Cladding Restoration

[CatFish]

*I do NOT recommend Forever Black*

I applied the product to the VX and waited a week before washing it, I went to the car wash and washed it as I normally do (run of the mill do it yourself high pressure car wash) after I rinsed it I noticed some area looked discolored so I drove home and waited to see how it looked after drying it. Well it looked like crap, some of the product washed off and it was then splotchy grey and black. They claim it dies the plastic but it did not on the VX. I cleaned and prep'd it better than they instructed so I do not believe that was why it did not color the cladding. I plan to remove it all at some point and just live with it the way it is, I am not impressed with the results.

I have been testing a product and I know some others have also been trying some restoration products too, so I am starting a new thread about this because most of the threads I found are so old the products used in them are no longer available so I am going to post what I found here and hope others will post their recent finds here or links to other recent threads I may have missed.

I am only testing the products that claim to dye the plastics and rubbers because I have tried at least 10 different reconditioning type products and none of them lasted longer than a few months on my VX.
My cladding was very chalky when I got it and all the products that did not add color or have a dye in them lasted less than a few months, I think some of the products made mine look worse the cladding would get streaks and spots on it after a rain or snow and stay that way until I reapplied some more product.

I am trying Forever Black and have tested it on a spare piece of cladding. I did use a degreaser and then after that I cleaned it the cleaner they provided to be sure all the layers of grease and silicone products I tried on it were removed before using the dye. Here is the youtube product video. It says permanent and then says should last years which is longer than to so called permanent hair die I use, I think the permanent refers to not being able to wash it off or remove it once it is applied. After I dyed it and I did spray cleaners and degreasers on my test cladding, scrubbed it and rinsed it then I rubbed it dry with a towel and none of the color came off or changed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wNfQUq8soBg

My PhotoBucket with more pictures of the cladding and the product packaging. http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/library/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim?sort=3&page=1

Before applying any products.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/Before-1.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/Before-1.jpg.html)

First coat and section, you can see some white spots and scrapes next to the first section, the dye does cover them completely in the next picture.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/2nd-application.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/2nd-application.jpg.html)

Second coat over the first one, I cannot see the line from the first section I did.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/2nd-application-b.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/2nd-application-b.jpg.html)

I left it oustide for a few days in the snow and let the snow melt on it to see if it streaked like the other products did.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/3-after%20sitting%20out%20in%20the%20snow-a.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/3-after%20sitting%20out%20in%20the%20snow-a.jpg.html)

I did one more section and put it on as tin and light as I could to show a very thin coat.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/0-1-2-coats.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/0-1-2-coats.jpg.html)
This picture shows from left to right, no product at all, a very thin light coat in the middle and a good coating on the right.

I am going to do the VX based on my findings, I think it looks good and as bad as the VX looks I have nothing to lose. I will post before and after pictures of the VX when I do it and try and remember to post a picture every 6 months or so to see how it compares to the initial application.

I think this stuff is similar to the showroom new used in this thread.
http://www.vehicross.info/showthread.php/19927-Showroom-New-Trim-Restorer-info-experience?highlight=cladding
I could not find showroom new anywhere so I moved on to the forever black.

[ALC1717]

If You Spray The Cladding With Gatorback Paint In A Spray Booth Then Bake It On - You Never Have To Apply Any Of These Black Products To The Cladding - Just Wash Normally !

[Mile High VX]

As long as you don't mind changing the texture and look of the cladding you are correct.

[ALC1717]

I Had My Entire VX Cladding Sprayed With Gatorback & It Did NOT Change The Texture !

[Mile High VX]

All I know is that I've got some spare pieces from a member here that have the aerosol Gatorback applied and it's a very different look than my untreated cladding. Maybe yours being professionally done makes a difference.

[ALC1717]

I Did NOT Use A Spray Can. I Bought A Qt Of Gatorback Paint & My Friend That Owns A Body Shop Painted The Entire Cladding In A Spray Booth Then Baked It & Left it Over Night In The Booth to Dry. It Did NOT Change The Texture At All. The Spray Can Is Only Good To Touch Up If Needed !

[CatFish]

Pleas show us pictures of the Gatorback treated cladding with a close up too so we can see what it looks like.

[ALC1717]

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCN08131.JPG ('http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSCN08131.JPG')

[disasterlady]

I use Forever Black and haven't found anything I like better FOR THE PRICE. I did use Rustoleum's plastic black spray paint and it was fine, but I liked ( and others ) the FB glossy look better so I have covered the paint with it. I reported on the FB product several times over the years on this forum. It DOES sometimes chip or wear along the bottom from road debris that hits it after a while. I just touch it up with FB. I have gone a few years without doing that off and on.

[disasterlady]

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCF1434x_-C.jpg ('http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSCF1434x_-C.jpg') http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCF1431x_-_C.jpg ('http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSCF1431x_-_C.jpg')

[Ebony1433]

Just a thought..I've been applying "Wipe New" once a year for 4 years now, and it's so much better than anything I've used previously.
It also takes the scratches in your cladding to the same finish as the top of the cladding....I bought the last bottle at Bed, Bath, and Beyond in Spring 2015 for $19.99....literally, just apply once a year, and forget about dealing with the cladding for that year.

[bssage]

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCF1434x_-C.jpg ('http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSCF1434x_-C.jpg') http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCF1431x_-_C.jpg ('http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/DSCF1431x_-_C.jpg')

that is the look I'm going for.

How many coat's did you apply?

Do you think it works with mirror's, luggage rack, hood insert?????

[CatFish]

The forever black it the product I posted about testing in the original thread starter post, The tests I did was just to see how the forever black reacted to the cladding and how heavy it would need to be applied to restore the cladding. I like the way my tests turned out and plan to do the whole VX this weekend, I do plan to try it on the other plastic that has faded like the mirrors and roof rails.

I am not going to put it on the hood insert because it is fiberglass and painted and the Forever Black was not designed to be applied to paint and probably will not work and look worse.

Forever Black is meant to be used on plastic, vinyl and rubber only according to the packaging.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/CleanerampConditioner-3.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/CleanerampConditioner-3.jpg.html)

[disasterlady]

RE:bssage
I remember trying it on my hood insert before I put the wrap on it, and it seems from what I remember, I had too much wax or silicone buildup to make it take it ( very important )? I do use it on the roof racks, interior plastic surfaces like dash & glove box, gearbox cover, windshield wiper arms and mirrors successfully, although the mirrors chip off easier as it has the smoother surface. It took one coat in some places and up to 3 coats in others, but I did learn NOT to apply 2nd coat until first was totally dry and not to apply any of the coats in the hot California summer weather, haha... streaked easily then, but the streaks can be covered with additional coats. I would say that this reminds me of liquid shoe polish and it works best on a saturated foam applicator. Year ago, I actually contracted the inventor of it and he said you can even use paint remover solvent to remove any of the FB to redo it, etc. I actually have done that and it worked, I remember him warning how he wasn't sure how the solvent would affect our cladding, but I don't recall any issues. On our VX Cladding surface, to get it to adhere well, you have to prep the surface by cleaning it from ANY wax or silicone ( such as ArmorAll ) first… I used Dawn dish washing detergent in water and a scrub brush, but you could use what you like. hope that helps

DLady

[Mile High VX]

I saw Christine's test piece yesterday and it looked good. It's very dark, but it's shiny. If you don't like the glossy look this is not the product for you.

[bssage]

Mile High

Sounds like the application is the same as the dye I uses on the last VX. I had never tried that on the roof rails or mirrors. I had in the past scotchbrighted the hood insert and used primer/paint satin black bumper spray with good results on the hood insert. Although I am a little chicken. When I removed the insert from the last VX several of the attachments pulled free from the insert. I did not have much success reattaching them. Also the pins from the heat blanket were impossible to find replacements for. So I'm kind of guilty procrastinating that part of the job.

When I used the die on the cladding. It looked like complete shtt,,,,,until I got to about three coats (complete dry between coats). But once I had it done it was so nice. After the dye job, all I needed to do at a wash was dry the cladding to make it look new. If I did not dry, the dye tended to hold waterspots.

In my opinion when the trim is black it really makes the whole thing just POP!

The biggest problem I had with the dye was around the fuel port door. If I slobbed any gas on it at all it would dull that area for sure.

[bssage]

I saw Christine's test piece yesterday and it looked good. It's very dark, but it's shiny. If you don't like the glossy look this is not the product for you.

I dont know. I would imagine a light scotch bright rub would take some of the shine off. Not that I would ever do that.

[JMNY]

Someone on the forum gave me this tip a few years ago for the hood insert and it really works great. Dont use the chipstick unless you have really deep chip - I just use the color magic. Just be careful by the body... have a proton and this stuff is really dark. I apply really slow by hand - especially by the body paint. Wait five minutes and take it off. You will get some black powder flakes...I slowly take those off and even use a blower to get rid of the tiny pieces that remain because of the yellow.

http://www.amazon.com/Turtle-Wax-T-374KTR-Color-Polish/dp/B00062ZJ4O

Just keep in mind a few things - wear gloves - this is a black dye and it will dye everything including your hands - and some people say put a wax sealant on it afterwards. I leave my VX in the garage and it doesn't see rain - so not sure how it holds up to constant weather changes, washes, etc.

[Mile High VX]

I used that before I had mine wrapped with good results.

[creeg]

How many bottles of the 6 oz forever black are needed to do all the cladding? And it sounds like 2 coats are needed, based on what everyone is saying.

[bssage]

The FB sounds so similar to what I used before. I used a bottle and a half, butttt, my cladding was in terrible condition lots of really deep scratches ect. And I was dialing in the process I.E. paint brush, applicator pad, foam brush. I expect to use under a bottle this time with better original condition of cladding, and just using a foam brush.

And when I did mine it took three coats. Also if these are the same thing. You want to have a little left over for touch up. Especially of you occasionally slob (drip) gas at the gas cap.

[creeg]

Great- 2 bottles ordered. Mine is in pretty bad shape.

[Jayd-S]

I am only testing the products that claim to dye the plastics and rubbers because I have tried at least 10 different reconditioning type products and none of them lasted longer than a few months on my VX.

Hi CatFish,
I got one of the last shipments of "Showroom New" in July 2014. When I tried to re-order it was no longer available, BUT, I found the owner of the company, Michele Calhoun and she told me that she had stopped selling the product to the public in favor of selling only to Detail centers across the US. Because she was selling by license/franchise, she could no longer sell to the public anymore.

Showroom New is still available but only through detailing centres such as Ben's Auto Detail Centre in Georgia, http://bensautodetailcenter.com/?page_id=46 and Detail King: http://cardetailingblog.com/automotive-plastic-trim-restoration-instant-profit-maker-for-auto-detailers/ and others.

I applied a coat to my hood insert back in July 2014 and it still looks like new today twenty months later! Pure and simple, it works! It's worth paying a detail center that uses Showroom New, to restore your cladding.

Jayd-S aka Geoff

[CatFish]

*I do NOT recommend Forever Black*

I applied the product to the VX and waited a week before washing it, I went to the car wash and washed it as I normally do (run of the mill do it yourself high pressure car wash) after I rinsed it I noticed some area looked discolored so I drove home and waited to see how it looked after drying it. Well it looked like crap, some of the product washed off and it was then splotchy grey and black. They claim it dies the plastic but it did not on the VX. I cleaned and prep'd it better than they instructed so I do not believe that was why it did not color the cladding. I plan to remove it all at some point and just live with it the way it is, I am not impressed with the results.

[ALC1717]

Spray The VX Black Cladding With Gatorback Paint & You Will Never Have To Put Anything On The Cladding Ever Again - Just Wash Normally !

[bssage]

*I do NOT recommend Forever Black*

I applied the product to the VX and waited a week before washing it, I went to the car wash and washed it as I normally do (run of the mill do it yourself high pressure car wash) after I rinsed it I noticed some area looked discolored so I drove home and waited to see how it looked after drying it. Well it looked like crap, some of the product washed off and it was then splotchy grey and black. They claim it dies the plastic but it did not on the VX. I cleaned and prep'd it better than they instructed so I do not believe that was why it did not color the cladding. I plan to remove it all at some point and just live with it the way it is, I am not impressed with the results.

Same results here.

[Igor]

I saw a video on YouTube recently showing a guy using a heat gun to restore his faded plastic. The only draw back is it is a slow process. I'm just wondering if anyone has tried it on a VX yet. Sorry if this has been mentioned in the past, I'm still new here. Here's the link to the video I'm referring to:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZQDBTeIObak

[CatFish]

Have not tried the heat gun, I am afraid it will smooth out or distort the texture making it look worse and there is not going back once you have heated it, at least the products can be removed. Maybe I will try the heat gun test on a damaged piece of cladding I have and see what it does.

[Mile High VX]

I recently used Mar-Hyde Bumper Cover. It's a coating in a spray can. Just got tired of all of the rub on products and having to redo every few weeks to few months. I removed the front and rear bumper covers, masked and draped the rest of the VX and applied 3 coats. Love the look and if the hold up of a few years is true then worth it to me. Took me about 6 hours total from start to finish.

If I can get the site to let me upload some photos I'll post them.

[CatFish]

I recently used Mar-Hyde Bumper Cover. It's a coating in a spray can. Just got tired of all of the rub on products and having to redo every few weeks to few months. I removed the front and rear bumper covers, masked and draped the rest of the VX and applied 3 coats. Love the look and if the hold up of a few years is true then worth it to me. Took me about 6 hours total from start to finish.

If I can get the site to let me upload some photos I'll post them.

I think that Mar-Hyde is the stuff with the Fiero on the can, I have herd it works pretty good, I will see if I can get a dark grey so when my cladding gets scratched it would show.

The site has yet to let me post photos so I just upload them to my photo bucket and paste the image code, works every time.

[CatFish]

It was not easy to get all the forever black product off the cladding, some came right of and some required acetone, a light scotch bright pad and some scrubbing. Scrubbing to hard with a scotch bright pad will scratch the cladding even a fine one so I had to e careful not to scrub it hard. The acetone is very harsh and will strip paint and etch plastic so I had to be careful not to get it on other finishes. The acetone does make the cladding very chalky and dry looking, so I washed it really good after I got all the forever black removed.

This is what the cladding looked like after a couple of months.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/DSCN1460.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/DSCN1460.jpg.html)

Here is what the rear looked like after stripping the forever black off the rear cladding and applying some trim conditioner, shown next to the un-stripped area.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/DSCN1461.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/DSCN1461.jpg.html)

[TonyVX]

I Did NOT Use A Spray Can. I Bought A Qt Of Gatorback Paint & My Friend That Owns A Body Shop Painted The Entire Cladding In A Spray Booth Then Baked It & Left it Over Night In The Booth to Dry. It Did NOT Change The Texture At All. The Spray Can Is Only Good To Touch Up If Needed !

Did you remove and clean the cladding to apply the Gatorback or did you leave it on the vehicle? Is this a standard way to apply the product? When I look on their page it just says roll/spray it on. If I don't have a friend with a spray booth (which I don't) I suspect the local body shop will look at me sideways if I ask them to do this.

[ALC1717]

If You Pay I Am Sure A Local Body Shop Will Spray It On For You. It Must Be Cleaned First To Remove All The Old Stuff On The Cladding. If You Cannot Bake it on In A Spray Booth Buy Enough Spray Cans And Do it - Still Much Better Than Any Black Treatment Which You NEVER Have To Apply Again !

[VX KAT]

I am only testing the products that claim to dye the plastics and rubbers because I have tried at least 10 different reconditioning type products and none of them lasted longer than a few months on my VX.

Hi CatFish,
I got one of the last shipments of "Showroom New" in July 2014. When I tried to re-order it was no longer available, BUT, I found the owner of the company, Michele Calhoun and she told me that she had stopped selling the product to the public in favor of selling only to Detail centers across the US. Because she was selling by license/franchise, she could no longer sell to the public anymore.

Showroom New is still available but only through detailing centres such as Ben's Auto Detail Centre in Georgia, http://bensautodetailcenter.com/?page_id=46 and Detail King: http://cardetailingblog.com/automotive-plastic-trim-restoration-instant-profit-maker-for-auto-detailers/ and others.

I applied a coat to my hood insert back in July 2014 and it still looks like new today twenty months later! Pure and simple, it works! It's worth paying a detail center that uses Showroom New, to restore your cladding.

Jayd-S aka Geoff


I went to the 2 websites Jayd-S listed above that sell Showroom New. Doesn't seem they do now, but Detail King sells "Trim Kote Car Trim Restorer" and says it's the best on the market. It's a permanent dye. Might want to try this stuff. They sell it in a 16oz bottle, so maybe it's available in smaller sizes.
http://store.detailking.com/car-trim-restorer-black

[89Vette]

Somewhere recently, I saw a paint (available in rattlecan) that FUSES with plastic for a permanent color restore/change. It was kind of expensive but I'm still trying to remember where I saw it. I THINK it might have been in YouTube repair videos?

[Mile High VX]

This is what I used last and really like the results:

http://3mcollision.com/mar-hyde-bumper-black-flexible-coating-for-automotive-plastic-04911.html

[89Vette]

Mar-Hyde....Same thing I used on mine. :bgwo:

[CatFish]

Trim and Bumper paint success on the VX cladding.

I tried a lot of different methods to improve the cladding and I finally found a way to even out the cladding, get rid of the chalkiness, discolorations and restore the dark grey color with a cheap and fairly easy to use product that I was very apprehensive to try so I used a test piece of old damaged cladding I had laying around.

I used the Dupli-Color Trim & Bumper paint available at AutoZone (charcoal grey), with good results. I found you must first clean the cladding very good to remove all the old oily products that may have been applied over the years and then wipe it down with acetone, then rinse and dry the cladding. I Found that using the acetone removes all the oxidized plastic from the cladding to get the trim and bumper paint to bond with the cladding properly. (You only need to do this once before the initial application)

Then tape off the lights and areas you do not want paint on. Then spray a very light, and I emphasize very light coating of trim and bumper paint. Just enough to even out the color, this way it will run or not peal. (You can do a second light coat if the color is not even)

The charcoal grey is almost the exact same color as our VX cladding so this just gets rid of the chalky and discolored areas and evens it all out. It is not a color change so scratches and dings do not show like they do with the black die I tried. (The die was not die and ended up pealing in a couple of days)

It is so close in color and bonds nicely to the cladding that even scratches are barely visible and you can touch it up and after a day or 2 in the sun you cannot see the difference in color on the spot touch ups.
I have taken it through many car washes and it still looks great with only one application about a year ago now. If the paint has worn off I cannot tell as the cladding remains a uniform charcoal gray and does not have streaks like the oily restoration products made after it got wet.

I have been to Moab twice and washed it many times since applying it and it still looks good.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/20170331_201514.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/20170331_201514.jpg.html)
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/20170331_201529_001.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/20170331_201529_001.jpg.html)
This is what the die looked like after about 2 weeks, as you can see the black die is not a good match for the cladding.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/DSCN1460.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/DSCN1460.jpg.html)
This is how the trim & Bumper paint looks next to the botched dies job.
http://i920.photobucket.com/albums/ad44/RedChristine/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/DSCN1462.jpg (http://s920.photobucket.com/user/RedChristine/media/VX/Cladding%20-%20Trim/DSCN1462.jpg.html)