Protecting the plastic trim for the long term

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Thomkirby

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Mike,
I finally found the 8-September video of you talking about plastic trim at the 'Cars & Coffee'. You mentioned that using similar products to the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant is good PM (preventive maintenance) and you had proof on your wife's Honda. My F150 has a ton of exterior plastic and of course trying to treat it in the wash cycle is a bit too much time. How often if I use the Wolfgang product, I think others call it 'WETS', would be a good plan?

Second question for this topic is the use of the new coatings, can they be used over an application of WETS? AG carries many of the products and claims are made to be less maintenance over the longer period. Are you using both in your classes? Would the prep time of the coatings be worth it for so much plastic on today's pickups?

And of course, any of the forum members please chime in!

A.K.A. Kirby
 
Hey Kirby.

I would certainly recommend treating the plastic on your truck. WETS is a great product. Applies easily, darkens the trim nicely (and evenly with proper prep/technique). Lasts 6-8 weeks for me.

Also, McKee's Trim Restore works just as well, same properties, and lasts 6-8 weeks also on my trim. Plus, the McKee's is a lot less costly.


I cannot speak to the coatings, as I have never tried any. Sorry.
 
Solution Finish topped with Dlux for long term protection.
 
I should have checked in 30-minutes ago. LOL. Just placed order for 8oz WETS at 29.99, less today’s discount. I think I do have a plan and both of your recommendations are in it! So many are using WETS or McKees with great results but as mentioned it does require attention. My plan is to start with this for all and next use DLUX later this fall for all trim below knee height. Just hate getting down to protect all the black trim at that level.

Thanks you both, PaulMys and Rsurfer. You’re both great sources of info and have valuable insight.
 
Rsurfer said:
Solution Finish topped with Dlux for long term protection.
Click to expand...

i have to agree here. If not DLUX, Ultima tire and trim guard is a good second option that has some stout durability!
 
GYEON Q2 TRIM is my choice. Excellent and easy to use. A little goes a long way.

Sent from my Galaxy Note 8 using Tapatalk
 
TTQ B4U said:
GYEON Q2 TRIM is my choice. Excellent and easy to use. A little goes a long way.
Click to expand...

I have not tried the Gyeon but used DLUX on my wheels this past July. I know the TRIM is about $10-more but not sure what is different. Now with IGL on AG we have many options and not enough time for comparison.

Question, for irregular trim what or how to apply? I am thinking of the cowl around the hood and windshield and is a pain to coat with most products.
 
Since you can use it in so many places, I would suggest having some CarPro Perl around. If you don't get a lot of rain where you live, it works great on exterior trim. Also great on tires, motors, and interior plastic. It's a liquid so, unlike WETS, Sonax, McKees or GTechniq (which are closer to gels), it's very fast to apply and doesn't have to go through a couple wash cycles to not collect dust as bad.
 
Thomkirby said:
Question, for irregular trim what or how to apply? I am thinking of the cowl around the hood and windshield and is a pain to coat with most products.
Click to expand...

Foam brushes.

3034c6b64b79ca01b12530cf73db37ad.jpg
 
Carpro has just released precut coating applicator in different sizes and shapes. That you can wrap the little suede applicator towel around instead of around your fingers with nitrile gloves on. Think AG will carry it soon :)
 
SWETM said:
Carpro has just released precut coating applicator in different sizes and shapes. That you can wrap the little suede applicator towel around instead of around your fingers with nitrile gloves on. Think AG will carry it soon :)
Click to expand...

haha. I just came here to post how I've cut my own from their applicators and some others. Just grab a new blade and make your own. I have a draw full of various ones I've made.
 
Thomkirby said:
Mike,
I finally found the 8-September video of you talking about plastic trim at the 'Cars & Coffee'. You mentioned that using similar products to the Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant is good PM (preventive maintenance) and you had proof on your wife's Honda. My F150 has a ton of exterior plastic and of course trying to treat it in the wash cycle is a bit too much time. How often if I use the Wolfgang product, I think others call it 'WETS', would be a good plan?

Second question for this topic is the use of the new coatings, can they be used over an application of WETS? AG carries many of the products and claims are made to be less maintenance over the longer period. Are you using both in your classes? Would the prep time of the coatings be worth it for so much plastic on today's pickups?

And of course, any of the forum members please chime in!

A.K.A. Kirby
Click to expand...

WETS is a nice trim protectant. It does last for a few months. Use it every so often and the trim will look good. It won't darken as much as McKee's Trim Restorer but it as I mentioned using it often will net you good results.

McKee's has a nice offering as well. Durability between the two is close. It is designed to penetrate deep into the plastic to restore the trim as well. Same concept that using it often will net you good results.

If the trim needs to be restored then Solution Finish is still hard to beat. Works well topped with something like WETS.

Rsurfer said:
Solution Finish topped with Dlux for long term protection.
Click to expand...

Tried this and it was Meh at best. I did not really see that much of an added benefit doing so. Also it is a pain to remove DLUX if the trim needs restoring again. I would probably stick with DLUX as a stand alone on new trim and stick with Solution Finish for restored trim topped with something like WETS.

Thomkirby said:
I have not tried the Gyeon but used DLUX on my wheels this past July. I know the TRIM is about $10-more but not sure what is different. Now with IGL on AG we have many options and not enough time for comparison.

Question, for irregular trim what or how to apply? I am thinking of the cowl around the hood and windshield and is a pain to coat with most products.
Click to expand...

Both DLUX and Trim are very similar. It would not surprise me if they were the same product with a slight formulation tweak. Trim is not as grabby as DLUX. Trim also does not seem to darken as much as DLUX. Both last about the same amount of time. Trim is easier to use between the two.

To apply to those harder areas you can use one of those foam brushes or just use the suede by itself without the block. The foam brush seemed to work well but used a little more product.
 
Thanks everyone for sounding off with your experiences. I most likely have paid a bit more and joined the WETS team over many other excellent choices. You have given me confidence on the frequency of application and methods to apply whatever product we buy from AG. But I learned much from the comments and will try to keep them in my arsenal of shared knowledge. I will try Gyeon TRIM on the lower trim as the truck is still new and trim looks fine ‘now’.

Thanks for keeping this topic interesting and real,

Kirby
 
I did my 4-year old car and wanted to share the results of using WETS or Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant. Here is the photo of engine area.

View attachment 65184

Worked great but cleaning the applicator not so easy, used foam brush as suggested and threw it away. Product is not water based.
 
Thomkirby said:
I did my 4-year old car and wanted to share the results of using WETS or Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant. Here is the photo of engine area.

View attachment 65184

Worked great but cleaning the applicator not so easy, used foam brush as suggested and threw it away. Product is not water based.
Click to expand...

Looks amazing bro


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
303 Trim Restorer is holding my very well. I put about 7 different products on my black wheel trim (aka wheel arches). 303 is doing the best by far. It can be a little finicky to apply and it's a little glossy. imo it goes on more like a coating than a dressing or sealant.
 
I'll second the 303 Trim Restorer as a good product. I wipe off the excess with a MF and it leaves a more even, lower sheen than if you just allow it to dry. I will use the AA Trim restorer on wheel arches if I can get my hands in there. Mainly because its a bit cheaper and the AA bottle is bigger. It does a fine job for wheel arch liners and easy to apply. I'm always surprised when I see write ups and people apply a $60 a bottle of DLUX to wheel arch liners.
 
I didn't wipe off the excess - that's on me. I treated it like a dressing which it definitely is not in term of application and curing. I will show uneven applicaiton and perhaps high spots. Wiping it down seems like a simple solution. I'll do the rest of the car using the wipe-off process. May try applying it over Solution Finish for the more faded parts.
 
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