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For those who has the faded plastics on the exterior, like I had on my truck ( I live in southern California where son is brutal 360 days a year) I have a very cheap and easy solution. I used a heat gun to slightly melt the plastic, and it looks like new now. I did the whole truck in about two hours. Basically you melt it until it looks glossy ( be careful not to burn it). Also I highly advice to power wash it before you do this.
It is well known, that if you use the heat gun method, they will turn white and chalk up worse than before. They may look good now, but in 6 months, you will regret it.
I'd make sure to try and keep them sealed up with a good spray wax. Even still, it doesn't last too long. I'd done this before and the integrity of the plastic lost was not worth the benefit due to lack of longevity.
You could add some Penetrol to them to help restore some of the natural oils in the plastic. This would help it last and keep from fading as quickly. Reapply as needed.
Sanding them prior to use of the heat gun helps also. Removes the layer of Faded or "Dead" molecules and keeps them from circulating back into the plastic when heated.
I found the propane torch method to work very well for me, but I put vasaline on my rails afterwards. The plastics are just a pain on these trucks, especially if they sit in the sun year round. https://www.f150forum.com/f4/trim-restoration-309868/
My plastic in the wiper area grill was looking bad
So I used black fusion paint for plastics it has been good for years and I would do it again plus I used a stainless screw to fasten it in the center .
I painted all the dull black metal on my wifes explorer with it too ,satin finish .
I've used two products very successfully to restore the black plastics on several of my cars/trucks without the potential of damaging heat.
The first one is Forever Black. It's more of a dye than a treatment. It restores the dark black color to faded bumper strips and moulding on my BMW, MGs and Triumph sportscars. It is getting tougher to find these days.
The other product I used for less faded (and newer) plastics is 303 Marine UV Protectant and its companion product 303 Multi Surface Cleaner. Think of this product as a nuclear version of Armour-All without the greasiness. It was originally developed for the aerospace industry and used on fighter jet canopies. The stuff is a little tricky to apply, but once you get the hang of it, it's well worth the time and efforts. It lasts for months and will make your black plastic trim dark and shiny. I use it on my soft tonneau bed cover and it keeps it looking awesome without degrading the plastic.
I've used two products very successfully to restore the black plastics on several of my cars/trucks without the potential of damaging heat.
The first one is Forever Black. It's more of a dye than a treatment. It restores the dark black color to faded bumper strips and moulding on my BMW, MGs and Triumph sportscars. It is getting tougher to find these days.
The other product I used for less faded (and newer) plastics is 303 Marine UV Protectant and its companion product 303 Multi Surface Cleaner. Think of this product as a nuclear version of Armour-All without the greasiness. It was originally developed for the aerospace industry and used on fighter jet canopies. The stuff is a little tricky to apply, but once you get the hang of it, it's well worth the time and efforts. It lasts for months and will make your black plastic trim dark and shiny. I use it on my soft tonneau bed cover and it keeps it looking awesome without degrading the plastic.
That's the product! It's a two-part process...cleaner, then dye. I used to get it from Bavarian Autosport in NH. I'm glad to see it still available on Amazon and it seems to get pretty good reviews there also.
I've never even heard of this, but maybe I'll pick it up and give it a try soon.
It really is awesome stuff and is as good as stated in my opinion.
However, only drawback is, you will have to reapply to keep it looking fresh. I used it on my truck a number of year ago and it did a great job. However, on the pieces that were really faded, you could still tell it was not as dark as would have been when it was new and all pieces were not the same shade due to uneven fading of various pieces.
Not knocking it, and it worked much better than the hundred other products I'd tried. As redfish did to his, paint is about the only "Permanent" solution, that is if it's maintained.
I was tired of applying products just to watch them wear off and have to redo to keep it up. I ended up painting and plasti dipping all of mine. To each his own I suppose, either way, it stinks how the plastics fade and leave your ride looking dull!
08-19-2017, 12:10 AM
Faded plastic restoration [HOW TO]
