Restoring plastic bumper strips to black

[OneSeventy 1]

Hey guys, my E46's black plastic bumper strips are greyed out and quite patchy which could be sun fading but I think it's more likely wax build up from previous owners washing the car.

Is there a product that you guys can recommend that will help restore them to black? Any tips for using it? Would I need to remove the strips to do so?

Cheers,

Oliver.

[tobytoblerone 3]

Hey guys, my E46's black plastic bumper strips are greyed out and quite patchy which could be sun fading but I think it's more likely wax build up from previous owners washing the car.

Is there a product that you guys can recommend that will help restore them to black? Any tips for using it? Would I need to remove the strips to do so?

Cheers,

Oliver.

Hey Oliver,

I had the same issue on my e39. Its due to the buildup of wax over the years and it isn't removable... After numerous products nothing worked. Its black plastic exposed to the elements, so the only real permanent fix is to have them painted. Why not take the opportunity to have the strips color coded to blend in with the car? I reacon it looks much cleaner.

I used to apply baby oil to them, sometimes armour-all spray shine stuff... Yeah baby oil sounds wierd, but it works very well! This was about once a week i did this when i washed the car. Also baby oil is good for using on the chrome trim around the windows, it helps reduce the cloudiness that can build up on the chrome over time.

Cheers

[OneSeventy 1]

Hey I appreciate the reply. I probably can't afford to have them painted just yet though. Perhaps that's something for the future.

I also spotted in the below link, about 3/4 of the way down, that the guys at Prestige Finishing School somehow removed or covered up the wax on this Ferrari's wing mirror surrounds:

http://prestige.finishing.school.nz/Portfo...75M-part2.shtml

Does anyone know what product that might have been?

[thorburn 120]

Not sure what they used.

I just removed the trim and used a spray can. Simple, cheap and easy

[Michael. 2312]

Painting is the best long term solution, or you're going to be forever putting on different treatments to keep the black trim looking black.

[Mark 178]

You could try using "wax and grease remover" (comes in 1 litre bottles from Super Cheap) on the trim to get rid of any wax, then use Mother's Naturally Black trim restorer. Might take a couple of applications but it has worked for me on faded trim in the past.

If that doesn't work, go the painting route as already suggested.

[m325i 705]

The Mother's naturally black product is ok to remove old wax, but after that try that black bumper stuff that is like a dye. (Not sure of the brand sorry - I need to get some myself). It won't last, but will look good for a month or so.

[hybrid 1039]

The product the pros use is call resene revive. Sold in paint tins.

[NZ BMW 368]

On my Mercedes the door handles were black plastic which had become white and dried over the years. I was able to get them back to black using something which I didn't expect - Armor All. I put some interior plastic protector on it then used a liquid wax (it was Armor All Ice) and after a couple of applications they came up quite well. Even the clear plastic which covers the remote sensors and had turned yellow became clearish.

[hybrid 1039]

Using silicon based products is what causes the cloudy and greying in the first place. They last only a few days and are really only good if your needing a quick dirty fix

Revive isn't silicon based and is a paint on protectant that was developed for the housing industry for anodised and painted oxidised surfaces that see a lot of weather.

You can also use it on interior too. The smell goes after 2/3 days

[OneSeventy 1]

Wow thanks for the great replies.

So it sounds like this Revive product might be the way to go if it's not too expensive for me!

Would I need to remove the black strips before applying a product like these? Would they affect the paint at all?

[Apex 693]

Easy to do yourself, most trims are easy to remove on the E39, bit of masking tape on the chrome.

Repco sell a product called "K&H Bumper & Trim Paint" and it is good stuff, no prime needed.

I just used a plastic cleaner/degreaser and sprayed on. Good as new.

[Allanw 1051]

Look up Wurth in the phone book (based in Hobill Ave manukau). They do bumper dye that panel beaters swear by.

(I know a guy who did his shoes with it, lasted 3 years!)

[Shorty 1]

I have had the same problem on my black trim - I used a bit of tyre black paint (can't remember the brand) and carefully using a rag went over all the black trims - rubbing the paint in. Once it dried, i went over it with Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant - I wash my car every week, and every two weeks reapply some of the Ultimate Protectant. Another product I have been recommend is Meguiar's Trim Detailer - but I haven't used this before so can't comment. I have also been recommended bee's wax.

[nath 128]

Wax, beeswax, silicone, baby oil snake oil are all chemically similar and simply stick/last to varying degrees. You just cannot 'fix' something's surface that has degraded by UV reaction and gone into the atmosphere. All that will work is paint, or a product like the Resene one which will have a mild setting product in it just like any clear paint etc.

Cannot reverse the ravages of age

[yo_clarkie 0]

Look up Wurth in the phone book (based in Hobill Ave manukau). They do bumper dye that panel beaters swear by.

(I know a guy who did his shoes with it, lasted 3 years!)

Yup, it works, lasts around a year. Get some wheel cleaner while you are there, its magical - but bloody expensive.

[Final Touch Gordon 0]

Sometimes heating the plastics with a heatgun will bring some colour back to the surface although you'd need to be careful not to scorch the plastic, there's a fine line between hot enough and too hot.

The prestige detailing guy probably used wax and greas remover with a toothbrush or something similar to get the residue out and then a quality plastics treatment to penetrate and disguise any that remained. Most products will hide existing whiteness for a time.

Meguiars does a couple of new trim protectants that are longer lasting and they get great results on older trim especially. Ultimate trim detailer would be my recommendation.

The other option that we sometimes use is Boiled Linseed oil, it will penetrate well, add colour and so long as it's allowed to dry properly it will last and last and last. Just don't get it on your paint because it's quite difficult to remove.

[OneSeventy 1]

Just in case anyone is interested or anyone is asking later on, I thought I would share what I did. I went down to Supercheap and bought some Meguiar's Gold Class Trim Detailer for $21.99.

This stuff is amazing although I have no idea what is in it. It's a white gooey liquid that you wipe on with a cloth and it makes the trim look new again.

This photo gives an idea of the difference between what I was dealing with and the final result:

This photo shows how it looked once I had finished the front:

[tcbaurpower 5]

Looks alot better, How long have you had it restored? Any idea if it keeps the shine?

[my_e36 43]

I use those as well, they last ok if you wash your own car with decent car shampoo, but if you go to service station car wash, it won't last 2 washes.

[M5V8 337]

based on this thread I checked out Meguiar's Ultimate Protectant $30 odd from supercheap.

I must say I am happy with the results...no dramatic change since my trim wasn't bad it was just in need of some attention in some spots. Pretty happy.

On the other end. The racecar (GTR) front lip spoiler was in dire straights. For that I bought some matt black bumper colour spray paint from repco. Wasn't sure how it would come out but have to say I'm surprised. It looks really good!

Even covered some road rash.

[OneSeventy 1]

Looks alot better, How long have you had it restored? Any idea if it keeps the shine?

I only did this yesterday so we'll see how it lasts. I presume I may need to keep doing it occasionally but I'll update this topic as I go.

[hybrid 1039]

Price of silicon based product $21

Price of new trim:

15 Base 1 09/2001 51118195303 $25.30

17 Protective rubber strip, lft frnt bumper 1 09/2001 51118195289 $23.45

18 Protective rubber strip,rght frnt bumper 1 09/2001 51118195290 $23.45

around $100

http://realoem.com/bmw/showparts.do?model=...hg=51&fg=15

I know what I would do

[CamB 48]

I know what I would do

US$75 - will be heaps more from NZ dealer, surely.

Plus same at the back and US$100 each side.

[hybrid 1039]

US$75 - will be heaps more from NZ dealer, surely.

Plus same at the back and US$100 each side.

rough rule of thumb is nz pricing the same as the usd rrp

Will get a quote tomorrow. Just looked at my e39 mapper ones. Cheap cheap will order my 4 corners tomorrow