How to Fix Faded Black Plastics?

[Dissent]

I've got a nice solid pinstripe "custom" paintjob going on with my Black LX which looks fine but the faded plastic 3rd window and pillars are bugging me. Is there an easy way to correct these areas? I'm thinking about painting my wiper arms but not sure what to do about the plastics.

 

[Red Merle]

Are you talking about the vents on the rear portion, just outside the edge of the rear sliding windows? If so, you could probably paint those too, but you are probably going to need to pull the sliders out in order to get the vent pieces out and back in without breaking them. They tuck under the seal for the sliders and you can probably get them out without breaking them, but you will be hard pressed to get them back in without breaking the stud that accepts the 8mm nut that threads on from the inside. Pulling the sliders is easy though and you can paint the whole frame fairly easily with something like Rustoleum Semi Gloss Black Professional Series rattle can paint.

I just did this on my driver's side and will get to the passenger side before winter.

You might be able to use a rejuvenating product for faded plastic or try using a carnuba wax, but those will likely be temporary fixes.

 

[Dissent]

Yup, that's the problem area. I haven't had the plastic and window out yet, I wanted to find a for-sure solution first. That area you painted is actually a tape/wrap material. I wasn't sure how it would hold up to paint but that looks great. I have some 3M vinyl to wrap on of the wife's RX load bars that peeled off, was considering playing with that but not sold yet.

 

[BILT4ME]

What's the latest chemical to wipe on there to rejuvenate? They show it being used on an Avalanche in the commercial.....

 

[Red Merle]

Yup, that's the problem area. I haven't had the plastic and window out yet, I wanted to find a for-sure solution first. That area you painted is actually a tape/wrap material. I wasn't sure how it would hold up to paint but that looks great. I have some 3M vinyl to wrap on of the wife's RX load bars that peeled off, was considering playing with that but not sold yet.

There is a natural tape line that comes that way from the factory. The edges you see in my pic are just following the lines that came from the factory.

You could cut the wrap back and you would have a little wiggle room because there is a trim piece that slides out below the sliding window. The cut line would be covered by the trim piece in the after condition.

Chances are that the little tape gaskets that hold that sliding trim piece in are degraded and now would be a good time to VERY CAREFULLY pop those out and put a bead of silicone around the holes and then pop the clips back in. The clips and trim piece are sold as a unit and they run about $50 per side. If you are careful, you can get the old ones out, seal them up and then avoid getting water down in the cavity behind the interior cladding in the rear cargo area.

 

[Red Merle]

What's the latest chemical to wipe on there to rejuvenate? They show it being used on an Avalanche in the commercial.....

I am not sure. I have had good luck with the Brazilian carnuba wax, but my truck was stored inside in the far north and none of my plastic or paint is faded at all.

You could ask the folks over at r/AutoDetailing. Those guys are pretty serious about detailing and would probably be able to point you in a better direction than I can beyond what I do.

 

[BILT4ME]

What's the latest chemical to wipe on there to rejuvenate? They show it being used on an Avalanche in the commercial.....

Wipe New was the one I was thinking of, but it looks there there are better ones......

7 Best Plastic Restorers To Buy For Automobiles in 2018 - My Car Needs This

 

[Golgo13]

FYI, the only reason vinyl tape was used in this area is because it is easier to apply that tape than it is to mask and paint it black in the production plant. There is no reason not to just peel the old vinyl and paint that area.

3M has some awesome spray gun stuff now for low-volume and home-shop painting. $200 gets you a really nice kit.

 

[Red Merle]

FYI, the only reason vinyl tape was used in this area is because it is easier to apply that tape than it is to mask and paint it black in the production plant. There is no reason not to just peel the old vinyl and paint that area.

3M has some awesome spray gun stuff now for low-volume and home-shop painting. $200 gets you a really nice kit.

Good rattle can paint is fine for this type of application but if you are getting into full body panels, a kit like you shared is worth it, especially if you are trying to blend old paint with new on a larger area. As always, prep is key, but so is dust control. My job on this window frame looked really good until some atmospheric flotsam landed in it. Luckily, most of the particles landed on the horizontal surface near the edge that gets covered by the trim piece and I was able to pick the big chunks out with a tweezers and a steady hand before it cured, but I wish I would have really cleaned up my garage floor with the leaf blower and I would have left the door closed with my shop fan off if I did it again, which I will when I do the other side. Painting is an art that I have not quite mastered yet, but I am definitely getting better. I will say though that the Rustoleum Professional Series is much better than all of the current rattle can brands that I have used recently. The EPA got on the rattle can industry recently and most of the stuff that used to be pretty good took a nosedive. I do get cans filled with color code match from an auto body supply store and I have a regular can of OEM paint code paint that I use artist brushes to do little touch-ups.

I wouldn't do a full panel without having a booth though. I just don't see how you could control the dust on one without it.

 

[Golgo13]

Good rattle can paint is fine for this type of application but if you are getting into full body panels, a kit like you shared is worth it, especially if you are trying to blend old paint with new on a larger area. As always, prep is key, but so is dust control. My job on this window frame looked really good until some atmospheric flotsam landed in it. Luckily, most of the particles landed on the horizontal surface near the edge that gets covered by the trim piece and I was able to pick the big chunks out with a tweezers and a steady hand before it cured, but I wish I would have really cleaned up my garage floor with the leaf blower and I would have left the door closed with my shop fan off if I did it again, which I will when I do the other side. Painting is an art that I have not quite mastered yet, but I am definitely getting better. I will say though that the Rustoleum Professional Series is much better than all of the current rattle can brands that I have used recently. The EPA got on the rattle can industry recently and most of the stuff that used to be pretty good took a nosedive. I do get cans filled with color code match from an auto body supply store and I have a regular can of OEM paint code paint that I use artist brushes to do little touch-ups.

I wouldn't do a full panel without having a booth though. I just don't see how you could control the dust on one without it.

FWIW I know a guy who paints in the sun in his driveway. Usually, the paint drys quickly enough that not much dirt gets in. He also doesn't have trees overhead or neighbors close-by. Any little bits of crap get sanded out, touched-up and he buffs out the whole thing when its done. Maybe not concours-quality, but they look pretty damn good.
Also, it should be mentioned he painted flames on his mailbox and has HUGE bass-boat style metal flake on it. The 3 1970 Chevelles and other cars I have seen look great. Metal flake helps hide a lot of imperfections too. He does not have a single car in a solid color except a white 80's Buick T-Type.

You are correct though, rattle-cans can be used for this area around the widows and will look fine. Rattle cans of actual automotive paint work a little better than Rustoleum since that stuff takes forever to fully cure enough to sand/buff it. Either way, its an old Toyota and didn't look all that great from the factory.

 

[Red Merle]

FWIW I know a guy who paints in the sun in his driveway. Usually, the paint drys quickly enough that not much dirt gets in. He also doesn't have trees overhead or neighbors close-by. Any little bits of crap get sanded out, touched-up and he buffs out the whole thing when its done. Maybe not concours-quality, but they look pretty damn good.
Also, it should be mentioned he painted flames on his mailbox and has HUGE bass-boat style metal flake on it. The 3 1970 Chevelles and other cars I have seen look great. Metal flake helps hide a lot of imperfections too. He does not have a single car in a solid color except a white 80's Buick T-Type.

You are correct though, rattle-cans can be used for this area around the widows and will look fine. Rattle cans of actual automotive paint work a little better than Rustoleum since that stuff takes forever to fully cure enough to sand/buff it. Either way, its an old Toyota and didn't look all that great from the factory.

Your guy sounds like an expert. I have a lot of respect for that. Painting in the sun is good, but you have to know what you are doing or you will get blotches. Even the slightest breeze will bring something in that might get into the paint. A still, 75 degree day with low humidity would be best and I just don't have that type of flexibility with my work schedule. I have to block out time and get things done, one way or another when I have those blocks.


I just tried to spruce up the leading edge on my otherwise perfect hood where little rust bubbles had formed. I even bought a Dremel tool(CL-$30, very nice tool with a billion bits thrown in) with the flex shaft so that I could just treat the bubbled area with those mini wire wheels. I POR15ed the spots afterward and then I tried to hand paint the spots and then I wet sanded down to 1000 grit and then buffed it with my rotary buffer. It's smooth to the touch, but I think the buffer flipped the little metal flakes and even though the color is really close, you can clearly see where I worked. Man, it's touchy.

It's good enough to meet my needs of not having it have the rust spread, but there is no way I could charge money for the job.


It's fun to play around with though and every time I do a body work project, I learn something new, which is good for my overactive brain.

Patience and the ability to work through frustrations is key.

 

[Golgo13]

Maybe not an expert, but he did a lot of trial and error to make it work for his needs. He doesn't sell the cars or his services. He just likes messing around in the garage.

When dealing with metallics, the paint needs to be blended. The buffer didn't flip the flake, it simply laid down a different way based on how it was applied.

Patience IS the key. and a willingness to make mistakes and learn.

 

[sxp]

Is the entire matte black window area a vinyl application (front and rear windows)? Or is it just the sliding window with paint around the others?

 

[Red Merle]

Is the entire matte black window area a vinyl application (front and rear windows)? Or is it just the sliding window with paint around the others?

On my '94 Land Cruiser(not the Lexus) it's all paint. I am not sure what it is on later models.

 

[Red Merle]

Maybe not an expert, but he did a lot of trial and error to make it work for his needs. He doesn't sell the cars or his services. He just likes messing around in the garage.

When dealing with metallics, the paint needs to be blended. The buffer didn't flip the flake, it simply laid down a different way based on how it was applied.

Patience IS the key. and a willingness to make mistakes and learn.

Yeah, I should have used the spray can to do the hood, but I really didn't want to run the risk of having the whole edge look differently. As it is, it's just a few spots and I think I can live with them. I may just toss a 3M protective film in black on that area if I just can't deal with the way it looks, but I am going to wait to see if it grows on me before I go that route. I am trying to remind myself that this is a truck, not a show car, but I have spent sooo much time and money rehabbing it that I just really want it to look as good as it runs and drives.

 

[Jgrauman]

Not sure on the areas youre looking at, but I've seen people use heat guns to return black fender flares and other black plastics to new look

 

[secretasiansam]

For plastic bumpers on my Volvo I used kiwi shoe leather dye. Small bottle with a foam applicator. Worked great , lasted a couple years.
https://www.amazon.com/s/?ie=UTF8&k...yt4nF5zy3GtTnyMlEyH_b21XuYEmneBhoCu2IQAvD_BwE

 

[VuickB6]

SEM trim paint works great. I've used it on several vehicles and it always turns out well.

Here are some good pictures of it being used. All the same thread, just linked the individual posts to make it quicker to see what you're looking for.

VWVortex.com - 1988 Coupe in Texas TLC - Post #33

VWVortex.com - 1988 Coupe in Texas TLC - Post #69

VWVortex.com - 1988 Coupe in Texas TLC - Post #81

VWVortex.com - 1988 Coupe in Texas TLC - Post #94

VWVortex.com - 1988 Coupe in Texas TLC - Post #97

VWVortex.com - 1988 Coupe in Texas TLC - Post #125

 

[Hornd]

Your guy sounds like an expert. I have a lot of respect for that. Painting in the sun is good, but you have to know what you are doing or you will get blotches. Even the slightest breeze will bring something in that might get into the paint. A still, 75 degree day with low humidity would be best and I just don't have that type of flexibility with my work schedule. I have to block out time and get things done, one way or another when I have those blocks.


I just tried to spruce up the leading edge on my otherwise perfect hood where little rust bubbles had formed. I even bought a Dremel tool(CL-$30, very nice tool with a billion bits thrown in) with the flex shaft so that I could just treat the bubbled area with those mini wire wheels. I POR15ed the spots afterward and then I tried to hand paint the spots and then I wet sanded down to 1000 grit and then buffed it with my rotary buffer. It's smooth to the touch, but I think the buffer flipped the little metal flakes and even though the color is really close, you can clearly see where I worked. Man, it's touchy.

It's good enough to meet my needs of not having it have the rust spread, but there is no way I could charge money for the job.


It's fun to play around with though and every time I do a body work project, I learn something new, which is good for my overactive brain.

Patience and the ability to work through frustrations is key.

Dremel with Flex Shaft is a b-ass tool. You can cut bolts of anywhere or remove a PHH Clamp. I wonder how I would ever get along without mine! Takes a light touch or blade will explode. Wear the safety glasses, not negotiable.

 

[Red Merle]

Dremel with Flex Shaft is a b-ass tool. You can cut bolts of anywhere or remove a PHH Clamp. I wonder how I would ever get along without mine! Takes a light touch or blade will explode. Wear the safety glasses, not negotiable.

Agreed. I think I am going to try my hand at doing a port and polish job on my little 2RZ-FE in my Tacoma. The Dremel should be a good tool for that too.

But yes, safety squints are not sufficient for something that spins that fast. I wear glasses for any type of tool that spins.