Recommended Plastic Restorer?

Falcon_LS

Falcon_LS

Joined
Oct 3, 2008
Messages
4,879
Location
Kuwait
The grille on my GMC Envoy has a body color surround with chrome trim, but the center of the grille surrounding the "GMC" badge is black. With exposure to sunlight over the years, the black trim is slowly turning grayish white. I can keep applying something like Mothers VLR, which restores it back to black for a while, but I was hoping there is something more long term. There's handful of "Back to Black" products out there, and I was looking at Mother Back-to-Black Heavy Duty Trim Cleaner Kit. But short of painting the black center, Plasti Dip, or going as far as replacing the grille, what product, in BITOG's experiences, is decent to restore oxidized plastic? Thanks! thumbsup
 
I was having the same trouble with the trim that came on the Sierra. Plastic trim all over. I tried everything I could get my hands on. It might look good for a week or so but reverted back to the reason I tried to fix it to begin with. I tried off the shelf and online products that claimed to be the solution. Then, like Char Baby mentioned, I decided to try the "Wipe New" that Walmart carried and as advertised on TV. I followed the directions to the letter. So far I'm extremely pleased with the way it has turned out so far. I did this about two months ago and the trim is still looking as good as the day I treated it. It did bring back the Black in the trim and the truck looks much better. Again, only two months removed from application, so I can't testify to how long it will hold up. I wished I had tried it first because I would have saved some money. It was well worth the $12 I spent on it. Good Luck.
 
Whichever product you use you will have to keep applying it to maintain the cosmetic appearance. The damage is done and it's permanent.
 
Originally Posted by Eddie
I like "BACK TO BLACK" which is easy to apply and seems to last about one year here in FL. Ed
Only seemed to last a few months up here in Ohio but the car is outside all the time. Plus it's sticky so dust, pollen, etc all stick to it. There's an HD version of it that was mentioned above that seems to get better reviews. Plus I do like Mother's as a company a lot.
 
I asked a professional detailer on here about the same thing not long ago and below is his response. Esp if you want something that lasts a long time. I use Black Wow Pro and Solution Finish a lot at my shops, my own cars get Solution Finish followed by C.Quartz DLUX on top. If you can wait till the next day to top the Solution Finish, it is best. This is not cheap stuff and I don't usually post a whole lot about the products I use as many are expensive and lots of people are looking for something that will do the job on the "cheap".
 
There is no restoring it per se, any kind of goop just stays wet to deepen the color (and/or may have some color itself) but that goop will collect more goop and need cleaned off and reapplied. Longer lasting and easier to maintain is a new top surface color that does not stay wet. Krylong Fusion/etc plastic paint, or epoxy bumper (or appliance if you can accept high gloss) paint or better still, black spray can vinyl dye. It seeps into the surface of the plastic so it does not peel off. Do not primer before using it and prep the surface well - you must get all that goop you've been putting on, off or the *paint* won't stick, and remove the top oxidized layer of plastic... rubbing compound (not a polish with a sealant in it) or steel wool should suffice, along with a very strong and hot detergent solution. Use multiple very light surface coats. If you can get it masked off good and stuff some newspaper behind the grill, it doesn't even need removed to paint it.
 
Learned of Mr. Clean Magic Eraser on the Tacoma websites. I used most of the products above, and they looked good for a month. I did this in Sept 2018 and it still looks good. Use it wet or dry and get comfortable-it does take about 30 minutes to do a fender flare. I guess it is just a fine abrasive, like 10,000 or 20,000? No chemicals mentioned.

Tacoma Magic Eraser2.JPG
 
^ You must be joking. Boiled linseed oil will leave a gummy mess that attracts every little bit of dust, insects, even sand/concrete/other road grit. And it smells funny when it gets warm.
 
On detailing forums, Solution Finish is all the rage for exterior trim. Tried it, lasted maybe a little more than others, nothing special. Some day I was given a gift card and I decided to try Wipe New, which I never did because it's quite expensive for very little product. Also when you see the infamous "as seen on TV" graphic, it seems to instantly lose any credibility. I had never seen a Wipe new commercial and decided to try it anyway. It works. It's been on my car's trim for about 8 months now and went through winter. I'm impressed. I didn't reapply on my Spring detailing since it didn't need it and I'm curious as to how long it actually lasts.
 
Last edited:
Not joking. Used it on my 2003 Town and Country on the plastic trim beneath the windshield wipers and also the trim on the roof. None of the issues you describe. Lasted a couple of months. Cheap and effective.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Owen Lucas
Restoring black plastic grill
2
Replies
20
Views
1K
Jdeere562
M
Motorex Power Synth 5w40 online deal at WMT and Amazon
Replies
2
Views
579
maineiac
PandaBear
Moen "widespread" bathroom sink faucet free spinning
Replies
3
Views
405
CarLuver
S
HF Maddox 21 PC. Front Wheel Bearing remover?
Replies
9
Views
3K
stenerson
G
Lug Nuts Seizing Up
2
Replies
31
Views
2K
JHZR2
Top