I just used this on my gal's PT Cruiser. It's the first year model with the grey plastic bumpers. They looked just like the flares on that Jeep above. Black Wow made them like new...except for the outside edges where sunlight radiates through the rear tail-light lenses, magnifying the light and burning/baking the plastic bumper with a specific pattern. It turns it very white, greyish color. Black Wow restored everything except those areas, which look better, but still very faded. It's a common problem for PT Cruisers without body colored bumpers. Just a bad design.

 

richard,

i know i mentioned to you via PM about using WOW on my wife's PT cruiser (aka the hardest vehicle i have ever detailed) and it's bumpers grey smooth trim. maybe it will help any other chrysler owners if their chrysler trim is smooth and grey like the 2003 PT cruiser's is:

the bumper trim as mentioned above on the wife's car is almost perfectly smooth with very little texture. there is a LITTLE texture but not enough for a standard pad applicator to get a good grip on like on our MINI's. when i first WOW'ed it, it did look nice but since the WOW is so slick it took much more product. kind of smeared around.

what i found to get much more bite on the bumpers is one of those rectangular tire gel dressing sponge applicators that have a black sponge bottom and a little handle on them. i picked one up at the pep boys for like $2. i guess the pores in the sponge grip the plastic much better. the little dressing applicator works well on the MINI too especially along the roof line rubber. you guys may have been using these applicators all along, i just started using WOW on the MINI and hate the grey bumpers on the PT so i was stoked to find a better way to get it on there.

EDIT- just saw the above post must've been posting as i typed . another thing i have used on her PT is the regular old meguiar's endurance tire dressing . the purple one that smells like grape. it clings well. after i applied it i buffed it off lightly to eliminate the **** valley dust build up. eliminates those faded strips well. hold up for a few weeks before it needs to be reapplied. since it is a bit thicker it is easier to apply. just doesn't last as long as the WOW but, it does work decently.

 

Yeah I've noticed on trim pieces that are milky or damaged due to a physical ailment---take some MINI trim pieces that you don't need and bend them back and forth--the trim will turn white at the bending point. BW nor any other dressing/protecting can correct this type of issue. Sounds like the PT Cruiser issue is similar. Glad it worked on the rest of it though.

Richard

 

The PT issue is really odd. With enough coats, Black Wow might have a chance at it.

 

as mentioned above, we have the same issue here on the wife's PT. except her bumpers have faded strips along the top. if you're not already, try using a wheel dressing sponge and work a few coats of it in. seems to work much better than a regular applicator pad that just slips and slides on the PT trim.

if you don't want to use BW or think it will cost you to much BW to remedy the issue try the tire gel method. only bad thing is that it needs to be redone every few weeks but, it's easy enough to do i guess. anything else like back to black or similar would barely last a week. so in that sense, tire gel works much better but, still not better than BW if you can use the BW.

 

If you do get it on your paint.....just use CLARITY! It comes right off....

 

I just washed my car and am planning on using Black Wow for the first time.....I dried the car as best I can but there's always some water in the many nooks/crannies around the trim......does the car have to be totally 100% bone dry or does it not matter if the applicator get some wetness? I would like to apply this now and not wait .........



thanks

 

best results IMHO come from applying Black Wow BEFORE washing your car.

 

yeah I know the instructions say apply before washing but you would need, I would think, to have the trim free of mud and grime and grit prior to BW'ing , and then OG goes on to say that preparation is everything so I was hoping that the directions would specify 'car must be dry' or 'ok if a little wet' (it says apply before washing but it is possible that the car could be wet from rain or riding through puddles)


anyway I just clayed my wheels and applied NuFinish sealant (I use that only for the wheels, zaino for the paint) and am waiting for that to dry..........

 

It doesn't have to be fully dry. I've applied BW on both wet and dry cars. I *think* for maximum durability it should be applied on dry trim..but I don't have conclusive results to prove that right now. I agree with Whitey--applying it before you wash the car is a great application method, plus it's fun to watch the water bounce off the BW.

 

Ok..thanks!

 

Just clean off the trim, and wipe it with a towel, then do the BW. BW is mostly unaffected by water once it's applied. The reason for putting BW before you wash is to remove any excess and prevent first time dust buildup because of the excess.

 

I have been having a blast using my (very neglected) Cabrio as a personal Detailing Lab and trying all different products - here is BW on 9 years of grayed trim:



that's using a super tiny bit. For the record I did the other side about 10 days ago and it looks just as good.

Tapping feet impatiently for Richard's next product...

 

OK...it took me maybe 20 minutes to do the entire trim 360 degrees......my first impression is, well, wow.....my trim is in pretty decent shape and not too faded...so I thought....it is noticably nice and blacker now and removed some old old ground in white residue that I was just ignoring...I had been using VinylX and was happy with that, even though it did not last longer than a wash or two, but this stuff is crazy good.

for some reason, the trim that is in the worst shape is just in front of the rear wheel trim towards the bottom, the trim there is faded a bit but mainly looks and feels dried out and rougher than the rest of the trim....the BW makes it look much better but will try a second application in that area in a few days to see if it soaks in more


good stuff

 

umberto- that's because the front tires kick up debris and hits the
car in that area. that's one of the reasons why if you get those
arches painted, you should clear bra the rear arch near the front bottom.

btw, wat do you mean by 360 degrees?

 

Think he means the trim all the way around the MINI.
Very nice! I think the red paint could use some Amigo and Epic.

 

yeah....meaning all the way around

 

This is a GREAT product. Flat out it works!

 

+1

I bought some of this a couple of weeks back and used it on all the black trim, worked great. I especially like the way it looks on the black area around the windshield wipers.

I was shocked that the bottle was so small when I first opened the package. But I did the entire car and only used about 1/10 of it (and I overdid it in spots). It really goes a long way.

 

Just remember, just like your MINI, great things come in small packages.....=)

Thanks!

Richard

 

OG- would you make a short fat bottle next time so it doesn't fall over
each time i move my cart?

maybe even a tube might be nice.

 

Interesting. I know this isn't exactly what you are talking about but some mockups of different bottles I had considered at one point.....

 

One of the best products, if not the best in terms of size and value you get back.

 

OG- yah, if you can do it like in those make up containers that you
use for your octane product + a small pump that would be awesome.

even if it made the price go up another $5.