Getting Trims Back To Black?

[Lukey22]

Hi all, after some advice for some good product(s) that'll keep the trim on my car black.

I was going to buy some black to black but I've heard it isn't all too good?



That's after the car wash applied some kind of additive, but it seemed to only highlight the grey.

[roscopervis]

The process is cleaning thoroughly with a good APC at the right dilution so the surface is ready to accept what comes next. You then protect the finish, this can be done with a good 'normal' protector, which will somewhat boost the finish but protect it for several months - Koch Chemie Nano Magic Plast Care is about as good as a non ceramic trim coating gets or a ceramic trim coating - the best seems to be Poorboys Everlasting Trim Coating as it has a dye in it as well as a durable coating. Cerakote would be my next choice. This would be better than trim coatings like GTechniq C4 and CarPro DLux as they are just the coating without the dye.

Solution Finish is probably about the best trim dye as it lasts about 6 months by itself.

[Summit_Detailing]

As above, Solution Finish with proper cleaning beforehand.

Cheers,

Chris

[348jeff]

I really wouldn't waste your time with any of these products as they all suffer from the same problem i.e. they do not last!!

Your better off giving them a very thorough clean with something like panel wipe from a paint factors to remove any sort of residue then giving them a light spray with Halfords satin black plastic bumper paint (or similar but that's my favourite).

Warm the can in some hot water first and apply a light coat or 2. Gives excellent results and the colour doesn't fade - I did my trims nearly 8 years ago and they still look like new. I've also just done my windscreen wipers and scuttle panel too.

Use 3m Blue tape along with the disposable decorator sheets to mask the rest of the car off.

NB. It works just as well on metal as it does on plastic :-)













Before pics for comparison

Edited by 348jeff on Thursday 17th February 23:08

[Belle427]

I found solution finish the best of the bunch, not permanent as suggested but very good.

[Downward]

G Techniq C4 for me.

[aka_kerrly]

Downward said:

G Techniq C4 for me.

Is a good product and my choice, iirc about £20 for a 30ml pot which will go a surprising way as you don't need to get the panels dripping wet.

at the budget end Autoglym Bumper and Trim restorer is far better than "back to black" and only £10 for a container large enough to cover an entire car many times over. For a tiny bit more at around £15 Meguiars Ultimate Black does a good job of making the trim black but is a bit matt for my liking so requires an additional plastic polish stage or sometimes i cheat & use Meguiars Endurance tyre gel.

[Lukey22]

Thanks for the replies. The car is at the end of its life, it has probably 4-5 years left on the roads.

I will go down the Solution Finish route and reapply it every six months or so. In the better weather, I'm going to tackle the headlights and spray some 2K laquer over them as well.