exterior black plastic

[ShinyMopar]

Tips on how to clean please. I usually always wash it with the rest of the exterior with my normal car wash. Is there something better? Apc? Brushes instead of mitts? Reason I ask is sometimes no matter how hard I scrub it the plastic still looks dingy and when I apply the dressing it gets my rag dirty. Not like a color transfer but a dingy brown. Don't want something so strong that is dries it out either. Thank you.

[jfelbab]

Re: exterior black plastic

I clean neglected exterior plastic/vinyl trim with APC and a brush. Once thoroughly clean, I apply Ultimate Liquid Wax (ULW) to the trim. I use Ultimate Quik Wax (UQW) after every wash to maintain the look and protection. I find the ULW/UQW system looks better, protects better and lasts longer than any dedicated trim product I've used.

[ShinyMopar]

I thought wax would stain it

[jfelbab]

Re: exterior black plastic

These products, while called a wax, are really sealants. Neither of the two products I mentioned stain trim, even textured trim.

[thepanchmx]

But be sure to use the liquid base forms, the paste will stain it.

[Detailing by M]

Re: exterior black plastic

What year, make and model car are you working on?

Don't use a wax/sealant those are for paint and not vinyl/rubber.
There are plenty of products for trim
M39 is a vinyl/rubber cleanner.
APC works great too, mix it 4:1
I use 39 and trim gel and scrub/wipe out the dirt.
I'd rub with a terry towel, if it won't damage the trim, if it's "sensitive" use a MFT.
Rub until it's clean, the towel should be black but it can be brown depending on what your working on,.

[Top Gear]

Re: exterior black plastic

Meguiar's Ultimate Black is what you need, ShinyMopar. That stuff is amazing, doesn't run or streak, and smells good, too. It bonds into the plastic or rubber and moisturizes it, and is very durable, so you can repeatedly clean those areas with other products (like washings) for weeks or months before needing to pull out the UB again. I put it on exterior plastic, rubber trim, flat black bits like windshield wiper arms, and so on. It can bond to paint/clear, I've found, so be quick to clean off excess from body panel paint.

[BillE]

Re: exterior black plastic

Give UWax LIQUID a try (hidden area first, just to be 'safe'), I think you will be pleasantly surprised.

Bill

[nolonger_superman]

Re: exterior black plastic

For what it's worth, I recently used Meguiar's White Wax on my very faded roof rails, side mirrors, and pillars on my 2006 Impreza. Worked fantastic.

link

[Detailing by M]

Re: exterior black plastic

omg! you guys arn't really telling someone to use a wax on plastic are you?
Get a TRIM DRESSING.

[SpoolMe]

Re: exterior black plastic

lol it was my understanding that wax was for clear coat :P

I use hyper dressing on the black parts... im no pro though

[ShinyMopar]

The dressing aspect isn't the problem. I typically use ultimate black on dry faded plastic and some form of trim detailer on normal black plastic. My concern is the cleaning of it. Like I said I typically use my normal car washing techniques and car wash to clean as I'm washing the rest of the car. But after all is dry and I'm applying dressing it still pulls dirt off of the plastic. It turns my rag a dingy brown. A dirt brown and not a color transfer from the plastic. If it was truly clean I wouldn't expect that. How do you properly clean it? Been thinking about getting apc to try out should I try something else?

[Detailing by M]

Re: exterior black plastic

The dressing aspect isn't the problem. I typically use ultimate black on dry faded plastic and some form of trim detailer on normal black plastic. My concern is the cleaning of it. Like I said I typically use my normal car washing techniques and car wash to clean as I'm washing the rest of the car. But after all is dry and I'm applying dressing it still pulls dirt off of the plastic. It turns my rag a dingy brown. A dirt brown and not a color transfer from the plastic. If it was truly clean I wouldn't expect that. How do you properly clean it? Been thinking about getting apc to try out should I try something else?

What year, make and model car are you working on?

Don't use a wax/sealant those are for paint and not vinyl/rubber.
There are plenty of products for trim
M39 is a vinyl/rubber cleanner.
APC works great too, mix it 4:1
I use 39 and trim gel and scrub/wipe out the dirt.
I'd rub with a terry towel, if it won't damage the trim, if it's "sensitive" use a MFT.
Rub until it's clean, the towel should be black but it can be brown depending on what your working on,.

refresher...

[jfelbab]

Re: exterior black plastic

Well, yes I am. In fact, I probably own every trim dressing Meguiar's has ever made as well as a lot of other manufacturer's trim products. Funny thing is that after using ULW on my trim, I found that I never again needed any of my dedicated trim protectors. This stuff likely contains many of the same polymers but I find ULW and UQW to deliver great looks, long life and outstanding protection. I have maybe 20 bottles of different trim protectors that now sit unused on my shelf. Just saying... don't knock it until you've tried it.

Now understand that I'm not suggesting using any WAX but two sealants that are called WAX by Meguiar's.

[Detailing by M]

Re: exterior black plastic

Well it might work for your car but when doing 100's of cars I'll stick to what Meg's developers developer.
Trim Dressing for trim
Trim Cleaner for cleaning trim.
Wax/Sealants for paint.

Mixing things up, to me, is a giant waste of time.
So much easier to listen to the people who actually make the products tell me what to use them on.

Use what works for you but recommending wax/sealant for trim is just a bad idea.

Something heard at Meguiar's call center "Someone on the forum said to do "X" and it messed up my car"