Exterior Plastic Trim Care + General Winter Care
10-29-2010, 02:33 AM
#1
Thread Starter
Join Date: Aug 2010
Posts: 9
Exterior Plastic Trim Care + General Winter Care
Hey guys,
I'm just curious what ya'll use to keep the black exterior plastic looking sharp? My '11 already has some fading bits (I think) and a lot of annoying wax spots (I know, I know..). My poor baby is kept outside all the time so I'm having to take extra special care of her. Which brings me to my next question..
Unfortunately I don't have a garage to keep my ride in during the winter, or a beater to drive around while it's kept in storage. What are some general things I can do to protect my vehicle through the harshest months of the year? I live in Tennessee so our winter isn't terribly bad, but there are a few weekends where it swells up.
Thanks a lot!
I'm just curious what ya'll use to keep the black exterior plastic looking sharp? My '11 already has some fading bits (I think) and a lot of annoying wax spots (I know, I know..). My poor baby is kept outside all the time so I'm having to take extra special care of her. Which brings me to my next question..
Unfortunately I don't have a garage to keep my ride in during the winter, or a beater to drive around while it's kept in storage. What are some general things I can do to protect my vehicle through the harshest months of the year? I live in Tennessee so our winter isn't terribly bad, but there are a few weekends where it swells up.
Thanks a lot!
10-29-2010, 02:55 AM
#2
4th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2007
Location: OC, California
Posts: 1,039
No garage for me here in SoCal. It's almost always sunny. The plastic trim has definitely faded quite a bit in the last couple years. Makes me wish Ford found a better way to do make the trim (like an actual painted piece or something similar). Water spots are also hard to remove from it. Hopefully when the next Mustang comes out there will be much less plastic on it.
10-29-2010, 06:05 AM
#3
4th Gear Member
Join Date: Jun 2010
Location: Illinois
Posts: 1,846
Just actually ordered some stuff to help out with that myself. Go to autogeek.net and check out "Black WOW", looks to at least help out with bringing the dark black look back and helps repel the water spotting (god do i hate the water spots I see already in the plastic finishes)
10-29-2010, 07:01 AM
#4
6th Gear Member
From the ya'll I take it you're in the south so winter storage shouldn't be as much an ordeal for you as it was for me when I was in PA and Illinois.
For plastic that has laready begun to fade I'd try the Black WOW mentioned above. For protection I like how the synthetic waxes (which boast about using them on plastic) seem to protect. I've used Turtle Wax ICE on black plastic with good success (so far).
For plastic that has laready begun to fade I'd try the Black WOW mentioned above. For protection I like how the synthetic waxes (which boast about using them on plastic) seem to protect. I've used Turtle Wax ICE on black plastic with good success (so far).
10-29-2010, 07:04 AM
#5
From the ya'll I take it you're in the south so winter storage shouldn't be as much an ordeal for you as it was for me when I was in PA and Illinois.
For plastic that has laready begun to fade I'd try the Black WOW mentioned above. For protection I like how the synthetic waxes (which boast about using them on plastic) seem to protect. I've used Turtle Wax ICE on black plastic with good success (so far).
For plastic that has laready begun to fade I'd try the Black WOW mentioned above. For protection I like how the synthetic waxes (which boast about using them on plastic) seem to protect. I've used Turtle Wax ICE on black plastic with good success (so far).
I used it on an area for several weeks to see what it would do and the pieces continued to look amazing. Now I hit every exterior trim piece with it.
10-29-2010, 07:18 AM
#6
4th Gear Member
Join Date: May 2010
Location: PA
Posts: 1,269
Get some 303
http://autogeek.net/303aerprot.html
It has SPF40 in it so it will help against fading in the sun. I use it on my car
http://autogeek.net/303aerprot.html
It has SPF40 in it so it will help against fading in the sun. I use it on my car
10-29-2010, 09:10 AM
#9
6th Gear Member
Join Date: Jan 2007
Location: Southeast Virginia
Posts: 6,409
Yeah the black trim pieces are a pain to keep looking nice. I use Aerospace 303 that I got from a local Boat store.
I can't keep my car in our garage either, so I put a good quality car cover on it. Car covers will help keep the paint from fading as well as keep debris off your car. However you must wipe the car down each time you put the cover on. I use McGuires Detail spray and a Microfiber towel or sometimes I use my California Duster Extra precautions to insure a scratch free finish. It does make you smile when you take that cover off for a drive.
I can't keep my car in our garage either, so I put a good quality car cover on it. Car covers will help keep the paint from fading as well as keep debris off your car. However you must wipe the car down each time you put the cover on. I use McGuires Detail spray and a Microfiber towel or sometimes I use my California Duster Extra precautions to insure a scratch free finish. It does make you smile when you take that cover off for a drive.
10-29-2010, 09:48 AM
#10
5th Gear Member
Join Date: Apr 2008
Location: Acworth, GA
Posts: 3,666
I use vinylex and it works well on the interior and exterior plastic.
"Black WOW" looks impressive....
http://www.autogeek.net/black-wow-trim-restorer.html
"Black WOW" looks impressive....
http://www.autogeek.net/black-wow-trim-restorer.html
Last edited by kevinmalec; 10-29-2010 at 09:56 AM.