restoring black plastic?

[glynh]

Hi all, i have a black plastic boot lip protector on the v60, circa 7 years old which is now a light grey.

so is there any simple way to tidy it up? i could by a new one but removing the old one will probably damage the bumper and dont want to spend £60, just to tiidy it up.

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by glynh

Hi all, i have a black plastic boot lip protector on the v60, circa 7 years old which is now a light grey.

so is there any simple way to tidy it up? i could by a new one but removing the old one will probably damage the bumper and dont want to spend £60, just to tiidy it up.

There are a number of proprietory products on the market, most use the name "Back to Black" or variations thereof (Back to Black is a specific product) and there are a number of "cheat" products including (but not limited to) WD40 and peanut butter.

Plastics are a petrochemical product and the reason they fade is they have dried out and lost the oil component of their mix. This can also make them brittle. I've tried a few of the proprietory products, all do the job but some fade quicker than others. I've not tried peanut butter but i did try WD40 on my lawnmower grassbox which had faded to near white from dark charcoal/black originally. It brought it up to almost black again and has lasted reasonably well, however i suspect with some experimentation i might find a longer lasting solution.

I'm sure there was a thread on it a couple of years back and the various products that could be used to restore plastic trim - the Back to Black style products can be used on any colour trim as they replace lost oils. Basically a case of either experimentation or finding a product in a shop and some elbow grease to apply it.

[Deck1ng]

Another way I’ve seen is a hot air gun (paint stripper). Throughly wash and dry the plastic area. then with the heat gun, making small circles and keeping the heat moving, it restored a bull grey to a matt black finish.
I personally have not tried this but it works on the video.

[Adrian B]

I am sure the above method works well. Another option is K2 BONO BACK TO BLACK. On eBay 500ml £7.98. the one that does rubber as well. Worth a go. It is better than back to black type silicone sprays There's enough for many years and keep using it to build it up after each washing of the car.

[Bungle1976]

The second hand car dealer that shared the fuel forecourt I worked at as a student used to use something called "Plastic Dressing" by the gallon can, though I suspect it was just a silicon oil based product.

[glynh]

thanks all, will take a look at suggestions (apart from the heat gun, dont fancy melting the bumper in errror!)

[Mick787]

May I suggest Autoglym's bumper care.

[GrahamHR]

Originally Posted by Bungle1976

The second hand car dealer that shared the fuel forecourt I worked at as a student used to use something called "Plastic Dressing" by the gallon can, though I suspect it was just a silicon oil based product.

Yes, silicone oil. A temporary solution. Thermoplastics used on almost all cars cars are not UV stable, OEMs use different levels of stabilisers, the more they use the more it costs ! The surface colour cannot be restored without sanding. Some can be painted successfully ( like PC/ ABS), but not PP.

[Bashy]

Originally Posted by Bungle1976

The second hand car dealer that shared the fuel forecourt I worked at as a student used to use something called "Plastic Dressing" by the gallon can, though I suspect it was just a silicon oil based product.

I used to use that all the time when i used to do valeting, it was a very temp solution and normally only lasted long enough to sell the vehicle, a dressing is all it is, that and engine compartment shine, that stuff is even worse lol
Another fix is tyre dressing, put that on sparingly with a cloth or sponge...

[Bungle1976]

Originally Posted by GrahamHR

Yes, silicone oil. A temporary solution.

Well, I imagine being a secondhand car dealer he didn't really care once it was off the forecourt!