Plastic Cracking

[kryp]

I did my first detail earlier this week and am still learning a few things. This forum has been a tremendous help. I had a question regarding certain plastic pieces. In my case, the spoiler (see attach photo). After my detail, I noticed the spoiler has a bit of a whitish tint to it and what looks to be cracks in the paint. I saw this before my detail as well but it wasn't as noticeable as in the picture.

So my question is, how can I go about fixing this? Is this a result of me detailing this piece (clay, polish, etc) or is this sun damage and needs to be repainted? In the future, should I avoid claying and polishing bumpers and spoilers with a DA polisher?

 

[vobro]

Is it factory applied paint? Clay and polish wouldn't have done that

 

[irvsmith]

If that's plastic trim/spoiler piece then that looks like sun damage. If it is a painted piece then that looks like clear coat failure. I would say that polish and polishing could exacerbate that situation.

 

[kryp]

vobro, the spoiler came equipped with the car purchased off the lot.

irvsmith, I figured it was probably sun damage. The car has spent about a decade in the Houston heat. This was my first time giving the car a full detail (albeit a beginner detail). On metal pieces, the paint is fine but this is the piece that give me the most concern.

So this is a result of a clear coat failure? If I wanted to fix this, would it require a complete paint job on that piece?

 

[glfnaz]

My mother has a very similiar problem on Plastic trim on her Mercedes. The paint on the plastic has actually etched away on the edges. The dealer told her that it would be cheaper to replace the plastic than fix the existing problem.

 

[Eldorado2k]

It looks similar to the cheap plastic moldings that can be found on Chevy Silverados. I suppose you could try a cheap fix and try to cover it up a bit with spray wax, but if you want a real fix you're better off replacing/buying new pieces.

 

[kryp]

glfnaz: Yeah, I thought this might be the case. I also am seeing this effect on the plastic trim that is located on the roof where the bike rack would attach to.

Eldorado2k: Thanks for the advice. I'll most likely be looking to replace the part but just thought maybe it could be salvaged.

In the future, would it be okay to polish plastic trim pieces (i.e., spoilers, front/rear bumpers)? I read somewhere that using a low speed setting on the DA polisher shouldn't be an issue. Is this correct?