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Restoring plastic trim

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14K views 11 replies 10 participants last post by  CM_Str8  
#1 ·
As the title states... all of the black plastic trim is oxidizing with whitish blemishes and looks unsightly. This includes the black panels separating the windows, the wheel well trim and the trim all along the bottom of car. What can I do to restore it? How much to replace if need be? I had it restored by a detailer and it looked good for two weeks but came back worse than ever. I Want to keep the V looking good and new for a few years. What do I need to do? Or replace? and how much?
 
#3 ·
'Oxidized' black plastic has been a problem for cars for decades. Ever seen an older Jeep Wrangler? The unpainted wheel arches are the 'worst'. ?

If your plastic is really unsightly, the most long-lasting action is to paint it with a flexible bumper paint. Make sure you prep it correctly (especially important if you have treated the black in the past...those treatments diminish the ability of paint to adhere.)

If you don't feel like painting, but are OK with doing ongoing maintenance, then some treatments like Back to Black and Turtle-wax ICE have been recommended. The most you can expect from products like this are ~ 3 months. Formula 303 has been mentioned too. (Suggest looking at some Auto Detailing forums for more information. Autopia or Detail City are a couple.)
 
#7 ·
'Oxidized' black plastic has been a problem for cars for decades. Ever seen an older Jeep Wrangler? The unpainted wheel arches are the 'worst'. ?

If your plastic is really unsightly, the most long-lasting action is to paint it with a flexible bumper paint. Make sure you prep it correctly (especially important if you have treated the black in the past...those treatments diminish the ability of paint to adhere.)

If you don't feel like painting, but are OK with doing ongoing maintenance, then some treatments like Back to Black and Turtle-wax ICE have been recommended. The most you can expect from products like this are ~ 3 months. Formula 303 has been mentioned too. (Suggest looking at some Auto Detailing forums for more information. Autopia or Detail City are a couple.)
'Oxidized' black plastic has been a problem for cars for decades. Ever seen an older Jeep Wrangler? The unpainted wheel arches are the 'worst'. ?

If your plastic is really unsightly, the most long-lasting action is to paint it with a flexible bumper paint. Make sure you prep it correctly (especially important if you have treated the black in the past...those treatments diminish the ability of paint to adhere.)

If you don't feel like painting, but are OK with doing ongoing maintenance, then some treatments like Back to Black and Turtle-wax ICE have been recommended. The most you can expect from products like this are ~ 3 months. Formula 303 has been mentioned too. (Suggest looking at some Auto Detailing forums for more information. Autopia or Detail City are a couple.)
 
#4 ·
What Buff said...painting is your best option. Second best are the plastic treatments. Third best is using a heat gun on the plastics.

I've done the heat gun trick. It works but the plastic will oxidize again in a year. It's also very easy to melt the plastic. Plus, it takes a lot of time to do a bumper.

Just go with the prep and paint route and never worry about it again.
 
#6 ·
I’m about to restore my trim and have discovered that to successfully do the job you MUST remove ALL of the previous products before beginning. I’m going to use wood deck cleaner (TSP/trisodium phosphate). If you read the product description it preps surfaces for application. I wouldn’t be surprised if detailers don’t perform that step


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#10 ·
Ebay has replacement OE quality trim that is great at a real affordable price. I replaced all of my trim (excluding bumpers) for $150 USD. Unless you are an impeccable painter restoring the old trim will be difficult to make it look uniform. All trim came with replacement clips. Just goo gone the old adhesive and clean with isopropol alchol and use 3m trim adhesive. on the contact points ( look at old trim to see where) let adhesive dry for 24 hours before exposing to water if possible and should stay on forever.

Keep the old trim pieces just incase as a replacement including all spare clips and retainers if you want to try painting. Pics below show new ebay trim that has been on the car for approx. 6 months
Image
Image
 
#11 ·
Ebay has replacement OE quality trim that is great at a real affordable price. I replaced all of my trim (excluding bumpers) for $150 USD. Unless you are an impeccable painter restoring the old trim will be difficult to make it look uniform. All trim came with replacement clips. Just goo gone the old adhesive and clean with isopropol alchol and use 3m trim adhesive. on the contact points ( look at old trim to see where) let adhesive dry for 24 hours before exposing to water if possible and should stay on forever.

Keep the old trim pieces just incase as a replacement including all spare clips and retainers if you want to try painting. Pics below show new ebay trim that has been on the car for approx. 6 months
View attachment 171091 View attachment 171092
is this a pre 2015 CR-V with the conversion headlights? It looks amazing! I’m located down in south FL and have so many questions. Might PM you. I did the same thing but my front bumper doesn’t align properly with the new grille in place. I also don’t know how to power the leds so my lights don’t work perfectly.

I love the blacked out accents on the grille btw!
 
#12 ·
Thanks man appreciated! Yeah its a 2014 LX. I cut the weatherstripping and installed the oem cross bars and roofrails ( got roof rails from a wreck on ebay for dirt cheap but bought crossbars oem outright from honda). Found the front touring bumper online from a dude in Belarus on ebay for about $215 and $30 shipping but finding that front bumper is very difficult unless you are ok with used or spending $600+. I can PM you the link to this youtube video I used which is "the bible" regarding the retrofit for the touring projector headlights. I completely copied the video with the major exception being I didn't mess around with a diode or relay to regulate the dimming of the drl's when switching to parking/low/high beams because its not a US requirement and we are in Florida so its even less of an issue down here lol I'm by no means a mechanic but have quite a bit of soldering and wiring experience so this job was not at all difficult. If you have any questions about the build feel free to message me.