Ultima trim and tire guard, wolfgang exterior trim sealant, or Gtechniq C4.
I havent heard of those yet(then again im new to this). Is that what you use? Do they last long or will i need to re-apply after awhile? On another site Black Wow seemed to be pretty good stuff, and another option was to use dye. Just curious as to what really works and by that i mean which one will last the longest aside from re-painting them.
Thanks
Regardless of what you use you'll need to reapply periodically if you want to keep trim looking good. Even if you use protective products on undamaged trim you still need to reapply. The trick is to find the right product for your application that minimizes reuse and doesn't run when it rains.
IME, Black WOW works best on wide open spaces on pebble grain trim. It's kinda smeary on flat shiny surfaces. The more you rub it in and spread it out the better it works. Works best on squeaky clean surfaces... Pre WOW seemed to be one of the best restorers and cleaners I've used with BW. I've found BW looks better if you wash the vehicle after using it.. takes some of the shine away. If you've got nooks and crannies you may want to consider something else.... kinda tough to rub it in and spread thin if you have louvers, holes, small spaces etc on areas like some cowl trims.
UTTG+ has a loyal following and is easier to apply, IMO. I like it better than most because it lasts reasonably and doesn't run. A little bit shinier than I prefer when first applied but some vigorous rubbing with a clean MF tones it down nicely. Easier in the nooks n crannies than BW, IMO.
Haven't used the others Mark mentioned. Poorboy's World Trim Restorer has a quite a few devotees. I find it good for restoring badly oxidized trim but didn't like it much as a protectant because it runs when rained on. It'd be great on lower trim where there's no paint to run down on.
If you want to try something reasonably priced and readily available OTC you may want to take a look at Meg's Ultimate Protectant. I liked it OK but generally prefer UTTG+. YMMV.
If you happen to have a honeycombed grill or extremely tight spaces that would take forever to apply a product by hand I'd recommend a spray trim product. I had a smooth honeycombed grill on a Hyundai that would almost white-out if left untreated for extended periods. It wasn't practical to do by hand and it didn't seem to retain any product I tried. Meg's aerosol Trim Detailer worked well but it disappeared unless you find somewhere with old stock. I expect it was reformulated for VOC compliance... the old stuff's chemical smell would just about knock you out! The replacement appears to be Plastic & Vinyl Trim coating. Haven't used it, haven't seen any reviews but if it's anything like the earlier products it'll be good for a month or so. Easy enough to use it wasn't really inconvenient.
Meguiars Plastic & Vinyl Coating, exterior trim coating, trim dressing, vinyl protectant
TL
