OK, so we have had the MINI for two months. Around here, that means like 15 rainy days. BAD NEWS for black trim.

First day we picked up the Mini I used Black WOW. So it was applied to a literally new car. Looked great, smelled awesome For sure lasted better than a typical cheapo trim dressing Ive used on other cars.

But... it really didnt hold up that well to rain and washings Particularly on the lower rocker covers. I dont know, maybe Im just picky. Also seemed to attract dust like a magnet. Yes, it worked better than Armor All. Basically, the water was making the wow'ed areas streaky and grey. Not all areas, just the most-exposed areas. I shouldnt say it didnt hold up well, thats not fair. It held up great compared to Armor All. I guess I was looking for a literally 2x per year application.

On another car (beat old Honda) I used Forever Black..it literally lasted two years of automatic carwashes, but gave a somewhat streaky look to the trim. Didnt want that on the new Mini.

So.... I cleaned off the black wow a month ago and tried a black dye. I wont name names (so as not to be accused of promoting a brand) but I found a detail shop that had a black trim dye/protectant. They claim 6 months service life in rainy weather. AND I BELIEVE IT. So far the last month has been wet. About 5 or 6 rainy days. Light washing between rainy days. Trim is spectacular. Looks 100% as it did when I first applied. No dust problems either even after 2 mile gravel road drives!

Anyways, Im sure I will get flamed to death for not stroking Black Wow, and thats fine. I admire the black wow company for sponsoring the site and all. But really, the stuff seems like scented peanut oil. I dont know. I guess I expected more for 25 friggin bucks.

Heck, for all I know the Dye might self destruct in a few months, but so far so good. Might be worth a try if you find other protectants not cutting it in wet areas of the country.

 

I just applied Black Wow to my car and it has rained for the past 2 days now. I am interested how it will look once everything dries out. I have to say i was surprised to see how small the bottle was. But then again you don't use that much to do the mini.

 

I don't know why you are not getting good results but I have been using BW for a couple of years and I still like it a lot. It does take more work than other trim dressings but when I put it on thin it lasts about 6 months for me on the MINI's trim.

No flame, I just disagree about BW.

 

I've had the same experience with BW. Looks great for a while and lasts much longer than the six buck bottles of this or that in the auto parts store. But it isn't as long-lasting as I had hoped. I wash about ever other week on average. I'd say the BW lasts about 4 washes (I use Prima's soap).

What is this DYE stuff? Is that the formal name?

 

ANY product could be better......for a nonstaining, liquid product BW is pretty darn good. But....dye....then bw a few months later might be AWSOME or as we say up north WICKED GOOD!! Have you tried them both?

 

Yes, but did the dealer already put some sort of coating on the car? Don't know how BlackWow behaves if it over something else.

 

no, I actually pulled the plastic off the car in the lot. It was not prepped at all when I took delivery. Tires overinflated, plastic on doors, plastic on seats. all that junk.

Anyways, if you are happy with BW, then use it. Who cares? I sure as heck dont care. Im just offering my opinion (BW is great, but still needs upkeep) and offering a more permanent solution.

For those who say BW lasts 6 months.... PA-LEASE. I used it on my 2003 Honda Pilot. Same deal..washes off after 3-4 wettings.

If you havent tried a dye-type product..might be worth a try. Dont use the Forever Black stuff, its too glossy and streaky.

The dye I got was made for black trim and also for synthetic fabric convertible tops. Left a very non-greasy non shiny, natural finish.

This isnt new stuff folks. The used car place down the street from me has a gallon container of it.

 

The timing of this is REALLY odd. I had just come in from doing the external plastic on my car with BlackWow when I read this thread. So, we'll see...

 

I think a lot of us a prepping for winter!

 

I know in some cases Richard has said you have to get the first few apps in before it lasts...something about it needed to soak it up thoroughly.

It does attract dust; I BW, then wash. But I don't have the longevity issue...it lasts anywhere from 2-4 months for me depending on weather and how often I wash.

 

I have been using BW since it was introduced on here...and I have to agree with the OP...it doesn't last through rain/washing.
While it is a good product...I am tired of having to reapply and maintain my black trim, so I ordered some of this...

http://www.urethanesupply.com/store3400.php

...we'll see how it works when I get it. I will update this thread.

 

Yes, in those places that actually HAVE winter. SoCal obviously doesn't count...

Anyway, the work continues today: Washing off whatever the dealer put on, clay barring and then doing ZAINO! Last night I did BlackWow on the plastic and ReJex on the wheels.

 

Again, not sure what the problem is but my brother uses it on his Pilot and has the same experience as me. About 6 months between applications and great outcome. (He also switched to all Prima except for BW after trying my stuff).

 

Sorry, I meant CR-V not Pilot. We had a pilot, ate toomuch gas.

My next door neighbor has a Pilot. Im looking at it as I type. Where is his black trim? I see black mud flaps, and a very narrow black plastic molding along the bottom, maybe 2" tall. Bottom plastic stripis black as night, and it sits out in the weather.

Im not calling you a liar, Im confused. The CR-V has acres of black trim of the same type as MINI, the Pilot has nearly none as far as I can tell. I just went over there....The Pilot does have some grey painted stuff front and back, cant see you treating a painted surface.

 

Maximum durability is dependent on how BW was applied. Very few of you who are posting here even know the background or history of Black Wow on NAM, but that's ok. Call me just a sponsor if you want and that's fine..that's what I am.

As for the application method, Black Wow needs to be absorbed into the plastic. It shouldn't be applied then washed off if you want it to last the longest. Yes I suggested that in the early days before I started incorporating the Trim Masking Card. But I've found that letting it penetrate for a few hours before washing makes all the difference. So does multiple applications in the beginning. The effects are cumulative so if you apply it, and it seems to have disappeared...it just means it's been absorbed, and needs to have a second application. For most new plastics, a single application is enough.

The single most common mistake is that people will apply it, and once it starts to fade, maybe a few weeks into the first application, they give up. Consider that at the first signs of wear, that if you reapplied BW, you will improve the durability such that the effects will last much longer the second time around.

As for the cost for the bottle? Ask around. There are MANY users who have gone 3 years on their first bottle.

As for comparing a dye to a silicone product..let's see. Dye's are messy. They don't go on evenly. They streak. They stain your clothes. They stain everything that comes into contact with them.

Want a permanent fairly maintenance free solution? Just paint the trim and be done with it. Black Wow was developed within the MINI community as a solution that worked better than typical trim products without the drawbacks of dye based products. Thinking you'll get flamed for saying an opposing viewpoint about BW seems kinda uhm....defensive?

Richard Lin
Just another Site Sponsor

 

I just bought a bottle of this stuff. I couldn't find a bad thing said about it before I bought it, now I'm finding a ton of threads like this.

I haven't tried it out yet, but it is seeming that it isn't as great as I previously believed. I'm thinking I should return it and get a dye since my trim is pretty faded. I don't want to have to reapply BW a plethora of times to begin with.

I would be interested in what product the dye was that the OP used.

 

Richard:

I had an experience that relates to your message about being absorbed into the plastic. I coated the wheel arches, rocker cover and drip rail last night. Today I washed the car with Dawn to remove whatever the dealer put on, clayed the car using a Dawn solution, rinsed it at a spray car wash and then a coat of Zaino Z-5. The rocker covers did streak, but the arches did not. Does this mean that there is a difference in plastic formulation or ?? Right now I have just one coat of BlackWow laid down. If the weather stays warm for a while I plan to do at least one more coat.

 

Which part is the rocker cover? Sorry long day...forgetting the terminology. The drip rails are definitely different than the arches...almost rubbery like. I just can't picture the rocker cover. The area below the windshield works great with BW too. Smooth plastics tend not to absorb BW like the textured ones do. BW excels on textured plastics.

One big difference between a dye and BW is that BW improves any color plastic whereas a dye is color specific.

There is no harm to putting on more Black Wow several hours or days or weeks later. Whatever floats your boat.

Check out this thread on what BW looks like on severely oxidized trim that soaks all of BW up in a matter of hours. The final picture shows what BW applied 3 times in one hour looks like versus 3 times over the course of the day..every few hours.

http://www.showcardetailing.com/foru...ead.php?t=1579

 

The second day after my application i noticed lots of either spots i missed or spots that didn't get enough BW. (It was dark by the time i was BW'ing). I did a second application and the results are much better.

 

The trim piece below the doors that visually joins the wheel arches. It is similar in texture to the wheel arches, but a bit different. Perhaps the grain isn't quite as pronounced.

 

OOOOh ok. I've referred to them as side skirts. Black Wow works great on them, but you need to use more on them than the arches because of the larger surface area. While I've always encouraged the concept that "less is more" with Black Wow, too little is also bad! Just Enough is best! Finding that balance might take one or two applications to understand.

When I do demos at national events like MITM, most users aren't aware of the amount to use. I just look at the plastic, pour anything from a sesame seed to a dime sized amount on my applicator and apply. I've done it a thousand times so obviously it comes natural to me how much is best.

Every plastic is different.

Btw, as far as the dust issue is concerned, when BW is first applied, if it's left wet, yes it attracts dust. Wipe it down and there will be less attraction. The next time you wash the car, that surface attraction will be gone. Think of BW having been absorbed into the plastic. What's on the surface might attract some dust. When it's washed off, the plastic has still be treated, and will continue to look great for many more washes.

I like to time my BW application the day BEFORE I plan to wash my car. No the trim doesn't need to be absolutely clean before applying it either. There are cleaners in BW that will help. Also when PW comes out, that too will make this process even easier.

Richard

 

When BW was tested here in the MINI Community the results were based on users from all parts of country. It was tested in rainy areas, sunny areas, snowy areas, hot dry areas. It's durability claims were based on what users had reported to me on their own MINI in 6 months time. Of course everyone was also driving a 1st gen as well, and the plastic has changed a bit between the generations.


If your dealer applied a coating that you paid $500 for it's probably something like Xzilon that acts as a wax. That's not going to impact the plastic trim.

 

Richard:

Thanks! Good to know that BlackWow was tested under many conditions.

Anyway, I have some other questions:

1. I assume that BlackWow can be used on the plastic/rubber gaskets around the fixed side windows. However, because the exposed strip is maybe 1/2" wide at most, I'm not sure what to use as an applicator. Something about the size of an overgrown Q-Tip would be the right size, but I would think that the cotton would come apart pretty easy. What do you recommend?
2. I would like something to coat the top of the dashboard, but whatever the product is, it must have essentially no reflectivity. I find reflections of the dashboard in the windshield to be very annoying. Products that claim to have a "satin finish" are 'way too glossy to me.
3. Can BlackWow be used on shiny plastic? Specifically the black cover on the outside of the A-pillar and the oval trim on the inside of the doors. If not, what do you recommend?
4. How is PreWow coming?

Thanks,

Don

 

The shiny polished plastic on the Apillars is best protected with a wax and not a plastic product. I polish it with an orbital to remove the swirls, then wax as normal. Remember if the plastic you are thinking about applying BW to isn't porous, then BW will only provide a temporary effect. The durability comes from allowing it to penetrate and soak into the plastic. Thus BW on matte black wiper arms on the front look great for a little while. The plastic wiper arm cover on the rear is a perfect BW candidate as well.

BW has always been described as a long lasting product for exterior textured plastic. Not smooth, and not for the interior. There are better dressings. Prima Nero is an excellent interior dressing. Spray it on and let it dry and you'll have a shinier look. Spray it on a Microfiber sponge, wipe it on, and wipe it with a dry microfiber and you'll have a matte finish.

I wouldn't use BW on the dashboard top. Prima Nero or other low shine dressing is best. BW was intended for the exterior where it can naturally wear yet outlast most products. Most any trim product lasts fine inside the car..it's the exterior where most fail quickly and that's why BW was created.

For the rubber seals around the windows, a folded microfiber sponge works well. A Prima MF Skinny applicator folded in half works well too. Combine it with the Trim Masking Card you should have received and you can easily and quickly apply BW without making a mess on the window or paint.

Note removing BW off either is as simple as using some glass cleaner and a clean towel. There is no harm of getting it on either.

One more thing, BW was intended for plastic that can absorb the BW and hold it in place. Rubber tends to absorb it, then kick it out over time faster than plastic, so BW isn't the best product for rubber trim. Just my 2 cents.

PreWow is coming. We made a big push for SEMA but we fell behind..lots of stuff going on. Get on the PW testers list and an update will be coming next month.

Richard

 

On the interior, I found 303 Protectant to work well. DP didn't have any when I was placing a recent order, so I picked up some Nero to give it a try.