JPs GT Trim care

Welcome to JP's General Tech on Textured trim care.

Refer to my Detailing 101 thread for more information on basic detailing tools and items.

Oxidization or fading of the textured black trim and accents is one area that can make or break your car's look. Even clean paint will wain visually next to old neglected trim. Due to its composition and texture, plastic trim needs special care to maintain its visual appeal as well as its pliability.

Plastics naturally don't deal well with UV rays from the sun and require inhibitors during manufacturing to help maintain colour. With age plastics will dry out and become brittle and more susceptible to damage. The texture of automotive trim plastics also tend to easily buildup a layer of fine dirt and grime.
Regular cleaning and treating textured trim will keep your accents clean and visually striking against your nicely washed and waxed paint.

I will warn using trim products generally leads to continuing with a regular regiment of care. I have never found a trim product that will properly restore and maintain in one application. Periodically you will have to reapply to maintain a nice clean shine. As time passes, the effort required to maintain will lessen when your trim is properly cared for.
Always start with a clean car. When maintaining your trim you will be working with silicone based products. It is important to segregate the tools you use and things you touch so as to reduce contaminating other surfaces with silicone and creating more work. When washing your car, have a dedicated paint wash mitt being careful to only use it on the painted surfaces, and a separate mitt for trim being careful to use it only on silicone treated surfaces. After washing your car, thoroughly dry it with microfiber and blow out any areas that hold water such as under the mirrors, around lights & reflectors or crevasses where trim meets the paint. Being diligent removing water reduces the possibility of inconsistency in the finish when completed.
Before proceeding with application of trim products, ensure you have adequately cleaned the plastics. Once dry, some things might become visible such as areas where wax was accidentally applied to the trim while waxing the paint. Wax can be removed with 90% isopropyl alcohol on a microfiber rag, gently rub the waxed area until it disappears. Careful, repeated application of isopropyl alcohol to plastic trim over time can accelerate drying the trim out by removing valuable agents from the plastics composition. If your trim appears light grey or pasty, this usually can appear from the use of combination wash and wax products or drive-thru and coin wash spray wax applications. Acid cleaners or pre-washes found and drive-thru and coin washes can also degrade your trim and remove valuable modifiers from the plastic composition. Some of these situations can be remedied using an All Purpose Cleaner (APC), sometimes at full strength while agitating with a detailing brush.

Now that your canvas is prepped, work can begin...I choose to wear gloves while applying and buffing out trim dressings. After completing the trim detail, I simply toss the gloves and can continue working on other areas without possibly spreading unwanted silicone smudges and finger prints.

Prime the pad by dispensing some product and working it into the foam. Choose a location to start and work around the car applying a liberal, but consistent amount of the trim product. As you apply, work the product back and forth to reach deep into the texture of the plastic. Add more product to the pad as required and work along the trim.

Using the foam pad flat, you can apply to a flat or large surface. Apply so as to not get any on the paint. Should that happen, most products can be buffed off with a clean microfiber to remove streaks.

By pinching with your finger tips, you can use the edge of the foam to work along edges cleanly. Work product into crevasses and corners using a small amount of gel applied to a toothbrush.

Once you have completed applying to the whole vehicle, grab a microfiber towel dedicated to silicone use. Gently buff and rub the plastics to bring out the clean like new look. As an added bonus, repeated care will prolong the look and protect the trim.

I only periodically apply trim dressings. An application can last through a few washes and its lifespan is dependent to how much and were you drive your car.
After completing the job, you can sit back and admire how the clean trim accents your paint.



A little bit about the products...I originally started out with the Mothers Back to Black with decent results. Although the trim on my MS6 wasn't in poor condition, it worked well to bring back darkness and shine to the plastics. I have since changed to the Autoglym line, it seemed to last through more washes and rainy weather. The Autoglym recipe has also changed in the time i have used it. Originally it was olive green and thick having more of a grease consistency. The company has since changed it to a clear liquid formula. I find the new product easier to spread consistently, but also easy to get everywhere...reminiscent of the anti-seize dilemma.

Thank you,
JP
edited for updates

 

A quick video from Chemical Guys showing application and use of their VRP protectant.


Many products from other manufactures would apply in the same manner.