Chronic Fading - Rear Bumper Cover

[BamaDrewski]

I am not sure if anyone else is experiencing this but the gray rear bumper cover (the long plastic thing) is chronically fading on me. I even replaced it with a new one from Toyota about two years ago and despite my efforts, even the new one looks bad.

I have been using Armorall "Outlast" and it holds up for about 3-4 weeks and it is back to the crappy, faded look.

Has anyone discovered a solution for this? I thought about covering it in a gray "rhino liner" type stuff but that would probably make it impossible to clean.

Any suggestions/ideas/solutions? Appreciate any input!

 

[HammerHead]

Plastic Dip has been used for these pieces. Just redo it when needed. Cheaper than buying the part again.

 

[Unner]

I used foreverblack dye on mine a little over a year ago and it still looks good.

 

[shootmymime]

Plastic Dip has been used for these pieces. Just redo it when needed. Cheaper than buying the part again.

That will flake off when used. It's better to keep the plastic plastic but keep it oiled with tire shine. I like back to black or hot stuff

 

[MONTYMTB]

I am not sure if anyone else is experiencing this but the gray rear bumper cover (the long plastic thing) is chronically fading on me. I even replaced it with a new one from Toyota about two years ago and despite my efforts, even the new one looks bad.

I have been using Armorall "Outlast" and it holds up for about 3-4 weeks and it is back to the crappy, faded look.

Has anyone discovered a solution for this? I thought about covering it in a gray "rhino liner" type stuff but that would probably make it impossible to clean.

Any suggestions/ideas/solutions? Appreciate any input!

Paint it: Amazon.com: SEM 39143 Trim Black Aerosol - 15 oz.: Automotive
Sprayed mine a good while back - along with the cowl and wiper arms - and still looks good even without using any type of protectant or dressing on it.

 

[jklmc]

try Mr. Clean's Magic eraser.

 

[LookAtThatDog]

Paint it: Amazon.com: SEM 39143 Trim Black Aerosol - 15 oz.: Automotive
Sprayed mine a good while back - along with the cowl and wiper arms - and still looks good even without using any type of protectant or dressing on it.

A word of warning - I painted my rear bumper plastic thing with trim paint... then I saw my flares were kind of greying away and I painted them. But then I saw my grill and wanted that to match so I painted that too. Next thing you know, everything that's not chrome or red turned to black.

 

[SIN-Japan]

I painted mine with Truck Bed liner, looks great, my Surf is black so it goes well with the truck.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

As a detailing fanatic, it's beyond me why most people, even car enthusiasts, neglect the exterior plastics on their vehicles. I suppose it's just something that most don't think about since back in the day, exterior plastics were simply not a thing. Just like your paint needs wax or sealant, the plastics need a protectant of some sort, and it does need to be reapplied just like a vehicle needs to be waxed more than once in its lifetime. I personally use Meguiar's M40 and get a couple months out of it driving around in the AZ sun - the closest consumer version that I know of is their Natural Shine Protectant, which you can find at your local Wal-Mart. Just spray it onto a microfiber cloth and wipe onto the bumper cover (this works for flares and any other black plastics on the exterior, including tires). Try not to get it on the paint - you will probably have to spill over a bit to get full coverage, but make sure to wipe it off using a clean microfiber towel and some sort of quick detailer product. Since your cover is faded, it may take multiple applications over a couple weeks to get it to the point where it can hold its color for a few months before it starts graying again, but from that point forward, if you keep up with using the protectant like you keep up with waxing, you should be good to go. These products can also be used on interior plastics and vinyl parts - the black trim pieces that came on base and SR5 trucks are painted so they don't get the protectant, but the dashboard, door panels, and any other plastics, vinyls, or rubbers should get protectant at least every few washes. This will greatly reduce fading and cracking of interior parts. Hopefully this helps - I hate to see people paint or Plastidip these types of parts, as it's just masking the underlying problem.

 

[BamaDrewski]

As a detailing fanatic, it's beyond me why most people, even car enthusiasts, neglect the exterior plastics on their vehicles. I suppose it's just something that most don't think about since back in the day, exterior plastics were simply not a thing. Just like your paint needs wax or sealant, the plastics need a protectant of some sort, and it does need to be reapplied just like a vehicle needs to be waxed more than once in its lifetime. I personally use Meguiar's M40 and get a couple months out of it driving around in the AZ sun - the closest consumer version that I know of is their Natural Shine Protectant, which you can find at your local Wal-Mart. Just spray it onto a microfiber cloth and wipe onto the bumper cover (this works for flares and any other black plastics on the exterior, including tires). Try not to get it on the paint - you will probably have to spill over a bit to get full coverage, but make sure to wipe it off using a clean microfiber towel and some sort of quick detailer product. Since your cover is faded, it may take multiple applications over a couple weeks to get it to the point where it can hold its color for a few months before it starts graying again, but from that point forward, if you keep up with using the protectant like you keep up with waxing, you should be good to go. These products can also be used on interior plastics and vinyl parts - the black trim pieces that came on base and SR5 trucks are painted so they don't get the protectant, but the dashboard, door panels, and any other plastics, vinyls, or rubbers should get protectant at least every few washes. This will greatly reduce fading and cracking of interior parts. Hopefully this helps - I hate to see people paint or Plastidip these types of parts, as it's just masking the underlying problem.

Normally, I only use McGuiar's products and I have tried the M40 Vinyl & Rubber on this part. It lasts about a week and washes off. (I hate to admit using Armorall "Outlast" but that particular product actually works quote well....)

I use the M40 in the interior and dash and it looks new without that annoying glossy shine of products like Armorall. I have no sign of cracks anywhere on the vinyl/plastic parts on the interior. The dash looks brand new. I apply these about once every month. I have used the McGuiar's Natural Shine as well.

The absolute best product I have ever used from McGuiar's is the NXT 2.0 wax. The stuff goes on easy, does not leave a white residue and lasts a LONG, LONG time.

They used to have a two part leather cleaner (Aloe enhanced) and conditioner but I believe they may have stopped making it. It's harder and harder to find. My leather is nice and soft, no rips, tears or major wear.

 

[T4R2014]

If it's old, forget all the trim protectant and Back to Black type stuff. You need to dye it. Use Forever Black trim dye and THEN maintain the color with your product of choice. Otherwise, the protectant will wear off to the faded grey again.

 

[Brilliant]

Paint it: Amazon.com: SEM 39143 Trim Black Aerosol - 15 oz.: Automotive
Sprayed mine a good while back - along with the cowl and wiper arms - and still looks good even without using any type of protectant or dressing on it.

this.

OP, Duplicolor makes a similar product thats in your local auto store. It lasts a year or so.

 

[Mc1337sauce]

Normally, I only use McGuiar's products and I have tried the M40 Vinyl & Rubber on this part. It lasts about a week and washes off. (I hate to admit using Armorall "Outlast" but that particular product actually works quote well....)

I use the M40 in the interior and dash and it looks new without that annoying glossy shine of products like Armorall. I have no sign of cracks anywhere on the vinyl/plastic parts on the interior. The dash looks brand new. I apply these about once every month. I have used the McGuiar's Natural Shine as well.

The absolute best product I have ever used from McGuiar's is the NXT 2.0 wax. The stuff goes on easy, does not leave a white residue and lasts a LONG, LONG time.

They used to have a two part leather cleaner (Aloe enhanced) and conditioner but I believe they may have stopped making it. It's harder and harder to find. My leather is nice and soft, no rips, tears or major wear.

Good to hear that you take care of the interior and exterior properly, it's pretty uncommon these days - outside of enthusiast circles, nobody takes pride in their vehicle anymore. I'm surprised that you haven't had luck with M40 on the exterior; have you tried the Natural Shine product on the bumper? I get tons of longevity out of that one, but it attracts dust of which we have lots here in Arizona, so I prefer not to use it. If you haven't already, you can try the 303 mentioned above on the trim as well, as it is another excellent product and one that I personally use when I'm doing a full detail on my own cars, but I don't use it super frequently, so I forgot to mention it.

I hear you on the NXT, I use M21 or their Ultimate Wax (very similar formulas to NXT) depending on what I have on hand - only sealants I use on daily drivers.

You might want to try the two-part Zymol leather cleaner/conditioner system - it's quite similar to the old Meguiars one, and is pretty fantastic for your standard vehicle leather interiors. Amazon has the best price I've found on it.

The link below might be a good read before you make a decision on how you want to attack the trim. I linked you to the relevant post, but if you want more info the entire thread is a good read with tons of pics.

How to restore exterior black plastic trim - Page 2 - Auto Geek Online Auto Detailing Forum