Cladding Restoration

[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]

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.

[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.

[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/automoti...uto-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

[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/automoti...uto-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?

[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.

[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.

[ALC1717]

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

[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