Winter project.

[chrisstringer]

Afternoon all. I'm fed up with the plastic bits you can see in the following three photos. I've tried various treatments to keep them looking black and shiney, the latest of which has been Chemical Guys - New Look Trim Gel. Nothing has seemed to work on them and they've always gone back to being dull and grey. As one of my winter projects, I thought I might remove and paint them (matt or satin black). I was wondering if anyone has tried this before and if so, what type of paint would they suggest, bearing in mind that the ones in the first shot flex a little when you're washing the car.

TIA for any comments.

Chris.

[Lotus Lewis]

Yea i know what you mean i was thinking of that but then after a long drive i noticed that there's a lot of heat that comes out of the engine bay ones and i was just worried that what ever paint i used it would bubble up and start to flake off so i just left it and i uses back to black now and again but if you find something that works please tell

[Gooby]

The plastic grills on 135r's are colour coded and painted. Looks great

[Cino]

A bit of WD40 works a treat for restoring the plastic to its original condition, especially good for getting off marks after waxing, but won't make it more black. There are little pens of WD40 now which are good, just put a bit on then wipe off with a cloth. I've not come across anything that makes the plastic blacker for any longer than a couple of weeks.

[S Works]

For the intakes on the side, get some nice bling carbon fibre Exige-style scoops

The others, I'd get some serious back to blackkage going on.

[tricky 100]

Halfords match paint colours and put it into an aerosol i believe or some motor factors do, just tell them at the time its for plastic parts and they can add plastizer during the mix .

[chrisstringer]

Gooby said:

The plastic grills on 135r's are colour coded and painted. Looks great

You're right, they do look good, in fact that's where I got the idea from. Figured if Lotus could paint them, so could I, it's just knowing which paint to use I guess.

[lamb jiblets]

just a thought, but if you have tried all soughts of products to restore the black you can bet your life they have had silicone in them, so the chance of spraying them and getting a good finish now is zip. I have been using 3M marine polish lasts for about 6 months before going gray again.

[rfoster]

How about changing them for the metal mesh grilles (like to ones you fine on the Exige)? You can buy them through Geary at eliseparts.com now.

[RichyBoy]

Smooth peanut butter works for this.

[Esprit]

I've found "Meguiars Trim Restorer" wprks well,removes wax and discolouration.. after a few treatments it should look like new

[Tyrant]

I've always used Autoglym bumper care on black plastic. Looks great and lasts. I've not had any experience with S2 plastics though.

[cheekymonkey]

I think someone on here has done this before, or at least tried it.

I believe one of the problems / issues is the prep of the plastic as it's very rough & dimpled. Needs a lot of rubbing back to get a nice finish on the plastic before you even begin priming & spraying.

I'd guess the best option is Exige style grills, but again I think from memory of another post on here they are a pain to fit (i might be wrong), otherwise keep treating them with black to black etc.

If you solve the problem let us know as I think loads of us have the sme probs

good luck

[Gooby]

RichyBoy said:

Smooth peanut butter works for this.

eh? That needs a little explaination. Not a lot will make me part with 'nut butter so I need a good proven reason.

[S Works]

cheekymonkey said:

I'd guess the best option is Exige style grills, but again I think from memory of another post on here they are a pain to fit (i might be wrong), otherwise keep treating them with black to black etc.

They have to be custom made and fitted. Can be done, but not cheap. Plus it lets more water in.

[tricky 100]

RichyBoy said:

Smooth peanut butter works for this.

What ???????? you do realise you just posted this desire of yours on a car forum ?

[LotusSE89]

tricky 100 said:

RichyBoy said:

Smooth peanut butter works for this.

What ???????? you do realise you just posted this desire of yours on a car forum ?

No, it's true. The peanut oil will keep it looking black without eventually turning white like the other plastic restorers. I think it's not as hard to clean off as silicones, when you need to repaint.

[RichyBoy]

LotusSE89 said:

tricky 100 said:

RichyBoy said:

Smooth peanut butter works for this.

What ???????? you do realise you just posted this desire of yours on a car forum ?

No, it's true. The peanut oil will keep it looking black without eventually turning white like the other plastic restorers. I think it's not as hard to clean off as silicones, when you need to repaint.

I used it for years but it has to be the smooth stuff, the crunchy stuff will scratch obviously. I don't know why people fork out for all these crappy overpriced products when peanut butter works fine.