OCDetails
Member
- Mar 3, 2006
- 853
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I'm typically a huge fan of protecting the trim so you don't have to restore it (thank you Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant), but on most of my new client vehicles there is trim to be restored. I recently got my hands on a vehicle that I haven't touched for at least six or seven years and it showed it. The paint was destroyed and the trim was in very sad shape. Some of the damage is beyond any repair, but it could certainly be made to look better. Enter Meguiar's Ultimate Black. 
Of course it had to be cleaned first. I used Tuff Stuff and a tooth brush to remove the dirt and crud that was in the plastic, but then it was just a matter of giving it a good application of Black and it turned out great.
A lot of products like this look really black when you first apply it because it just makes the plastic wet, but then when it dries out it goes right back the way it was. I rubbed this stuff in good and had cleaned the plastic pretty well before I applied it, so it stayed black for good. I had the vehicle for nearly 24 hours (client left it over night and didn't pick it up till later the next evening) so I had time to observe it if the color changed back. It stayed looking great over that amount of time and didn't look anywhere near returning to its former horribleness.
Nothing looks worse on a black vehicle than stained and crappy trim. It really stood out on this, but since the paint was so bad I'm sure nobody noticed. The paint was about as faded as the bug guard on the hood, so having white running boards and rails on the top just fit in. lol
One warning I will give is that you should be careful not to get this on the paint. It doesn't just wipe off like typical protectants. It is kind of a pain to get off, actually. Use something to mask the paint off or you'll be in for some fun in trying to get it off afterwards. Especially if you are working on black and every smear shows up from a mile away. Rails and running boards aren't hard, but door handles are tricky. I used blue painters tape to mask off the paint because of experience. It was funny because normally I'm masking of the plastic and not the paint, but you gotta do whatever works, right?
Here is one more on a different vehicle for good measure.
Of course it had to be cleaned first. I used Tuff Stuff and a tooth brush to remove the dirt and crud that was in the plastic, but then it was just a matter of giving it a good application of Black and it turned out great.
A lot of products like this look really black when you first apply it because it just makes the plastic wet, but then when it dries out it goes right back the way it was. I rubbed this stuff in good and had cleaned the plastic pretty well before I applied it, so it stayed black for good. I had the vehicle for nearly 24 hours (client left it over night and didn't pick it up till later the next evening) so I had time to observe it if the color changed back. It stayed looking great over that amount of time and didn't look anywhere near returning to its former horribleness.
Nothing looks worse on a black vehicle than stained and crappy trim. It really stood out on this, but since the paint was so bad I'm sure nobody noticed. The paint was about as faded as the bug guard on the hood, so having white running boards and rails on the top just fit in. lol
One warning I will give is that you should be careful not to get this on the paint. It doesn't just wipe off like typical protectants. It is kind of a pain to get off, actually. Use something to mask the paint off or you'll be in for some fun in trying to get it off afterwards. Especially if you are working on black and every smear shows up from a mile away. Rails and running boards aren't hard, but door handles are tricky. I used blue painters tape to mask off the paint because of experience. It was funny because normally I'm masking of the plastic and not the paint, but you gotta do whatever works, right?
Here is one more on a different vehicle for good measure.
I for one am really pleased that Meguiar's has produced a line of products that is high enough quality to please an enthusiast and yet it is marketed to consumers.
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