Plastic Bumper Trim Fix

[greynolds]

I had done this a long time ago and was completely blown away with the results, I just stumbled upon a picture I took and figured I would share. When I first got my car, the plastic trim on my bumpers was white and discolored from the sun. With a little help from a heat gun they looked like new. The key is to heat the plastic enough to change the color without melting it. Oh, and avoid the trim between the windshield and the hood. There's a plastic screen under it that melts. Anyway let me know what y'all think.

[Ubel Feuer]

That looks really nice. I assume since you're actually altering the plastic the effect is relatively permanent?

[greynolds]

Haha yeah it was... till some jackass rear-ended me. I had that about a year before I got hit though. I had tried all sorts of cleaners and chemicals and they would make it look alright until they dried.

[e2xx33]

wow that looks great, i am gonna try that when i get the chance

[Qxxx4]

that looks great, my mom did that on her land rover fender trim but the results werent so great because it was more of a hard plastic, whereas our bumpers are soft plastic. I think im going to try this sometime, my rear is alright but the front isnt so good. I use Stoners Trim Shine, it works really good but does wear off after a few weeks, and is quite expensive. This would probably wrk good on our roof racks too?

[slickroger]

Nice I will have to try this when it gets warmer. I like the idea of possibly applying this method to the roof rack mine is so faded i was questioning just removing it when the summer comes around.

[greynolds]

I hope you have a different one than mine then...the plastic on mine isn't the same as the bumper. Let me know how it works out. Qxxx4, I'm assuming you do have the same roof rack as me. I just used a medium grit sandpaper and then went over it with a finer one and it came out pretty good

[naladude911]

I do that all the time when I detail the QX4. I use Mothers back to black.

[Ron Burgundy]

I do that all the time when I detail the QX4. I use Mothers back to black.

Yeah but thats the point. You shouldn't have to do this all the time. He's found a much more permanent fix. We've all tried all sorts of chemicals, but as mentioned already (quoted below for your convenience) it eventually dries up and you're left with faded trim and an empty wallet - that goes for Mother's Back to Black too.

I use Stoners Trim Shine, it works really good but does wear off after a few weeks, and is quite expensive.

I had tried all sorts of cleaners and chemicals and they would make it look alright until they dried.

[Ron Burgundy]

And by the way that looks great!

I just ended up painting mine.

I used bumper/plastic trim spray paint, some blue painters tape, and some index cards and it turned out fantastic. But considering how careful you have to be around those round edges, I would've much rather have done it your way.

[greynolds]

Haha thanks man. Yeah the results are pretty much permanent. I had that bumper a year after that and it never came back. Have you had any trouble with the paint on your wipers. I think my next project is going to be painting those.

[Ron Burgundy]

Yeah, they look like crap.

I've read around on here, and a few people have sanded them down and painted them.

My only issue is i'd rather take them off the vehicle to do so, and I haven't really looked around to see how possible that is.

But yes, it is definately something that needs to be done.

[greynolds]

Well I remember not wanting to break them but to tell you the truth I haven't even thought about taking them off in a couple years. The problem I see is that paint doesn't really want to stick to them which is the problem in the first place.