Best Plastic Trim UV Protection?

Anyone watch Scott HD on youtube?




This isn't for UV protection only though, but he tends to leave most of his test panels/parts out in the Texas weather.

I currently use ArmorAll protectant just because it was super cheap. It works fine. Lasts a couple months. Not too much of a gloss finish. I don't care much for the cheap glossy look. I tend to use it on the plastic fender liners just trying to use up 3 bottles of the stuff.

That Cerakote that PF tested looks amazing. I just can't bring myself to put something that permanent onto my car. I oooh and aahhh about ceramic coatings, but won't go for it. I would go a sealant or wax that I know I can remove if I wanted to. Same for the trim. Rather apply something every other wash.
 
I always wondered how it would turn out if you mixed black ink pen ink with nufinish and put that on. Hoping someone will do this experiment on their ride so I don't have to first! ;)

Then there's that liquid shoe polish with the foam applicator on the bottle #whatsitcalled

I also wondered about spray-on vinyl dye. On certain types of plastics it seeps into the finish and bonds with it, so it has very little chance of flaking or peeling off, though if the UV can damage the original plastic, I doubt it's a long term fix either and don't know if it would fare batter or worse than a 2K color paint.
 
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Anyone watch Scott HD on youtube?




This isn't for UV protection only though, but he tends to leave most of his test panels/parts out in the Texas weather.

I currently use ArmorAll protectant just because it was super cheap. It works fine. Lasts a couple months. Not too much of a gloss finish. I don't care much for the cheap glossy look. I tend to use it on the plastic fender liners just trying to use up 3 bottles of the stuff.

That Cerakote that PF tested looks amazing. I just can't bring myself to put something that permanent onto my car. I oooh and aahhh about ceramic coatings, but won't go for it. I would go a sealant or wax that I know I can remove if I wanted to. Same for the trim. Rather apply something every other wash.



I don’t know who that is but my understanding is that once the plastic has degraded from UV rays that degradation is permanent. The stuff he put on for the testing might darken it a little but only temporarily.
 
Scott HD also just a channel I found while being all bored during lockdown and looking for detailing products.

I agree that once it is damaged it damaged. Once the oils are leached out of the surface I doubt there's any way of getting them back in.
The torch and heat gun trick I think just bring remaining oils to the surface.

Scott HD also mentions something interesting about using some silicones as a treatment. They may actually speed up the degradation.

There was another test done that included The Last Coat CeraTrim:



It wasn't one of the longest lasting in the 25-way test, but I don't want a almost unremovable product. Still went 120 days. Only issue I would have with it is the seemingly glossy oily finish.
 
I agree with the garage idea but I can only speak on my personal experience. Very early on in my vehicle ownership I didn’t use anything on exterior trim. In those days there wasn’t much plastic on the exterior. The cowl is a good example. Eventually the cowl would fade and I would try to revive it with not much luck.

Now with all the plastic trim on the exterior I started to use trim protectant right from the start. When I buy a brand new vehicle one of the first things I do is wash and wax it. I also treat the trim. All these vehicles never showed any deterioration or discoloration in the trim. In fact I get a lot of compliments from others when they see a 15 year old car that looks brand new inside and out.


So in short, treat the trim right away and keep up on it. With products like Gyeon Preserve I can do the trim a few times a year. There are more durable products out there but I try to avoid having numerous bottles hanging around.
I'm wondering about the rubber surrounds on sideglass windows, "cats' whiskers"/window wipes, etc. You mean that stuff?
 
I'm wondering about the rubber surrounds on sideglass windows, "cats' whiskers"/window wipes, etc. You mean that stuff?


I don’t do those. It would mess up the glass and you will have to go back and forth cleaning things.

On the CX5 I do the cowl, bottom trim on the sides, wheel trim, the trim on the side of the rear spoiler, and the front and rear trim at the bottom.
 
I don’t do those. It would mess up the glass and you will have to go back and forth cleaning things.

On the CX5 I do the cowl, bottom trim on the sides, wheel trim, the trim on the side of the rear spoiler, and the front and rear trim at the bottom.
Thx. Living in the PNW/Westcoast of Canada, at least one bonus is somewhat lesser solar load than the southern part of the 'States. I've always religiously protected my dashboards and the tops of my doorcards... but have not similarly catered for seat upholstery or plastic trim. Boy 'o boy do I need a garage! As some one else put it... I live in a house. My cars should live in a garage!
 
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