So who hasn't been on the search for the perfect trim protectant/restorer? I've tried a lot. My gold standard is Solution Finish, however it isn't fun to apply and it smells like urinal cakes. My perfect product might be something that applies like old school Armor-All but works like Solution Finish. For the longest time I've been using Cerakote Tire shine as a trim restorer "lite". It applies like AA but lasts quite a while, easily a month or two and fades gracefully. Its also my go-to tire shine.
Recently Cerakote released their Rapid Ceramic Plastic Restorer. The initial reviews looked pretty good, my biggest worry was that it was just their re-bottled tire shine. I wanted to see how it performed against the tire shine, Solution Finish and Wolfgang trim sealant.
Below is a shot of Solution Finish (the gold standard) (Right) vs the bare surface (Left). This trim isn't in sad shape, but its not exactly dark black anymore, its 5 years old and it appears it was parked outdoors quite a bit. Trim prep involved washing the car, nothing else. The pictures seem to make things look a little more blotching than in real llfe btw.
Below, all four are applied with the same amount of effort, not much, this was a quick wipe on and walk away.
Tape removed:
Overall, the Trim restorer is a breeze to apply, just as easy as their tire shine. It doesn't seem to leave any sort of film, but it does a nice job of darkening the plastic. I don't believe it is the same product, it seems to really soak in a bit more but lookswise, they sure are close. We'll see how long they last, but please don't take this as an absolute durability test as zero prep was done and only one light coat was applied. I full expect solution finish to be the durability winner here. But if I can get half the life out of the Cerakote, I'll be happy.
Recently Cerakote released their Rapid Ceramic Plastic Restorer. The initial reviews looked pretty good, my biggest worry was that it was just their re-bottled tire shine. I wanted to see how it performed against the tire shine, Solution Finish and Wolfgang trim sealant.
Below is a shot of Solution Finish (the gold standard) (Right) vs the bare surface (Left). This trim isn't in sad shape, but its not exactly dark black anymore, its 5 years old and it appears it was parked outdoors quite a bit. Trim prep involved washing the car, nothing else. The pictures seem to make things look a little more blotching than in real llfe btw.
Below, all four are applied with the same amount of effort, not much, this was a quick wipe on and walk away.
Tape removed:
Overall, the Trim restorer is a breeze to apply, just as easy as their tire shine. It doesn't seem to leave any sort of film, but it does a nice job of darkening the plastic. I don't believe it is the same product, it seems to really soak in a bit more but lookswise, they sure are close. We'll see how long they last, but please don't take this as an absolute durability test as zero prep was done and only one light coat was applied. I full expect solution finish to be the durability winner here. But if I can get half the life out of the Cerakote, I'll be happy.
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