As a vehicle starts to age, as we all do, exposure to the sun starts to have a major impact on the various pieces of black exterior plastic trim. A typical vehicle may have black plastic trim on the front and rear bumpers, on the doors, around the side windows, and also around the front and rear glass.
If the black plastic trim on your car is no longer looking black and is fading to grey, it’ll really start to bring down the whole look of the vehicle. Thankfully, bringing back the blackness to your black plastic trim isn’t difficult – as there are many permanent and non-permanent options available.
First, you need to clean the areas of the vehicle that you are going to be working on. Use a quick detailer cleaning product and then wipe the area down with a microfibre cloth. But if you’ve got a lot of faded plastic trim to repair, you may as well wash the whole car.
Mask off any areas of the car that you don’t want to treat – this includes any nearby paintwork and the window glass. It is important to keep the product off any surfaces that aren’t black. Keep things simple and use packing tape, but you can also pick up specialised painters tape from your local hardware store.
Some kits work using a two-stage process – the first of which is a de-greasing spray to clean the plastic trim and remove and contaminants. Take the time to clean the trim properly as this will help you obtain a smoother, more even finish.
The next step is the easy part – applying the black dressing.
Now, if the trim piece you’re working on is badly faded, you’ll need to apply multiple coats of the product in order to achieve a nice even finish without streaks. For the first coat, don’t be afraid to apply the product quite liberally, because if the applicator pad is too dry you’ll end up with a lot of streaks in the finish. Wait for the product to dry before continuing.
Continue applying coats of the product until you end up with a beautiful black finish with no streaks.
All you need to do now is remove the masking and admire your newly restored newly restored trim. It really is that easy, and when compared side by side with the existing trim, the difference is remarkable.