Black Plastic Trim

jcclark

Oldtimer
What's the best way to recondition faded black plastic trim on cars.
Spray it with new paint made for trim? Or is there any wipe on products
out there that will last.
Every wipe on product I've used just washes off.
I'm looking for something that will last, for awhile anyway.
 
Scrub it with scuff stuff, then activated ad-pro, epoxy reduced 1:1:1 then your choice of color. Being you are doing black you could just use the epoxy in the ratio I mentioned or use something else like SPI matte black, etc. The thinned epoxy versus full strength helps keep the grain visible on plastic (that has grain) and doesn't look "thick". Has a nice matte look as well. If you need a different look then experiment with epoxy or one of those trim coatings over your epoxy sealer.
Flexible stuff like the plastic/rubber around the old Fox body Mustang 1/4 windows do well with epoxy, because of the flexibility. Those things were a problem when the cars were a year or two old. Wish I had it back then. Did some for a guy about two years ago now (un-reduced epoxy over activated ad-pro) and saw it recently, they are holding up great. No cracking or peeling. Activated ad pro really helps with the adhesion.
 
There are wipe on products that are coatings rather than just oil & dye.
I got these flynn coating from car show about 8 years ago to use on company sprinter van trim in grey & black. Wipe on & let dry, then do 2nd coat in a few weeks for best results. Looked decent enough on sprinter bumpers & wheel flares to go several years without a quick redo. Used black over grey part above rear bumper that feet constantly hit & scuffed. looked fair enough after years of abuse for a color change.
I'm sure there are several other similar products, which can be mail ordered, but not found at auto parts stores. Much quicker than taping & spraying parts that won't quickly remove, but I doubt any could come near close to epoxy quality.

For an upcoming project of putting used Escalade running boards on my near new 2019 transit company van, wipe on crap won't cut it for an abused area to cover the color I refer to as Avalanche faded ass grey . Yall know the color. :rolleyes: I'll lay a first coat of epoxy, then cut the gun pressure way down to give several passes of splatter coating. May do same on DIY brush guard. Should look like new parts for years to follow........
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