Window trim is fading!

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Does anybody know the best way to fix this?







It's gettin kinda bad in spots and is almost turning white in areas. I was thinking of maybe trying the stuff in the link below, but I wanted some opinions first or see if there are any better methods of fixing it.

http://www.vhtpaint.com/hoodbumpertrimpaint.html

[W O T]

Replace with oem?

Dont get the VHT bumper paint, its garbage, flakes off asap, doesnt absorb at all or flex. I did a few of my seals, running boards, and roof rack, with Duplicolor bumper and trim paint. Its like $10 a can, but worked perfect for me and the paint still looks good 2ish years later

[Pwnin O'Brien]

Buying new OEM rubber seals is definitely not a possibility. CourtesyParts wants $110 for each rear door and $146 for each front door.

I was thinking that maybe wet sanding with a 1500 or 2000 grit might solve the problem. I was really hoping someone might have already tried that or some other method to fix them.

[Turbogst]

you can use a dye.. I have used this in the past with great results on customers cars.

http://www.autogeek.net/fbk04.html

[W O T]

I was thinking that maybe wet sanding with a 1500 or 2000 grit might solve the problem. I was really hoping someone might have already tried that or some other method to fix them.

Like I said, duplicolor bumper and trim paint, you dont even have to take the pieces off the car if you dont want to

[fitzx4]

do you know if this happened from hitting the area with wax? because i know it can cause similar problems

[Pwnin O'Brien]

I'm pretty sure it didn't. I don't remember if I ever did wax over the parts but I don't think I did. It's only these corner pieces that fade like this. The straight pieces are fine and still really black.

I read that some people use black shoe wax which will turn the rubber back to black.

Speaking of back to black (from Mothers), that stuff doesn't help it at all. The gray still stays, but it's a shiny gray afterward!

A lot of people have also suggested what W O T suggested, the trim paint by Duplicolor.

W O T - After you scuff the surface of the trim, did you have to apply any sort of primer to the trim, or did you just spray on the trim paint?

[SixGuns]

Dude, all you gotta do is Armor All that sh*t. Mine did the same thing...I just take a single wipe and do all my plasic/rubber trim, including the clusterf*ck of plastic between the widshield and hood...I do mine like once every 3 weeks or so, or whenever I wash the truck.

[W O T]

I'm pretty sure it didn't. I don't remember if I ever did wax over the parts but I don't think I did. It's only these corner pieces that fade like this. The straight pieces are fine and still really black.

I read that some people use black shoe wax which will turn the rubber back to black.

Speaking of back to black (from Mothers), that stuff doesn't help it at all. The gray still stays, but it's a shiny gray afterward!

A lot of people have also suggested what W O T suggested, the trim paint by Duplicolor.

W O T - After you scuff the surface of the trim, did you have to apply any sort of primer to the trim, or did you just spray on the trim paint?

I personally didnt even scuff the surfaces, I just cleaned them real well, sprayed a coat of adhesion promoter (duplicolor aswell) and I believe I only did 2 coats of paint. Still looks great to this day.

Ive heard good results with the show polish before to, but Ive never seen it done or have any experience with it, might be worth a shot if you or the old man have a can kickin around

[Turbogst]

dude get the dye this is what its used for... you shake the bottle and wipe it on.. let it dry and BAMM it looks brand new... I don't see whats so hard about this.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

dude get the dye this is what its used for... you shake the bottle and wipe it on.. let it dry and BAMM it looks brand new... I don't see whats so hard about this.

I completely missed your post somehow. I'm checking out the dye now...

[Pwnin O'Brien]

dude get the dye this is what its used for... you shake the bottle and wipe it on.. let it dry and BAMM it looks brand new... I don't see whats so hard about this.

From the Forever Black description:

"Please Note: Forever Black Bumper & Trim Dye is intended for porous, textured surfaces. Smooth plastic, vinyl, and rubber may not be able to absorb the dye and it will therefore streak."

The rubber trim is definitely smooth and not textured. Have you used this stuff on this type of trim before?

[miamiheat3332]

i have the same exact thing as you Pwnin O'Brien. And the forever black stuff that Turbogst suggested looks to me like its practically the same thing as back to black which i also use except that the back to black is applied with a rag, towel etc. i really doubt it would work as i have tried back to black on the same pieces of window trim and it does not work

[W O T]

Well I guarantee the duplicolor paint works and does exactly whats its supposed to do, as its designed for this purpose, and does it well. $10 guarantee, I didnt look to see how much the dye was

[Turbogst]

Yea i have used it with great results.. your this for the window molding.. i sent you the wrong one..

http://www.autogeek.net/blackagain1.html

[miamiheat3332]

turbo and you said you used that one and that it works? the link you just posted above me?

[W O T]

I actually wonder if that black again might work on an aging/fading black dashboard.........

[Qxxx4]

my mom works on quality for outgoing bumpers to ford, they sometimes have some fading issues with some trim and she actually used a heat gun before to correct it..that trim doesnt look like it would work well. She did it to our land rover discoverys fender trim which is a hard plastic and it actually helped

[Turbogst]

yep I have used them both.

[MagicM]

buy the ceramic high heat black paint and spray it all, it protects better VS the sun and heat/weather up to like 1400F XD,better then a cheap dupicolor.

[naladude911]

no no no no. My roof rack looked exactly the same until I used Meguires Back to Black

[miamiheat3332]

i was at advanced auto parts looking how much paint costs to paint my rims etc, but i came across i think it was dupli-color chrome trim and accessory paint.

do you guys think if you sanded the window trim to give it something to stick to, would the paint hold up? and if it does on that, what about the black trim accessories outside, i.e door handles, rear trunk thingy, etc.

[naladude911]

No DONT PAINT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Use: Mothers black to blackhttp://www.mothers.com/02_products/06108.htmits amazing, it gets all the faded trim back to new condition, and makes it STAY like that as well.

[Pwnin O'Brien]

No DONT PAINT IT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!Use: Mothers black to blackhttp://www.mothers.com/02_products/06108.htmits amazing, it gets all the faded trim back to new condition, and makes it STAY like that as well.

Well, I've never really had any luck with Back to Black on this trim. Every time I applied it, it wouldn't change the appearance of the trim, it would only make it slightly shinier. This weekend I found an unused bottle of Back to Black on my garage shelf and decided to give it another try. I vigorously scrubbed the Back to Black onto the trim, spending about ten minutes on each piece. As I scrubbed, I could see the grayness start to fade into a black color, it was working!!! Needless to say, I wasn't able to finish all of the trim due to time constraints, but I am really excited that it was able to return the trim to black. The question I have now is, how long until this trim returns to it's old dull gray color?

[miamiheat3332]

hmm so back to black worked?.... mabye i didnt scrub hard enough

[Pwnin O'Brien]

hmm so back to black worked?.... mabye i didnt scrub hard enough

I mean i had to scrub REALLY hard and it took a REALLY long time. I was doing it in direct sunlight on hot trim (which the bottle says don't do, but I didn't really care) so it kept evaporating, but after a while the trim would be completely black. I was pretty amazed.

[naladude911]

Same. My roof rack looked exactly as your trim. I tried various chemicals to return it to its original black luster, tire shine, bar and tar remover, and rubbing compound, but nothing worked. Yes, the black to black does/did work, but it does take a lot of elbow grease.

[MagicM]

I have tried that back to black stuff on my 01 Pathfinder when i had it, it worked but it would go back to faded whenever i would go to the touch less car wash.

[miamiheat3332]

yeah i was thinking the exact same as you ^. didnt even do it cause i knew it would wash off. good thing i know for sure now.

Edit: anyone read my post a few above this one? i still want to see if thats possible.

[slickroger]

Yea i have used it with great results.. your this for the window molding.. i sent you the wrong one..

http://www.autogeek.net/blackagain1.html

this one car wash proof?