Trim Restorer Showdown - Round 2 (Long and Pic heavy)

Thanks for doing this review! Let's just say my face was inches away from my laptop screen and just stared until the end of the thread...






Limny
 
UPDATE:

I have been meaning to get this update posted for some time.


The panel has seen some pretty varied weather; everything from weeks of heavy rain, snow, ice & sun.




At about the 6 week mark all but 5 seemed to be completely gone. This photo was taken at the 8 week mark. The Solution finish has faded significantly but this might be a result of the test piece not having been heavily faded to begin with. The 4 coating products seem to have had no fading at all. Something tells me this could be a very looonnnngggg test.






Outside of the 5 remaining, UTTG lasted the longest in this test. A revisit of the first round of testing (still underway): UTTG is still holding on after >4 months. (I apologize: this photo was previously posted with the labeling being incorrect. The darker section is GTechniq C4 and UTTG is to the right. UTTG is faded but it does still have a definitive edge indicating it is still present.)



And Forever Black seems unfazed. The only issue is where the tape pulled some off early on. On the left was Forever Black by itself. On the right it was coated with Opti-Coat to see if it would improve durability and resistance.






I also got to observe the BMW at the 3 month mark.








On this trim the 3 remaining products all seem to have faded a little. This might prove to be the better real-life test as long as the car doesn't go away for some reason and cut my observations short.


I also found another use for the Carmor and GTechniq C4 that I would not consider using any of the other products for.










The driver's button sees a lot more contact so it was in worse condition to begin with and I anticipate will wear more quickly so it won't be a fair durability comparison between them. This is on my own car so I will continue to observe this.


More to come.
 
Thanks for this very thorough and informative test, and for taking the time to do updates!

To remedy the unevenness of Forever Black I've found that multiple coats will solve that problem. It might take 3 or 4 thin coats with dry time between to get uniform coverage.
 
As everyone has said this is an amazing review. Absolutely brilliant. I'm gobsmacked at the time and effort you put in.

Some observations, please correct me if I interpreted wrong. I am surprised at the seemingly bad results (relative I know) of some of the products, Especially my favorite PoorBoys's. More surprised is the comparative perfomance of the Turtle wax product. It seems to me that for the price it does a darn good job in its category.

Equally surprising is the performance of the expensive bonding products. At first read I thought the cost outrageous and when looking at the beading pictures it seemed no better than anything else. But! as the test went on it is clear that the bonding products are superior. Assuming the goal is longer lasting.

I reckon I will need to read the thread a third time to decided which is the best all around. Looks like maybe the GTechniq or Carmor. But again, at the price points it may be worth it to go inexpensive and apply more often.

I am curious what the readers take away is. As in based on this which product would you buy next? Of course the big caveat is as you point out different plastics may have different end results. I experienced this with interior dash. In my old Jag PB Natural Look was awesome, but the wife's Mazda was awful. Sonax dash cleaner worked better on the Mazda.

Again, a stellar review and test process.
 
Not addressed in this test, how long does it last in the rain. Also, I have a 2001 Nissan, the plastic used is different starting in 2003. The 2001 will oxidize, no matter what product is used. I used, among others, C4, and Ultima Tire & trim. Some other products cover the oxidation, but wash off. Others are just overpriced. Ultima works best, as long as all oxidation is removed prior. I use OOOO steel wool to remove oxy, then Ultima lasts 6 months, before another use of steel wool. I am ready to paint the plastic. I have used Duplicolor truck bed coating (not Bed Armor) on the cowl vent 2 years ago as experiment, still looks like new, no peeling, fading, flaking, even though parked outside. That is the only real solution. I'm tired of fighting it, and looking for the next "best thing". Give up on wipe-on coatings, and use a permanent solution. Paint it!!
 
Re: Trim Restorer Showdown - Round 2 *Updated 7/8/14 (6 month)(Long and Pic heavy)

6 month update:

The 4 at the bottom are still holding up well. None appear to have any signs of fading. The test panel has been exposed to the weather nonstop and seen plenty of weather. I have not washed the panel as frequently as I had planned (nor my own car) and it has not been exposed to normal driving conditions.








It is barely visible in the photo but the tape line along the bottom of the Solution Finish piece is still slightly visible, as is the Black Wow Classic.


When I washed the panel I was a little surprised that UTTG was still beading water very well, despite the visible appearance that it was dead.





The Black Wow Classic is still beading respectably. Solution Finish never did bead water, a trait that makes it a good choice on steps where slipping could be a concern. Black Wow Pro hasn't been beading since the one month update.





Neither of the products below ever showed great beading.





Carmor Fade To New still beads like the first week after application. C4 still beads well but this is the first indication of either outlasting, though beading is low on the list of priorities or indicators for durability.







I will continue to observe and update this thread. The owner of the BMW has been out of the country for the past 6 weeks so I haven't seen it in a while. I hope to see it soon and will post update if/when I do. As I was writing this I realized I also forgot to check the status of the seatbelt buttons so I will include that soon as well.


Pricing Update: Carmor Fade to New has been reduced to $29.95 for the one ounce bottle. That is a sufficient amount for any DIYer to cover their own car (probably a few cars, depending on amount of trim) with a few exceptions such as a Chevy Avalanche. Carmor has also been made available in 4 oz. ($69.95), 16 oz ($225.00), and 32 oz. ($395.00).


I have been asked many times what product(s) I choose to use based upon my test. I have seen many posts on various forums asking for trim restorer recommendations and, until now, I have avoided naming any products and, instead, have linked this thread so they could draw their own conclusion.


My answer:

UTTG has always been my choice for a durable dressing and continues to be. It rarely fails to deliver.

Solution Finish delivers the most natural look (least glossy) and can be used on areas that I would hesitate to use other products, such as steps, door handles, etc.

Carmor Fade to New for the coating category. C4 is an equally capable product and I sometimes prefer the slightly lower gloss for some applications. The deciding factor here (unless the long term durability proves to be vastly different) is price. At half the price of C4 for a 1 oz. bottle it really becomes an easy decision. The newly available 4 oz. container at nearly 1/4 the price per ounce compared to C4 just makes it that much easier for a professional detailer. Carmor has a great product and has been flying under the radar.
Here is a photo of Carmor being applied to a badly neglected BMW 330i I detailed recently:




For anyone looking for a cost effective option (selling a car, for example) Forever Black is a reasonable choice. It is outclassed by some of the others in this test but it does a decent job for the lowest price.



There will be a round 3!

Thanks to the generosity of someone who shall remain anonymous for the time being, I have received additional products to test.


To be included:

Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant
Stoner's Trim Shine
3D Trim Care Protectant
Duragloss 271
Carpro DLux

Plus a few others. If you have a product you feel should be included I will be happy to do so if a sample is provided.

For those following this post, I will post a link here when the new thread is started but it might be a while as the process is time consuming.
 
Excellent update! Thanks! I'm looking forward to round 3! Carpro dlux, and uttg are my go to products.
 

Simply great work.

I am kinda surprised about SolutionFinish as I had higher hope for it. I wonder how SF would be if you topped it with UTTG or DLUX after curing to lock it in?


I am really interested to see your thoughts and findings on DLUX compared to the other coatings as it is my current favorite "coating". But I agree that UTTG is hard to be for an easy to use and apply product that last a long time.
 
TroyScherer said:

Simply great work.

I am kinda surprised about SolutionFinish as I had higher hope for it. I wonder how SF would be if you topped it with UTTG or DLUX after curing to lock it in?


I am really interested to see your thoughts and findings on DLUX compared to the other coatings as it is my current favorite "coating". But I agree that UTTG is hard to be for an easy to use and apply product that last a long time.
Click to expand...


Thank you, Troy.


I wouldn't say that Solution Finish put up disappointing results. I had a couple long discussions with Chris West and he explained how Solution Finish works. SF is designed to infuse and replenish the black dye that is naturally in the plastic, not sit on top or have other chemicals soak in. This is why SF produces the most natural look. Because this particular piece of trim was not heavily faded the difference made by SF was less than it would have been on a severely faded piece. Looking at the result on the white BMW updated in March shows how it looks and lasts on faded trim. Outside of the coatings, SF outlasted the others by far.

Think of it like moisturizer; if you put moisturizer onto very dry hands the result will likely be significant. But if you put moisturizer on soft, supple hands it might appear to have had no effect.

I did a quick test with applying SF with an airbrush and liked the result. I plan to play with that a little more. I might try coating over SF with the other coatings to see how it works and if it reduces durability of the coating.


I do plan to retest the C4 and Carmor along with DLux so that they can be compared fairly.
 
I got to see the BMW briefly today. It has been over 8 months since application and been exposed to both winter and summer conditions. The vehicle is dirty so that might be partially responsible for the slightly faded appearance of each of the products. Even though Solution Finish has faded a little more it has held pretty strong after the initial fade. Overall, I am very impressed by all 3 of these products.





 
And I thought Consumer Reports was thorough!!! They don't hold a candle to your efforts here. The three superior coatings aside there is still something to be said for the Turtle Wax product as I see it. Readily available, reasonable in cost, and decent performance overall. I'm rather surprised at that but not as much as the poor showing of Poorboy's......it just wasn't in the running at all. I have also had very disappointing results with Black Wow which was quite disturbing considering the cost.

Excellent excellent work. Thank you, this took a lot of time and effort to do.....and it ain't over yet.
 
I just wanted to say again - THANK YOU for your detailed testing and for all of the effort that you put in! This is simply the best trim product comparison that I have seen to date!
 
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