Like many of you I tried about everything under the sun to get my plastics back to black, instead of the washed out grey. Multiple products all claim that they return them to factory blackness, yet all failed to deliver a product that actually lasted. I have seen some of your results here, and they look awesome. Here are mine. I searched all over the web and found that people were either painting them, or plasti-dipping them. I didn't like the idea of paint as I have had to repaint my fender flares several times (Even though they claim they wont ever fade) and it is a pain to sand them down between each application. On day as I was putting a coat of Polyurethane on a wood product it dawned on me. Polyurethane is basically plastic, suspended in a solvent, when the solvent evaporates it leave behind the plastic. So I though "What the hell, what have I got to lose". I am happy with the results, and the application time is very minimal. First is the passenger side, that I haven't gotten around to.



Passenger side door handle.



Passenger side mirror


And then the Driver side, the door handle was done with just what I had left on the rag. This is only one coat. Sorry for the dark photos, this is in the parking garage at work.






This has been applied through the winter, I tested a spot on my bed rails first, and it was on a year before I dove in and did both bed rails, the tailgate cap, and driver side mirror and door handle.
This is Min-wax polyurethane in a satin finish. Wiped on with a clean rag (old tee-shirt).

 

Very interesting. Is the finish consistent? Does it look blotchy in the sun? It's hard to tell with the dark photos. But I'm interested

 

The finish is pretty consistent. I'll get some photos of the bed rails and tailgate cap in the sun, if it comes back soon. Snow here today. I prepped the plastics by scrubbing them with dish soap to get rid of all the wax, or other buildup, then rinsing them with water and letting them air dry. The poly seems to penetrate a bit into the plastic itself. The beauty is that it is dry within an hour, and you can add another coat, or 5. The door handle was a quick after thought, and there are a few spots that have clearly been missed. And the truck is filthy. Between the pine sap, and pine pollen, and mud. The dark dots on the untreated handle and mirror are sap.

 

For sure I wouldn't mind seeing some more pics. Also did the polyurethane cover up the texture of the plastic much

 

Nope, it is super thin, so it also flows well for coverage.

 

which product did you use? brand?

 

...

 

Missed that, thanks. looks good

 

Kiwi black Leather Dye. Apply with a foam brush (the one on the bottle is ok, but a throwaway foam brush is much better). May take two coats for full coverage. Lasts for years. A light sanding may help by opening up the pores in the plastic prior to application.

I have been using this on all my cars for years. So far, it worked great on the bed rails and the hood cowl of my 2004 XLT. Turned from dingy gray to black.

One $4.99 bottle should basically be enough for the entire truck.

Tom

http://www.target.com/p/kiwi-leather...Q&gclsrc=aw.ds

 

Maybe a combination of the two. Our high altitude and varying weather conditions takes a toll. It was 80 Friday, it is 37 with snow today.