Fade to grey

[bigstraight6]

Just a quick question chaps, the body mouldings on my old Volvo S60 are starting to look really shabby and a horrible faded grey colour instead of the original black finish. Even an application of an excellent trade trim dressing product won't bring back an acceptable finish.

Is there anything I could do to revive the mouldings? As although the car is getting on a bit now this really spoils it's appearance.......

[Mally]

Boiled linseed oil, peanut butter, horse piss.

 

Try the last one first.

[pilninggas]

I've used a hot air gun in the past. Seems to work on some black exterior plastics better than others.

 

*usual disclaimer about checking a hidden test piece, not setting fire to car or self etc.

[nisfan]

Boiled linseed oil is my usual but it wouldn't touch the Carlton bumpers so I got the heatgun out, came up a treat

[Pillock]

You need oil.

Linseed oil will work, peanut butter is really oily so that also works - but then again rubbing a block of lard against it should work too.

Heat gun works by bringing the natural oil in the plastic to the surface, where the sun has dried the original out. 

 

A lot of this depends on exactly what they made the original parts from, so test a hidden corner etc etc. There seem to be some vehicles that suffer worse than others - 90s Vauxhalls, Volvos and Volkswagens spring to mind. It's unclear if makers that begin with other letters of the alphabet are affected.

[The Moog]

I have just sprayed the corsa bumpers black. Don't know how long it will last but looks 10000 times better

[carlo]

Forever Black.  It's an American product and brilliant, the only thing I've tried which brings black plastic back to new looking.  You can get it on Ebay UK.

[xkjagnz]

Has to be said purely for tradition

 

Hammer a smaller trim over it!!!

[rainagain]

I tried a heat gun on my S80 bumpers, it didn't work very. I have had great results with the heat gun method on other cars. I did get good results with a treatment made by armourall I got from America. I will post the name of it when I remember!

[Junkman]

What's wrong with faded plastic trim all of a sudden?

 

What's next? How to polish Pogweasel Pink?

 

This forum, etc etc...

[55palfers]

I tried peanut butter - the squirrels ate the bumpers.

[paulscavalier]

I would suggest a plastic friendly car paint in black that is flexible and shouldn't crack.

[Junkman]

I'm living long enough in this country to not spend £42.50 on 30ml of a substance

that doesn't blast me into a delirium tremens for a day or three.

[The Moog]

This is what I used

 

http://www.halfords.com/motoring/paints-body-repair/specialist-decorative-paints/halfords-plastic-bumper-paint-black-300ml

 

Makes it look like

 

 

Cost £7