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Normally in my detailing my car, one of the reasons it takes so long and I give up and finish it later is that I Armorall the outside plastic flares. and all the plastic on the outside. I even buff up the chrome and hit up the rubber around the belt line. If I had an air comprresor I would blow out the grills front and back and Armorall those too. Am I the only one that does this or are there others out there. If you have never done this before I suggest the next time you wash your car you do it. It will make it look like a brand new car.
I've actually thought about it recently but the weather has been rather cruddy. I need to bet a brush not a big as a tire brush to get my front grills spic and span. Same thing goes for the rear plastic near the rear fogs. Although I use 303 instead of Armor All, it'll probably look hot like you describe.
Prima Nero is a matte finish
Aero303 is also matte finish but slightly more glossy.
Blackwow is semi-matte as well. apply before your car wash and just blot dry. it appears wet when freshly applied but it's a semi-matte finish.
Thanks for the recommendation, kenchan!
All of the above tend to be more matte than Armour-All... since you mentioned you like a matte finish.
BTW, when kenchan refers to Aero303, he means 303 Aerospace Protectant (yes, goofy name but a great product!). We normally stock 303 Aerospace Protectant but don't have it available right now. If you do a web search, many retailers (online and stores) carry it.
Black Wow, which is specifically intended for exterior use only, is by far the most durable of the three. As kenchan also mentioned, you should apply it prior to washing so the excess silicone is removed (you don't need the excess and the part of the product you do need bonds right away).
Prima Nero, although used by many of our customers for the exterior, was developed specifically for the interior and is thus the least durable... however, it is the most matte finish of the three. In addition to protecting and enhancing plastic, it will do the same for vinyl (including leatherette) and rubber surfaces, both interior and exterior.
I agree! It's amazing how much the overall look of your car can be improved just by treating your exterior trim (especially MINIs).
So Prima Nero is ok to use on the leatherette seats? I've been a bit worried about leaving some sort of residue on the seats which would get on my clothes.
Now remember I am not asking about interior products. I was asking who else puts some kind of product on the plastic on the outside of their vehicle to protect and enhance the look.
One of the most popular exterior trim products for the MINI is Black Wow, especially here on NAM. Why? It might be because I developed and tested the product here before releasing it. Maybe it's because it just really works well. Regardless of why, I created it to provide an extremely long lasting matte finish to any color exterior plastic trim. It's also surprisingly affordable..yeah it looks expensive for the small bottle, but people are always shocked when they find out just how little is needed. There are posts here on NAM about users having BW for several years and the bottle still looks full. Although it hasn't been out long enough to know exactly, I think a bottle will last a typical owner 3 to 5 years.
I finally secured www.blackwow.com as well but it's still being transitioned over so it won't go anywhere at this time.
Heather of DP is an excellent place to buy BW!
Richard
Quote:
Originally Posted by Porthos
Now remember I am not asking about interior products. I was asking who else puts some kind of product on the plastic on the outside of their vehicle to protect and enhance the look.
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I do all the black trim after every wash as well, to me it isn't finished until that's done. I also have to dress the tires. I prefer 303 aerospace. I use black wow when the weather turns as the 303 is gone after one puddle. My armorall is now my wheel well dressing.
Keep it looking nice! I see so many out there with greyish trim and cringe. For your grill trim there are aerosol forms of trim detailer that works well. I've used tire shine aerosol for this , but its kinda gooey.
I've always wondered what to use on the grill, because to be honest, doing this with BW and a cotton bud sounds like a LOT of time ! (I know the results would be awesome though, but I am L A Z Y )
If you use an aerosol (I still have some Zaino tire dressing -which is quite matte and lasts long-, I was thinking of putting it in a spray bottle and use that on the grill, or simply buy some 303), then how do you protect the radiator from overspray ? put some cardboard between the front grill and the radiator ?
Ahhg, so TO but I cant help it. Does "けんちゃーん！助けてー" kinda translate to "kenchan, get help"? I'm studying Japanese right now, so this type of stuff is starting to drive me batty.
As far as the OP is concerned. I used Armorall maybe once and then tried Nero and haven't used Armorall since. I wont say the difference is night and day, but Nero is noticeably better, enough that I dont ever plan to use Armorall again.
I have actually used Nero on the outside of the car as it provides a similar end result to BW but with a much quicker and easier application. The caveat is the doesnt last all that long on the outside (a rainstorm takes it right off) but if I want my car to look nice for just a weekend then this is what I used to do. I now use BW exclusively so I can actually restore the trim.
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I've always wondered what to use on the grill, because to be honest, doing this with BW and a cotton bud sounds like a LOT of time ! (I know the results would be awesome though, but I am L A Z Y )
If you use an aerosol (I still have some Zaino tire dressing -which is quite matte and lasts long-, I was thinking of putting it in a spray bottle and use that on the grill, or simply buy some 303), then how do you protect the radiator from overspray ? put some cardboard between the front grill and the radiator ?
けんちゃーん！助けてー
LOL when I had the R53, I used Nero 50/50 and sprayed the grill. took a towel to generally mask the surrounding paint, but since it's water based it doesn't hurt the finish or the wax. quickly wipe off the excess and let the rest air dry.
again since it's water based your radiator's fine, i think. it'll just wash off during your next wash.
Ahhg, so TO but I cant help it. Does "けんちゃーん！助けてー" kinda translate to "kenchan, get help"? I'm studying Japanese right now, so this type of stuff is starting to drive me batty.
no, kurisu wrote it correctly. translates to 'kenchan help me~!'
So Prima Nero is ok to use on the leatherette seats? I've been a bit worried about leaving some sort of residue on the seats which would get on my clothes.
Yes, Nero is safe on the leatherette seats. It won't leave any residue that will get on your clothes. If you want to feel better about it (sometimes it's hard to just trust blindly! ) then give it a quick wipe down with a dry cloth after you apply it. (you don't need to though!)
Now remember I am not asking about interior products. I was asking who else puts some kind of product on the plastic on the outside of their vehicle to protect and enhance the look.
What... did a thread in this forum get off-track??
Yes, let's get back to the topic of exterior trim products.
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) then give it a quick wipe down with a dry cloth after you apply it. (you don't need to though!)
