Restoring black exterior moldings

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bigdeal

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I need some recommendations for a couple products to 1.) Remove old wax from rubber moldings, and 2) Restore badly discolored (basically gray) moldings to their original black color.

Here's the deal. My wife drives a Nissan Pathfinder on which the plastic wiper cowl, rubber window moldings, roof rack legs / crossbars, and plastic rear bumper tread plate have turned almost gray in color. I'm trying to find some products to use to clean any existing wax off these areas, and then restore them to their original black color. Some of the pieces are textured and some are smooth if that makes any difference in your recommendations. I'd also like whatever product(s) I use to last for a while so I don't have to constantly be redoing the rubber and plastic.

I've read the information on some of the restoration products in the Autogeek store (Black Again. Forever Black, Pre-WOW, Black WOW), but have decided to look to you guys for advice and recommendations on what I should use and any tips on preparation and application methods. I'm all ears, and thanks in advance for your help.

Mike
 
i have never used any of the products you listed but after doing some research on this forum and recommendations from everyone else i went with Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus and have never looked back. my clients love the way there trim looks and last forever. I also use trim dye if the trim is very faded and have had great results with it also just be sure to use a protectant to keep them from fading again. just my opinion hope this helps
 
o i also use megs apc to clean off old wax build up off trim
 
Wax Buildup: APC, IPA, pencil rubber eraser (yeah this one works like a charm!)

Trim/Moulding restrorer: Meguiars Ultimate Protectant...last and doesn't run off, actually read Ultima UTTG works better, but no one sells it here
 
coreymg51 said:
i have never used any of the products you listed but after doing some research on this forum and recommendations from everyone else i went with Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus and have never looked back. my clients love the way there trim looks and last forever. I also use trim dye if the trim is very faded and have had great results with it also just be sure to use a protectant to keep them from fading again. just my opinion hope this helps
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Great! I have a gallon of Meg's APC, so I'll try it to remove the wax. Can you share what dilution rate you use with it?

Also, in regards to 'trim dye', I've never delt with such a product. Can you elaborate what brand, where to get it, and how to use it? I wonder if I'd be in over my head with that product.

Looks like, unless someone suggests something better, I'll be ordering some Ultima UTTG from AG this week. :thankyousign: Any heartburn getting this stuff off the paint if I slip a little?
 
I've used Forever Black on an old Honda CRV whose black trim (bumpers & side rub strips) had turned grey.

First off, don't use the applicator supplied, it'll all run out onto the ground. I poured some into a plastic cup and a 1" or 2" foam brush. The product is water soluable so the brushes will clean up. It is a dye and will soak in some and may require 2 coats followed by some sort of protectant. Lastly, don't forget to mask. The stuff is runny. If you're quick any that runs onto unwanted areas will wipe off easily.

It will make the trim look much better but it won't have that new OEM look because the trim becomes pourous with age and you just can't get rid of the pores.

I've also used a product called "Showroom New Plastic Trim Dye". It's more of a thin paste and leaves a semi dull finish, but will sometimes fill in the pores. I sometimes use this along with the Forever Black first to achieve the best results.

To add protection, I finish with Meguiars Ultimate Protectant.
 
I've uses Poorboys Trim Restorer with great results. It lasts for about 1 month where I live. I recently tried gtechniq c4 and it has been holding out for 3 months so far. You could buy 3 bottles of PB for 1 bottle of c4. It all depends on how often you want to detail your trim.
 
APC undiluted worked with a soft brush, rinse, dry then apply UTTG and your Pathfinder trim will look new again and stay that way for a few months. I go around the trim twice with the UTTG if it's the first time being applied. The trim will stay nice even if you wash the vehicle with the harsh detergents at the DIY car washes. This stuff is hard to beat.

EDIT: Be sure to allow the trim to air dry for at least 30 minutes after towel drying for best results.
If you get it on the paint just wipe off before it cures and all will be good. If you wait until after it cures to wipe it off it can take a little rubbing with alcohol to remove so save yourself some headaches and be sure to wipe off any excess at the time of application. It will not harm the paint.
 
GTechniq C4 would be my first choice, you can order that from Hawaii (although they seem to be out of stock currently). Opti-Coat 2.0 would also be a good choice, but some members have said it really doesn't restore in the way C4 does.

I have always heard a lot of success stories about trim dye, so don't discount that. There is also the heat gun trick, which would be similarly permanent (until the surface is UV damaged again).

The next tier would be UTTG (haven't used it) or the Meg's Ultimate Trim product, which will last a lot longer than silicone dressings, but as noted above, only a few months. Finally the silicones, like Black Wow, Poorboy's TR, which only last a few weeks.

Sheesh, I think all I did was recap everyone else's posts!
 
Theres only two products I ever really recomend for trim (used to be only one product) and they honestly beat the hell out of any other product. They cost a lot initially but take my advice... In the long run there is no question. For Trim that isn't completely faded I recomend Ultima Trim and Tire Guard. For trim that is faded I recomend Gtechniq C4. A tip from Gtech is to wet the faded area with water to see if it is restorable. Rob says if it changes back to its original color when wet then it can be restored with C4.

With Ultima Trima and Tire Guard applying it very thin is the best way to do it. Now that people are starting to use this product and it has become popular I've noticed a lot of posts saying different things that lead me to believe people are applying it way too thick.

On porous surfaces you apply it very thin and walk away. On non-porous surfaces you apply it very thin and I personally leave it to buff off some time later. Not sure why people are having trouble buffing it off later. Either the formula changed, the material is having a different affect than what I have, or they are applying it too thick.

Dave gives some good advice as far as applying more than 1 coat to restore faded trim with UTTG. However my recomendation would be to apply it very thin as always. Then after a few days or a week or two-Then apply another very thin coat (after washing the car of course) You can repeat again a couple weeks later as well. After that you should be good for 3 months easily. Just one coat can easily last 6 months but on faded trim it won't look near as good after 3 months as it did when you applied it.

Ultima Trim and Tire Guard - 3+ months (Price-a little higher but that bottle will last 1 car for life if used correctly)
C4 - 2 years (Price - Think liquid gold baby!) lol
Meguiars Ultimate Trim - 1 month (Price-relatively cheap)
 
I don't have any experience with Ultima Trim & Tire Guard, but I do enjoy Meguiars Ultimate Protectant. It came out last year as a thick lotion but this year they came out with a spray. The lotion works very well, provided you apply it thin with a foam applicator and work it into the trim. I don't have any experience with the new spray so I can't comment on that.
 
when i applied uttg it worked great and restored the trim but only on a roof rack did i notice it seemed to be uneven and yes i did buff it off after 20 minutes but it kinda looks like its smeared on some spots not the entire rack, how can i prevent this from happening?
 
Hi Mike,

As others have said; Meguiar's all purpose cleaner solution combined with a rag and a brush should pretty much remove anything from the trim and molding and strip them down to the base material.

I use a few different products that work pretty well. :props:


  1. Ultima Tire & Trim Guard Plus
  2. Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant
  3. Poorboy's World Trim Restorer
 
jamores23 said:
when i applied uttg it worked great and restored the trim but only on a roof rack did i notice it seemed to be uneven and yes i did buff it off after 20 minutes but it kinda looks like its smeared on some spots not the entire rack, how can i prevent this from happening?
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I must confess I haven't applied UTTG to a really big wide open smooth plastic area... I never had a material like that that wasn't a small strip. I'm assuming it is non-porous? If so maybe try it the way Bill mentioned it and buff it off immediately. How thick did you apply it? Also maybe try applying it super thin to a small section and don't buff at all?

I've always had no issue buffing it off later for non porous and applying thin and walking away for porous. I wonder if the formula changed.
 
GTechniq C4 can be ordered directly from them, they pretty much ship world wide.
 
My brother frequents the Ford Harley Davidson truck owners website and someone over there had tried this product, with apparently good results.

Black Trim Restore Treatment

Does anyone here have any experience with this product they could share?
 
AeroCleanse said:
GTechniq C4 can be ordered directly from them, they pretty much ship world wide.
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This stuff looks very interesting. I chased some YouTube videos and posts on other forums about it, and it really seems to be a great product. It does however appear to need a fair amount of prep work prior to application. It also appears to be priced as if it were liquid gold. Ouch! :eek:

Do you order yours from GTechniq directly, or do you buy from a domestic retailer? It does not appear AG sells this product?
 
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