DIY: Restoring your Exterior Vinyl Trim

[WESTcoast]

Couldn't find this D.I.Y anywhere on the forums so I thought I would put it up.

Ever hated the look of your outside trim and wanted to make it look new again well this diy is for you!
Now you can go from this to this (top is not done but bottom is)
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1401-1.jpg


What you need:
-Terry cloth or Paper towel
-Vynl Resotorer you can pick up at your local store (target, walmart, kargen, etc etc) I happen to find a bottle of Black Chrome in my garage
-Masking tape

Time: 30min-1hr

What will this work on:
Exterior window trim that has faded, faded plastic sideskirts (if you have a 96-98), lower windshied bezel, grill, anywhere where there is black plastic stuff is faded

So I started off Looking at the situation and estimating the damage. noticed how cracked, scatched and faded my exterior trim is:
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1383-1.jpg

I then grabbed my masking tape and started to mask the trim off, you dont need to mask it really, but since i have no idea whats in it and what it could do to my paint i didnt take the chace. Make sure you get as close to plastic as possible so when you throw it on it gets the tight corners.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1387-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1389-1.jpg
If you have any stickers like my i-club one make sure you cover them up, if this stuff gets on it its sorta hard to get off.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1391-1.jpg

Grab your weapons of choice, I had a this half empty bottle of Black Chrome sitting in my garage that I found, estimating from the car on the picture this is quite old but whatever. You can pick up similar stuff at your local auto parts store.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1393-1.jpg

Get a oversize quarter amount on a piece of paper towel and go to work slowly spreading this stuff. Rubb deep so that it will sink into the plastic better.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1396-1.jpg

Havign the stuff spead when you lay it down is good, as for me with large fingers couldnt get into the cracks and so having the stuff ooze all into those places worked for me.
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1399-1.jpg

Now after you worked on your trim go for your bezel and your grill!!!

https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1404-1.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2010/02/106_1409-1.jpg


Tips:
Do more than one coat of it, I found that doing so gets a good glaze on it whille helping cover up some unwanted scares and scatches
You will most likely be using more than one paper towel as it will soak through, I went through a good chunk and I always went through with a dry one and whiped away the excess.

hope this helped someone!

[jduldula]

heeeeeeeeeey that turned out pretty nice. props man

[WESTcoast]

Thanks man wanted to get somthing done today so i did haha

[jduldula]

I need to get my car done with some TLC like this; definitely something to remember

[Six10Styles]

NICE work, looks good. i wanna see sum updated pics of this in a month or 2 n see how its holding up. My trims not as bad as yours was, but ive tried a couple things n it only comes back worse w/ a little time. about to just replace it all w/ the weather stripping nxt paintjob.

[WESTcoast]

NICE work, looks good. i wanna see sum updated pics of this in a month or 2 n see how its holding up. My trims not as bad as yours was, but ive tried a couple things n it only comes back worse w/ a little time. about to just replace it all w/ the weather stripping nxt paintjob.

I'll make sure to keep that in mind, its been raining on and off over here, and so far its holding up washed it already and its still shiny!!!

[WESTcoast]

well its been a couple of weeks and its holding like a champ!, its been raining like crazy and yet no fade in anything!!! Will take updated pics once it stops raining!

[daleyswanson]

still waiting on those pictures dude. lol

[chaksq]

This is a great idea, I've been wanting to clean up my car's appearance and was wondering what to do with all the black trim like this. Thanks a ton, when I get some spare time I'll have to do this.

[datdookie]

hahaha good stuff but i couldnt help but notice this

"Ever hated the look of your outside trim and wanted to make it look new again well this diy is for you!"

sounds like an infomercial, haha. Will this work on the chrome plastic too?

[anothernord]

I wonder how well this would work for trim pieces where the vinyl has peeled off completely, like on a lot of the wagons.

[RvongB4]

Where can I find this product? My trims are almost back to chrome!

[Quest]

I used a product called Forever Black. It is not a dressing but a dye. After 1 application, it has remained just as black as the day I applied it. I applied it over 1 year ago and my car is not kept in a garage. Good stuff. After it dries (about 5 min) you can wipe it with a white cloth and nothing comes off. I got it off Amazon.
http://i472.photobucket.com/albums/rr85/smstavros/TRIMBEFORE900x675.jpg
https://sl-i.net/FORUM/images/imported/2012/04/TRIMAFTER1900x675-1.jpg

[WESTcoast]

Where can I find this product? My trims are almost back to chrome!

Yeah I would go with the forever black, if your plastic and pc trim is still in good condition. Mine on the other hand is starting to peel off but I have an idea for that to bring it back to black.

[Muse]

I tried using black electrical tape on my window trim. It worked great on my Neon a few years back, but the trim on a BK is wider than the tape, and two pieces of tape look horrible.

[WESTcoast]

I might make a sequal to this using plasti-dip!

[Asphalt Art]

If you want exterior plastics back to the factory black, use Krylon Fusion aerosol. You will never have to do it twice since it actually bonds with the part instead of just coating it.

[argyle409]

Can this also be used to restore the piece of plastic the is between the hood and the window, where the wipers mount. As mine has faded to a blueish color and not sure if it's something I could clean or the plastic has been bleached by the sun?

[subyroo]

I have seen Youtube video's of guys using a heat gun to restore the color, also the Chemical Guys have a gel for restoring the rich black look like new, how long the gel lasts is not clear, Back to Black is supposed to be another good product.