Bumper and trim restore? What do I use?

[BlackBart]

Kiwi shoe polish, no way! Have you used it long enough to see how it’s lasting in the sun?

[93SCMax]

Kiwi shoe polish, no way! Have you used it long enough to see how it’s lasting in the sun?

Yes. Been using it for years. Way cheaper than the alternatives, and it works. Try it on a piece of door side molding.

Car was garaged for 15 years and then moved outside when I got a newer Lexus GS350. The plastic trim started to get dry once outside. I use to use Armor-All to keep it shiny. The black polish will dull over time, but with the foam applicator, it can be easily reapplied. Just try to keep it off of the paint, or have a microfiber to get the excess.

Make sure you get the liquid shoe polish, not the paste...and shake the bottle prior to applying.

[abscate]

I use Kiwi black (Noir) liquid shoe polish with the foam applicator. It's a Johnson and Johnson product. Easy to apply and wipe off any excess. If your plastic trim is dried out, it will soak up a lot of polish, but is a good protectant. I think it looks good, and not very expensive.

Try it on your side (door) trim 1st and see what you think.

It also marks people who walk by your car too closely to remind them not to scratch it.

[Krons]

Hey there
I've tried a lot of those plastic restore products before I got fed up because they just don't last.
Frustrated from failed attempts I painted them with flat black rust paint.
Truly the best results so far and super easy to pop out the bumper inserts and give a quick spray hang by one of the tabs in the sun to dry then re insert.
Cheap and effective solution.
Trim still looks like new 1 year later.
Cheers

Krylon Fusion (plastic compatible)in Satin on front bumper, wish I would have done flat as it still has more shine than I’d like. Still debating whether to switch to matte on the rest.

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[Krons]

Update on another solution for faded plastics. For winter riding this year I’m coating my motorcycles with ACF-50. ACF is ‘anti-corrosion formula’ originally developed for the aircraft industry.

Anyway, I was so impressed with the results on brightening/darkening the black plastic on my old BMW I thought I’d try it on my windshield sill tray on the S60 that was a quite faded gray. Wow what a result. I’m a couple weeks after doing my bike but still holding up, hopefully this will be my go-to. Not cheap but the best product I’ve found before resorting to paint.

It is an oil based product so after a soak need to wipe to attract less dust. They say on metals it provides up to 12 months of rust protection (if not soaped off, have to rinse only w/ cold water for salt protection. Hopefully it’ll moisturize the plastics a good long while.

Some photos after 24hrs, arrow indicating parts I missed:

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After first ride after applying ACF-50:

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[MoVolvos]

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We used Avalon King Ceramic Coating on our car, windshield, all glass, headlights and trim. It has held up for I believe a couple of years now. Was looking for a particular video where a guy used it on his trunk's trim but saw this product instead.

Several weeks ago, in a hurry I used a tire shine on the trim and it worked but super greasy. I've also tried transmission fluid years ago and basically anything greasy or oily will coat the trim temporarily making it look good.
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Solution Finish
(www.amazon.com/s?k=Solution+Finish+Blac ... _sb_noss_1)
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[Krons]

Several weeks ago, in a hurry I used a tire shine on the trim and it worked but super greasy. I've also tried transmission fluid years ago and basically anything greasy or oily will coat the trim temporarily making it look good.

The coating of a ceramic would be good. The ACF-50 is supposed to creep into metals to prevent corrosion so I’m curious to see if its ability to add some oils back to the plastics will hold up. Will update with how it holds up.

[famfeld]

I pained my plastic bumper door and skirt plastic with truck bed coating after scuffing on my 04 xc70. Looks amazing. Before that i would put tranny fluid on a clean rag every so ofter to recondition. I really love the black painted textured look I got with the bed coating.
Pm me and ill send pics

[MoVolvos]

Several weeks ago, in a hurry I used a tire shine on the trim and it worked but super greasy. I've also tried transmission fluid years ago and basically anything greasy or oily will coat the trim temporarily making it look good.

The coating of a ceramic would be good. The ACF-50 is supposed to creep into metals to prevent corrosion so I’m curious to see if its ability to add some oils back to the plastics will hold up. Will update with how it holds up.

Ceramic I feel is the best as it's not oily. Anything that is oily will be uneven after a washed or two with any detergent or chemicals. The ceramic restores the color and seals the surface. It's almost like a clear coat of lacquer paint except it's the properties of ceramic. When my Son removed his university parking sticker you can feel a slight edge around where the sticker use to be but you can't see it visually. The ceramic is more costly but a little goes a long ways literally in terms of coating longevity and no maintenance thereafter.

[Blacklab467]

I bought a 12oz bottle of that trim restoration and will have it Monday. I'll try it out and put some pictures up next week. The videos I've watched seem pretty convincing. I've been looking for a solution to this for awhile now but didn't want to paint the plastic. Stay tuned!