Pros: What are you using on trim?

Rsurfer said:
Which do you like best?Feed back please
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I like UTTG as it is the good compromise of durability and cost. But as I'm sure others have experienced, water based dressings don't always perform on every type of trim, if UTTG fails I'll try PERL and if that fails I go to C4. C4 has yet to fail me, I just can't afford it for every car unless I jack up pricing a lot or up sell a trim restoration.

PERL for cost
UTTG is all around
C4 for universal use and durability
 
My 2013 Civic = BLACKFIRE Total Trim & Tire Sealant (works especially well on smooth plastic where very little or no texture is present).

Wife's 2015 Outback = SONAX Plastic Restorer Gel.

More often than not you see the question "how long does X product last on trim?" - it's very hard to provide a definitive answer for several reasons.

The easiest way to keep your trim looking great is to apply whatever product you like often. Just because a product claims that it lasts for 4-5 months doesn't mean you can't apply it every 2 months.

Frequent car care is easy car care.

:dblthumb2:
 
Nick@Autogeek said:
My 2013 Civic = BLACKFIRE Total Trim & Tire Sealant (works especially well on smooth plastic where very little or no texture is present).

Wife's 2015 Outback = SONAX Plastic Restorer Gel.

More often than not you see the question "how long does X product last on trim?" - it's very hard to provide a definitive answer for several reasons.

The easiest way to keep your trim looking great is to apply whatever product you like often. Just because a product claims that it lasts for 4-5 months doesn't mean you can't apply it every 2 months.

Frequent car care is easy car care.

:dblthumb2:
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Do you like Sonax that much? I didn't care for it. Hard to dispense, felt like I needed a lot of product to cover a small area and didn't have much of a "restore" characteristic.

But that might depend on the type of plastic it's used on.
 
FYI, I did a quick sample of UTTG cut down with water approx 50:50

-it spread easier
-50:50 might have been too much maybe 75:25
-didn't darken as much
-it mixed in with water fairly well

I'll keep posted on durability.
 
Meguiar's Paint Sealant.
It's an over the counter product,color of it is pink, it states it last a full year of paint, so far I've seen it still working on cars I've done over three months.
One day I made a mistake hitting the black trim even though it doesn't stain the trim.
In fact it makes it real dark but without any shine , leaves the trim looking new.
No issues in using this method, I have regular customers that I've applied the sealant to the trim,when they return for a detail the sealant is still on the trim, doesn't run or wear off very easy.

I just love the look it gives the trim.

This is how I apply it.
Using a piece of sponge I apply a few drops of the sealant onto the sponge and wipe it on the trim, let it sit for a few minutes and gently buff it off which is very little.

Meguair's needs to re-label it as a trim sealant , I don't like using it on paint however being it takes forever to fully cure.
 
jrs1418 said:
FYI, I did a quick sample of UTTG cut down with water approx 50:50

-it spread easier
-50:50 might have been too much maybe 75:25
-didn't darken as much
-it mixed in with water fairly well

I'll keep posted on durability.
Click to expand...

:props:
 
Audios S6 said:
I like UTTG as it is the good compromise of durability and cost. But as I'm sure others have experienced, water based dressings don't always perform on every type of trim, if UTTG fails I'll try PERL and if that fails I go to C4. C4 has yet to fail me, I just can't afford it for every car unless I jack up pricing a lot or up sell a trim restoration.

PERL for cost
UTTG is all around
C4 for universal use and durability
Click to expand...

The problem with C4 is that you can't remove it. Needed to recoat C4 and nothing I tried would remove it. Had to go over the old coating which didn't look very smooth.
 
Nick@Autogeek said:
My 2013 Civic = BLACKFIRE Total Trim & Tire Sealant (works especially well on smooth plastic where very little or no texture is present).

Wife's 2015 Outback = SONAX Plastic Restorer Gel.

More often than not you see the question "how long does X product last on trim?" - it's very hard to provide a definitive answer for several reasons.

The easiest way to keep your trim looking great is to apply whatever product you like often. Just because a product claims that it lasts for 4-5 months doesn't mean you can't apply it every 2 months.

Frequent car care is easy car care.

:dblthumb2:
Click to expand...

I just started using both of these due to Nicks suggestion. I need to post a review soon, but both are awesome (yet different).
 
Rsurfer said:
The problem with C4 is that you can't remove it. Needed to recoat C4 and nothing I tried would remove it. Had to go over the old coating which didn't look very smooth.
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I have heard that before (probably from you). I haven't tried removing it, but I have recoated it before successfully. I'm sure I've topped it on my rear bumper before without issue but can't recall what I used.

Just thinking out loud, if these coatings have issues with high pH (14), maybe a full strength APC or degreaser could do the trick, but you probably tried that pretty early in your attempts.
 
HateSwirls said:
Meguiar's Paint Sealant.
It's an over the counter product,color of it is pink, it states it last a full year of paint, so far I've seen it still working on cars I've done over three months.
One day I made a mistake hitting the black trim even though it doesn't stain the trim.
In fact it makes it real dark but without any shine , leaves the trim looking new.
No issues in using this method, I have regular customers that I've applied the sealant to the trim,when they return for a detail the sealant is still on the trim, doesn't run or wear off very easy.

I just love the look it gives the trim.

This is how I apply it.
Using a piece of sponge I apply a few drops of the sealant onto the sponge and wipe it on the trim, let it sit for a few minutes and gently buff it off which is very little.

Meguair's needs to re-label it as a trim sealant , I don't like using it on paint however being it takes forever to fully cure.
Click to expand...

Interesting! Do you mean the new Paint Protect 365?
 
davey g-force said:
Interesting! Do you mean the new Paint Protect 365?
Click to expand...

Yes, that's it.
Paint Protect.

One of my detailers just loves this stuff for trim, we've been using since Meg's came out with it.
When a car returns for a detail the black trim still looks amazing, beads like crazy.
Dries to the touch very quick.

Like I said, we don't use it on paint because it seems to never cure, or takes very long.

Give it a try and let me know what you think.
Can't beat the price for a "Trm Sealant"
Little goes a long way.
Large bottle for under $10.00 :dblthumb2:
 
I WILL be giving Meguiar's a shot!

Been using Ult Wax (liquid) for a couple of years...always willing to try somethin' different.

Thanx for the heads up.

Bill
 
One word:

Penetrol

• Cheap (about $11/qt)
• Lasts up to 1 year
• Easy to apply
• Does not streak in rain
• Fantastic results
 
jrs1418 said:
I'm always looking to strengthen my weakest link. I think right now that is our trim protection for our detail packages.

My #1 & 2 go-to's are currently UTTG & Solutions finish

1) UTTG- Lasts super long and is resistant, but very hard to apply in tight areas and becomes sticky allowing dirt to accumulate

2) Solutions finish- Super easy to apply, looks superb, but just doesn't last more than 1 mos.

I'm looking for something preferably water based, easy to apply (can be brushed or wiped on, and easy to spread), and that lasts at least 2-3 months.

I would be VERY happy with UTTG if it was easier to apply/not so thick, and not so sticky afterwards.

NOT looking for a coating for these packages. Its just too expensive for a base details. Something that delivers long lasting value, quick and easy to apply to keep labor costs down, and looks good!

Others i've tried: Hyper dressing, VRP dressing, Perl, and quite a few others that i cannot remember.
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look into MEDS Renu (bigger bottle).

it's not too well known around here.

perfect compromise between cost/performance for details that are a step above volume work. a little goes a LONG way and it works very well imo.
 
conman1395 said:
Wow, really? Like the stuff I can get at Home Depot?
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Yes.... It's in the paint section.
It's a paint additive for deck stain.

Sounds crazy, but this stuff works amazing on plastic trim. I've been using it for a few years now and it has worked great on many vehicles.

You don't need a lot of it either. So a quart of it will last you a very long time.
 
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