Styling Car-cleaning. Bumpers etc.

[A_Acolyte]

Do you guys have any idea what one can do to restore the blackness of the bumpers and trim?

I've tried a few of the off-the-shelf products, but none have really worked - they all make it look blackish for a day or two and then seem to make it worse than it was once they wear off. To the South Africans on here, I've tried Holts Bumper Black, Shield Sheen and Wynns Dash.

A good product I've found to do tyres with is the Meguiars Gold Class High Gloss. Its expensive but you use so little each time its almost a life-time supply in one bottle (seriously!).

Hands-down the best polish I've used is the Wynns Pearl Glaze. I used swear by Wynns Detail until I discovered this stuff in its boring, inconspicuous ugly little purple tin one day when the shop was outta stock of the Detail. Man, this stuff is awesome! Lasts way longer than anything else I've tried and protects better too.

For rims its Wynns' 59 Second Mag Cleaner.

But with all that said, I still wanna know: Whats the best to use to restore bumper and trim blackness? The sun hasn't done my cars exterior any favours!
-Acolyte

 

[thepottleflump]

The product I would recommend is Autoglym Bumper Care. It is semi permanent which means it lasts for far more than a day. It is recognised by many as the best of this sort of product.

I need to slap some on my bumper of my uno which is looking grey, I'll do this and put some pictures up so you can see the difference. I'm presuming you can get Autoglym in SA?

 

[A_Acolyte]

I'm presuming you can get Autoglym in SA?

I've just looked around online and it seems that I can! However, while looking now I found a post on a forum where someone mentioned using Johnsons Baby Oil! They mentioned some of the other products that I've tried and they say that it works better than that.

The baby oil will be dirt cheap, so I'm gonna try that first I think. I mean, what do I have to lose, right?

Chances are it won't work though. So I'm all ears! Is Autoglym the best there is guys?
-Acolyte

 

[beau]

i used boot polish on my uno, took ages to do all nicely but its lasted months.

 

[jjhepburn]

Its always a mystery how to get the bumper black.

One thing I can say for sure is DONT paint it!!! it just flakes off and looks AWFUL, unless you use a good paint (not an aerosol).

Shoe polish is an interesting idea (I've never thought of that but it makes a lot of sense).

I use silicone spray (just the cheap stuff about NZ$7 a can). You have to apply it regularly to keep the bumper looking black, but it lasts longer every time you do it (soaks in). Just spray on and leave it (dont wipe off excess) whenever it needs it.

 

[Jai]

One thing I can say for sure is DONT paint it!!! it just flakes off and looks AWFUL,

first thing i did to a 70sx i bought with the crappy flay bumper paint was to jet spray it all off, it did look really bad before, and a lot cleaner after.

 

[dekii]

The best way to make them look good is to pain them with BUMPER spray. Do not use any other paint because it will flake off. Otherwise you can paint them first with plastic primer and then with standard paint, or with acryl paint that mach your car
This is the best and long term solution, and after that you can even polish your bumpers

 

[distortionrockets]

i found turtle wax products are usually the best and relatively cheap too.

they have an "extreme" range which comes in bright green containers, i use the trim polish/cleaner on my bumpers, long lasting too. perhaps 3-4 weeks.

 

[A_Acolyte]

i found turtle wax products are usually the best and relatively cheap too.

they have an "extreme" range which comes in bright green containers, i use the trim polish/cleaner on my bumpers, long lasting too. perhaps 3-4 weeks.

Thats interesting. I just saw some in the shop now as I was picking up some other stuff. Pity I only read this now that I'm at home!

However, with that said, before I go and buy something specific, I'm gonna try a tip that I read about on a few forums last night: Baby Oil. Yeah, who'da thunk it? Apparently it works really well. I'm gonna try it now and report back.

*goes off to clean car*
-Acolyte

 

[thepottleflump]

Here we go. My recommendation is Autoglym Bumper Care. I think the results speak for themselves and I'm happy to post up the results in another 4 weeks and you'll see that it is still looking top notch. The only difference was the top photo was taken with a flash and the bottom one with it off, but the difference is as you see.

Not sure I buy the idea of baby oil, in the UK it would probably wash away pretty quickly but I'm willing to be convinced.

The bumper before I treated

The bumper after I treated - about 5 minutes work with a duster and AG Bumper Care. I think some would recommend a second treatment for saturation but I have only applied it once here.

 

[alexGS]

thepottleflump - what a shame you're dismantling that Mk1...

Bumper paint: just for the record, I once bought a tin of genuine bumper coating. In fact, I've bought two tins. It doesn't work! The adhesion is worse than aerosol paint (because it's thicker) and jjhepburn thought that aerosols were bad. So, based on our advice, perhaps you'd be best to avoid any type of paint for the bumpers.

I personally rather liked Duplicolor Bumper Coating, but then again I usually sell the cars that I treat with that. It probably lasts about six months before flaking off...

Rather like cleaning the bath, the bumpers become easier to care for if done fairly regularly (once a month)...

-Alex

 

[tonyfurnell]

Baby Oil.... I'm gonna try it now and report back.

*goes off to clean car*
-Acolyte

Any word on the baby oil Acolyte? I could do with using one of these solutions on my wing mirors (and punching the guy that invented "back to black" -- the instructions on the can don't seem to mention that it's only of any use if you just need it to last for an hour!)

That Autoglym bit looks the business though thepottleflump!

On the subject of black bits, I was looking at the plastic grille at the top of the bonnet on my mk2 (below the windscreen) and it seems to have some annoying marks on it.... It seems to be a strange finish to start with, kind of silky matt finish... but as soon as anything touches it it leaves a shiny mark. any idea of the best way to care for this?

Or is the "matt finish" actually just years of road dirt that happens to look quite cool and silky, and the shiny bits underneath are the clean plastic? (entirely possible!)

 

[thepottleflump]

That Autoglym bit looks the business though thepottleflump!

It is! It is a funny green gel that you apply, leave for a short while then buff the remainder off. Can also be used on tyres but I've not tied that. Before finding this I tried some sort of "back to black" which was a horrible black dye that got over everything and lasted about 1 day - useless.

 

[A_Acolyte]

Yes, I have news on the Baby Oil!

It works!
Its awesome actually.

Its been on my car 3 days now, parked outside in the sun, wind and shade, and its still perfectly black. I'm speechlessly impressed.

And the price? You can't beat it!

Applies verrrrrry easily too - so easily it seems too good to be true. One uses very little. I did the whole car (mirrors, and all black trim), and it hardly looks like the bottle has been opened.

I've just gone outside to check - the mirrors aren't as black as the bumpers (but they never were - mine are badly sunbleached). That large plastic piece that sits beneath your front windshield where the air-vents and wiper are mounted to is still perfectly black - I've never had a product that made that look dark for more than about an hour or two (literally).

The guy on the forum where I first learned about the Baby Oil said that the blackness gets better with each application, so though I once thought my mirrors were beyond repair, I am now hopeful that I'll get them looking like my (beautiful) bumpers.

Before you buy ANY other product, definitely try the baby oil. I dunno if it makes a difference, but I used 'Johnsons Baby Oil'.

-Acolyte.

 

[tonyfurnell]

cool, I might try out the baby oil before I go for Autoglym then, thanks for conducting trials, both of you

 

[alexGS]

Who knows what it does for the plastic, long-term But then, what have we got to lose?

Sounds like a nice cheap way to show you care - for your Uno, that is.
-Alex

 

[A_Acolyte]

Sounds like a nice cheap way to show you care - for your Uno, that is.
-Alex

Yeah. Ummm.... so true. So very, very true. Hehe. You see, my girlfriend has recently become grumpy because she's (apparently) feeling ignored lately.

While I leave her inside to occupy herself, I'm outside rubbing baby-oil on my cars' arse.

Perhaps she has a point?
-Acolyte

 

[Jai]

While I leave her inside to occupy herself,

I'm outside rubbing baby-oil on my cars' arse.

Perhaps she has a point?
-Acolyte

any post mentioning:

girlfriends occupying self....
points
babyoil
rubbing
arse

has to be worth a read........

 

[CyberMunky]

any post mentioning:

girlfriends occupying self....
points
babyoil
rubbing
arse

has to be worth a read........

He He LOL!

 

[Muzzie]

Use the Meguairs stuff for your tyres on the bumpers too. That what I do, and the rubbing strips. Brings them up a treat.