2 shine said:
How long does the dye last? Ive never dyed trim before but where I live there are a lot of vehicles with faded trim and i see dollars sign's, so im looking for some good tips,trick and products for dyeing.
Click to expand...

I used Forever Black and it lasted 6+ months easy. I had used it a few years ago on my car. I was not thrilled at first, as I couldn't seem to keep it from looking steaky or splotchy. Once it dried and I put a dressing on it it looked much better. Over time it evened out well on the side moulding, but I was never really happy with how it looked on the plastic window frame where it is a different type of plastic. (Think B pillar)

Fast forward 2 years and the trim started looking a little faded again. I picked up some of the Bondo trim dye from Wal-Mart to do a side by side test. Don't waste your money on that crap. Streaky, uneven coverage that didn't last.

So after 6 months I finally decided to fix the one section of trim that I used the Bondo stuff on. I wish I had taken a picture. It looked horrible compared to the rest of the trim on the car. Two coats of Forever Black did a great job evening out the look and gave it a nice rich, new look. Still looked uneven when first applied. Waited 10 minutes between coats. After drying for about an hour it looked much better. On the adjacent door the trim that had been dyed 6 months prior with Forever Black still looked pretty good, even next to the freshly dyed piece. I hit it with a coat as well, though, just for good measure. Tried to remove the uneven coverage on the window frame. IPA, Denatured alcohol and Mineral spirits barely touched it.

I'm very interested in the Valugard ETR kit, but it runs about $100, so I'm looking to do some more research before biting that bullet.

As for other colors of trim, I'm not sure what to do. A good trim restorer is all I know of.
 
I've seen something similar to this done along time ago. A guy I knew was repairing a cracked door panel by "plastic welding" it. He meticulously repaired the crack and then heated the balance of the panel. Some of the panel had been bent to the point of being white along the bend. I have to admit it looked near new when finished.
 
Dye lasts a good while. Its as close to a permanent repair as you can get. It bonds to plastic much better than spray paint, so it will never just rub or flake off. Krylon Fusion is a good outdoor plastic paint. I used it on my mail box 4 years ago, and it hasn't faded at all. I usually just use Car Brite's dye since I can pull double duty with it because it can be used on carpet too.
 
I used Showroom New dye. I applied it to the bumper of my old Dodge Ram and to the cowl of my TA. Its been several years since I applied it to the TA and it still looks good.

As for streaking with the dye- I had that happen on the cowl but not the bumper. I can't exactly say why it happened but I think a lot has to do with prep and weather conditions. I plan to try to apply with an airbrush next to see how it turns out. I think it will look much better than the brush and foam applicator
 
I think so as well. I found that if I'm working on a large part like the bumper a larger foam brush helped reduce streaking. The cowl was harder since it had curves and crevices and I think that contributed to the problem.

Preval has a sprayer type product that I think would work great. It's cheap so it's worth a shot. I'm going to stop by Home Depot and pick one up this weekend.
 
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