Blackfire Trim and Tire Sealant Review

[Bunky]

Blackfire Trim and Tire Sealant Review

I received this product in a AutopiaForum giveaway with a condition for a review. This was a new product to the Blackfire line and available in two sizes: 4 oz and 8oz.

Claims:

BLACKFIRE Total Trim & Tire Sealant is far more than a trim dressing. This polymer-based trim restorer forms a bond at the molecular level, restoring the surface while coating it in a durable, protective shell. BLACKFIRE Total Trim & Tire Sealant doesn’t wash off in the rain – it actually causes water to bead up like a wax! Treated surfaces will have a factory-fresh appearance – not a sticky, greasy mess like other so-called trim restorers.

Price: $19.99 for 4 oz, $29.99 for 8 oz.


Product

For this review I decided to compare Blackfire to my usual go Ultima Tire and Trim Guard (old version) which is my most used trim product. I do not use trim products on tires but did for this review.

This product was used on a 1997 Dodge Dakota. I cleaned the surfaces with Mothers Back to Black Heavy Duty Trim Cleaner that I like a lot over typical cleaners since they gel consistency stays on the surface.

The mirrors and door pulls are molded out of a rigid plastic. The cowling and front facia below the bumper are much more flexible.

Side by Sides with control swipe

Right mirror- day of application

Left mirror - day of application

Both mirrors -day of application

Cowling

Door handle

Front Facia

Beading pics 3 weeks later

Cowling

Tires at application and 3 weeks later Blackfire is on the right

Usage notes:

Scent: Pleasant on contrast to original forumla Ultima's chemical smell

Consistency: Thick creamy consistency. It is definitely not as oily as Ultima

Application: On the hard plastic mirrors and door pulls, it was more difficult to get an even appearance compared to Ultima. This can be seen in the images.

Ultima definitely spread better and gave a more even look initially. On the softer plastics such as the cowling and facia, there was not really much difference but Ultima had the edge in quick even application.

On the smooth surface Michelin tires, I could not get either to really look even. I have trouble with other tire dressings as well. There is something about the very smooth rubber that resists dressings. I suspect silicones in dressings give a more even look - my theory.

Final appearanceBlackfire tended to darken plastics much more than Ultima. The uneveness did disappear for the most part after several days. As shown in the rain pics, Blackfire tended to bead better and stayed darker,

Pros:
1. Nice scent with no chemical smell
2. Nice darkening effect on plastics
3. Gel consistency - not oily

Cons
1. Not as even coverage initially on some plastics. It may take a little extra buffing. This is not uncommon with other trim products to behave different on some surfaces compared to others.
2. Price is slightly higher than Ultima ounce for ounce but Blackfire is available in a small size.
3. No help for my Dakota tires but neither was Ultima. I want to try Carpro at some point.

Summary
A nice addition to the Blackfire line.[/QUOTE]

 

[Pats300zx]

Fantastic review Al !!! Can't wait to give this a try.

 

[Moldavite]

Great review

 

[expdetailing]

Thanks for the review. From your pictures, I prefer the darker look of the Blackfire on the mirrors, and on the tires it looks like the BF sealant had a more consistent look.

 

[Marc08EX]

Great review Bunky! Thanks for sharing your thoughts.

How does the product look after the first wash?

 

[Bunky]

Thanks for the review. From your pictures, I prefer the darker look of the Blackfire on the mirrors, and on the tires it looks like the BF sealant had a more consistent look.

The Blackfire does look better and it did work well on the Dakota as evidenced by the pics. It just took a little more effort to get even looking.

 

[Mizzoutiger]

Thank you for the great review Al!

 

[mg6045]

wow, impressive. I have the product but i didnt think it would perform this well compared to UTTG old formula.

I actually like the blackfire trim sealant better than the new UTTG formula. the new UTTG is a bit too glossy for my taste.

 

[PreludeVTEC01]

Awesome review! Thanks for sharing!!

 

[Bunky]

Here is a 2 month update.

Blackfire is still darker although the different is less than at beginning and still sheets water much faster than the Ultima side. They both are doing better than the control section without any dressing.

BLACKFIRE is always on right side of image.

Definitely an improvement over the Ultima (original formula).

 

[Bunky]

Another update..

Blackfire is on the right in both pics. It still is darker than Ultima and both are visibly present compared to control section. On the softer plastic cowling there was no obvious difference.

 

[Ebg18t]

Another update..
On the softer plastic cowling there was no obvious difference.

i have been using Ultima on splash guards and textured trim. Do you feel the Blackfire is about the same on those or better?

 

[Bunky]

Please note that I used the original formula Ultima and there is a new version available. Compared to the original version, I prefer Blackfire due to darkening and not as oily feeling.

 

[hollerstiltner]

Thanks for the many updates! I've been toying with the idea of either UTTG or WETS, now I'll have to decide between WETS and blackfire.

I didn't notice if you mentioned or not, but is your truck garaged or kept outside?

 

[Bunky]

The truck is kept outside 24x7 with trees and birds around. Today, the truck was covered with pine straw.

 

[AustrianOak82]

Maybe someone can tell me what I did wrong of if it is just the product? I cleaned the tires when I washed the car, then scrubbed them with a brush and Bleche Black. I then dried them thoroughly. I put two coats of about a quarter size drop of the sealant on them. They looked good after they were done. After the first rain and wash, it was totally gone. Very dissappointing. I also had poor results putting it on the rear bumper textured trim piece. The car is a 2015 Forester, so it wasnt in bad shape by any means. It applied very poorly and came off right away. Also had the same results on my car, a 2014. Thoughts?

 

[Ebg18t]

Maybe someone can tell me what I did wrong of if it is just the product? I cleaned the tires when I washed the car, then scrubbed them with a brush and Bleche Black. I then dried them thoroughly. I put two coats of about a quarter size drop of the sealant on them. They looked good after they were done. After the first rain and wash, it was totally gone. Very dissappointing. I also had poor results putting it on the rear bumper textured trim piece. The car is a 2015 Forester, so it wasnt in bad shape by any means. It applied very poorly and came off right away. Also had the same results on my car, a 2014. Thoughts?

My guess is there was still some old product underneath your coating that prevented it from adhering properly.

 

[AustrianOak82]

My guess is there was still some old product underneath your coating that prevented it from adhering properly.

That was my initial thought. What else could I have done to clean them? I soaked them with the Bleche Black and used a hard bristled carpet brush that I use for tires and scrubbed them clean.

 

[DasBurninator]

That was my initial thought. What else could I have done to clean them? I soaked them with the Bleche Black and used a hard bristled carpet brush that I use for tires and scrubbed them clean.

Try cleaning them with something like Megs D101 at full strength until you can scrub them and no dirt comes off. I.E. white foam from agitation on the tires, no more brown.

Then dry and coat.

I noticed it took two heavy coats on my tires for Blackfire Trim and Tire Sealant to get a proper look. It was still a bit dull compared to something like Adam's tire shine.

On trim it is still holding up strong 2 months after I applied it.

 

[Bunky]

The final update after 9 months.

The Blackfire side (right) is still noticeably darker than the Ultima (old formula) side (left). The control strip between them is slightly lighter. The effect is more apparent off angle.

The more apparent difference is the difference in sheeting of water. The Blackfire side still sheets fairly rapidly compared to Ultima (old formula) and the control strip. There is a distinct difference.

I ended up redoing all the trim this weekend with the Blackfire. It still has a tendency to not coat evenly and takes some time to get an even look.