I've read a lot of this thread and I have a question or two.

I've noticed on my mini that the plastic over the wheels and under the doors really seems to take on any kind of stains and never go a away. Like, if I drive through a mud puddle and wash it off, there is stain afterward that just will not come out of the plastic.

Does Black Wow fix this kind of problem? I'm assuming so based on the thread but I just want to make sure.

 

minibickle,

I am going to order some Black Wow from Octane Guy this afternoon and will let you know!

Right now I have applied the Aerospace 303 to the upper front black plastic grill....it took me quite some time as I was OCDish on it.

1. Washed the car and dried it.
2. Upon close inspection it had some water spotting deposits in the little squares so I took some isopropyl alcohol on some cotton swabs and cleaned each one out.
3. I then squirted some 303 in a water bottle cap and then just started carefully applying it to each and every square.
4. HUGE DIFFERENCE in the look from the top part (treated 303 grill area) and the bottom part (lower grill).

I will be putting this on the rest of the car's black plastic trim (not the painted pillars/bumper) but the stuff around the tires and the roof rails. Once that is done hopefully the Black Wow will have arrived and I will see how that works!

 

The short answer is....no and yes. No it won't "completely" fix some of these stains (i.e., cosmoline stains)...I really haven't found anything that'll do that. However, yes, it will make even these stains much less noticeable and for a long time. Your trim will be restored to a almost new looking condition and in a month or two (or three) you might have to re-apply. IMO BW is one product that's a "must have" for any Mini owner. How's that for a rave review?

 

for the grill area i just use a artist brush. you can usually pick them up fairly cheap at art supply stores. i just spray a little 303 directly on the brush and pretend like i'm brushing bbq sauce on ribs.

when i'm done i usually end up wanting to eat ribs for some reason

 

Good point on the artist brush! I have a few around the house.

BTW....just spoke with OctaneGuy (Richard) and purchased some BW. He spent a good amt of time answering all of my questions. I am going to hold off on the 303 for now and use the BW on my cars here. I saw his results in his forum and I was amazed!

 

From all the stuff I'm reading, and I do research everything, it seems to me that silicon and petroleum products are to be avoided on rubber and vinyl. Most high end product care manufacturers make it plain that their products contain neither. Zymol is one of them. Everything I've used that Zymol makes has worked very well and has really impressed me. I haven't used Aerospace 303 all that much except on my past motorcycle seat. That was pretty good. They put out a lot of information regarding all their products. Boat manufacturers use their protective products extensively. I just bought a new MINI R56 and am going to give a try on my dash. I'm a bit leery about using Black Wow on my interior.

 

When it comes to product hype, understanding the facts is the key. Silicone isn't bad, but the solvents used to thin it out can be bad.

Silicone is extremely expensive, so to keep products profitable, they thin it down with solvents.

If you read the bottles for Black Wow, it states very clearly it's for your exterior trim, not interior. The reason being that BW works differently from other products. It's designed to soak into the plastics and what doesn't get absorbed is worn away or washed away for a matte look. That doesn't happen on the interior however.

Richard

 

been using Zymol vinyl treatment since I bought my 1995 Miata

Using it on the top kept that good until just a year ago - looked good and did not crack for 15 years .... that's pretty good for a stretched hunk of vinyl in my opinion.

It is not glossy and if you buff it off has no residue and unlike many products the application instructions recommend a hot surface! My product of choice for interior parts . . none of the haze I often saw on the inside of the glass after other products plus a day of hot weather.

$$ and hard to find but on the web you can find deals . . . I tried 303 (which you can usually find at a boat supply or an airport with a goodie store as it is also popular with the airplane crowd) back in/on 95 as it and Zy were THE recommended products for Miata black tops . . . I stuck with Zy. The plastic on the MINI loves it . . . inside and out

http://www.zymol.com/zymolvinyl85oz.aspx

 

Octane,
Thanks for the quick reply to my 2 cents. I did notice later about BW stating its use to be on the outside. And I appreciate what you've said about silicone. I have to investigate this a little further too.
It's great to have a forum to kick around in about MINI stuff. :-)

 

Capt BJ,
I like Zymol so much I had urges to get a vanity plate "ON ZYMOL". But I think I'm on to something even cooler. (I'm not tellin' yet) :-)
Zymol is really great all around. You reaffirmed my faith in it. Thanks!

 

I forgot to mention..and that's why Black Wow ISN'T bad like other products as we don't thin it out...it's expensive because it's mostly silicone with a very small amount of cleaner in it. Also you'll hear about water based silicone tire dressings in that solvent based silicone dressing turn your tires brown, but water based silicones don't. It's not the silicone.

Richard

 

Zy

there's wax

and then ther's wax

http://www.zymol.com/zymoldestinyglaze8oz.aspx @ $650 a jar

for the cheap stuff

or

http://www.zymol.com/zymolroyaleglaze44oz.aspx @ $8400 for a jar

but free refills for life!

check the ingred' for zymol vinyl ... no silicone ... all natural oils

 

I've used the Zymol Titanium Glaze on the Harley I sold to buy my MINI. It cost $70 and is excellent. I still have enough left to do a dozen cars. When, and if, the weather ever calms down in NYC maybe I'll get to use what's left in the fridge. The Zymol vinyl is worth a try. There are so many products out there it's really hard figuring out what is really best. Why use something that down the line will gum up the works...