How to "restore" plastics

[supramkivtt2jz]

Ive wondered about a few items on the car and theyre starting to look a little aged because of heat.

1. in the engine bay, the stock intake hose is beginning to look dry. what product can i use on this to brink it back to "stock"

2. on the outside plastic trim under the wipers, the cowling is starting to turn light gray. what product can be used to restore the original color? Back to black is a shit product IMHO.

3. on the roof, the black plastic trip pieces that run laterally from the windshield to the trunk have wax residue on them. how can i remove the wax? from this point forward i will be taping these off with painters tape before waxing.

i enjoy washing my car, but im a little lost with these. thanks guys

[Wes]

Get some Mothers Back to Black its for plastics, I use it every so often after washing, keeps plastic looking new

[supramkivtt2jz]

Originally Posted by Wes

Get some Mothers Back to Black its for plastics, I use it every so often after washing, keeps plastic looking new

any tips on the other questions? back to black has never performed how i wanted it to - it never seemed to help much

[autobrz]

use a wax that dont stain plastic like optiseal
303aerospace protectant is pretty good at making rubber and plastic look new i usually wax over all trim to protect them

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[Wes]

1. I mostly just wipe the hose in engine bay down when it turns kinda white looking. I haven't used much products on it.

2. MEguiars have a black trim restorer, and Chemical Guys also have that too maybe you can try those if back to black doesn't help much.

3. If its just residue you can actually remove that black plastic trim and wipe it off. Or when you wax just remove that trim or just wipe off the wax as soon as you get it on there.

Hope it helps

[Grey]

My other vehicle is a Wrangler, and all the plastics on that chalk out worse than any other car I've seen. Truth is no product will ever really restore black plastics completely. Back To Black is no better than Armor-All, it will wash away. I repaint my Jeep plastics every two years.

[Greg Nichols]

Originally Posted by supramkivtt2jz

Ive wondered about a few items on the car and theyre starting to look a little aged because of heat.

1. in the engine bay, the stock intake hose is beginning to look dry. what product can i use on this to brink it back to "stock"

You can spray that area down with 303 aerospace to liven up the look, but it was rubber hoses do they dry and and look bad over time. you can also try to find CD2 engine detailer at the local autoparts store.

2. on the outside plastic trim under the wipers, the cowling is starting to turn light gray. what product can be used to restore the original color? Back to black is a shit product IMHO.

If you are getting gray already that is bad IMO, that should not happen for a few years. Once plastics start to fade the only real thing you can do it prolong the time it takes to totally go grey. I like Pre WOW and Black WOW, when used properly they will last for months. Contact Richard Lin @ showcar detailing in So Cal.

3. on the roof, the black plastic trip pieces that run laterally from the windshield to the trunk have wax residue on them. how can i remove the wax? from this point forward i will be taping these off with painters tape before waxing.

Pre WOW can help remove that old wax residue.

i enjoy washing my car, but im a little lost with these. thanks guys

Cheers,
GREG

[Richard Cranium]

Another product I can recommend is Adam's Super VRT Tire & Trim Dressing. I have yet to use it on my tires, but I took it to all of my interior & exterior plastic & rubber trim pieces with a microfiber pad...stuff works REAL well. Any over-spread on to the paint came right off with a dry MF towel too.

I thought it was pricey at first at $25 for a 16oz bottle, but a little bit does go a long way on the interior at least.

edit: Also want to add that the Adam's video series detailing guide shows them using the Super VRT on the engine bay as well.

[Mr. Sparkle]

Originally Posted by supramkivtt2jz

Ive wondered about a few items on the car and theyre starting to look a little aged because of heat.

1. in the engine bay, the stock intake hose is beginning to look dry. what product can i use on this to brink it back to "stock"

2. on the outside plastic trim under the wipers, the cowling is starting to turn light gray. what product can be used to restore the original color? Back to black is a shit product IMHO.

3. on the roof, the black plastic trip pieces that run laterally from the windshield to the trunk have wax residue on them. how can i remove the wax? from this point forward i will be taping these off with painters tape before waxing.

i enjoy washing my car, but im a little lost with these. thanks guys

I've found most trim products will run in the rain. Meaning they make the trim shiny but first rainstorm you get product dripping down the paint.

303 Aero was recommended earlier. Maybe for under the hood. Definitely for your interior. But exterior trim is not something I use it for any longer.

I haven't tried everything out there but I've now settled on Ultima trim and tire guard. its expensive for a trim product but lasts a very long time in a tiny spray bottle. It not only darkens the trim a bit but it will bead water. wont run in the rain.

This photo shows Ultima Trim & Tire Guard on the left with the untreated side on the right. This is a porsche carrera wiper cowl. Apologize for not having the 'before' section on the left




This was a Ford Explorer. Not a permanent fix as it had to be reapplied a few times a year. Certainly a big improvement though.