I have been using a new vinyl and rubber dressing for a while now and just love it. I have been putting it on the MINI's side trim and tires. The sheen of this new Sonus product is perfect for my tastes-not too fake shiny but certainly not dull. Crisp and black. It provides UV protection as well, so this is going to be my go-to protectant for the outside for now. I will stick with 303 for the inside because it is slightly more matte finished. (see pic)

I also applied tinted reflector film on all my fender reflectors as you can see in the before and after pictures. Wadda ya think?

 

Looks Very good. Where'd you pick up the reflective tint?

 

That's a nice new look.. How's it look at night?

 

I got it from OutMotoring. It still picks up reflections, just not as bright. I am happy with the results.

 

Reflectors look nice, but I wonder if they're legal.

I like 303 for the exterior (even though it doesn't last very long) because I can use it on the trim, tires, wheels, wipers and headlight/taillight covers. Very convenient - it's like quick detailer for anything that isn't painted.

 

How hard was that film to apply? I just ordered some a few days ago for both the fender reflectors and taillights...

 

Thanks for the report, Brad. I'm still looking for a good solution here for the trim.
The ol' peanut oil trick sure does work, but they stay oily and your towels get oiley and so on..yuck.
303 works ok but not spectacular.
I settled on
Autoglym Bumper Care which really is made for it, and is thick and strong to scrub and cut through..it does the best job I have seen at cleaning the trim and leaves it nice and black.
BUT
after the first rain or so, they are back too looking dull again.

Have you tried the autoglym brad? I saw autopia's new sonus product and of course will probably try that next. Especially after your positive review.
But..how long does it last, will it last through a few days of rain?
I wish I didn't need to do this every other week. I usually just leave them looking bad. :(

I swear I'm about to just spray a layer of clearcoat on the trim. I wonder how that would turn out, how much more that would resist dullness. I refuse to get them sanded and painted, I just don't think it looks right with dark colored bodies.

Side note, I don't quite like the tinted reflectors. I thought you had just got some black stuff on there, they kind of look dirty. I would consider changing them to white reflectors instead, but never really made that decision.

 

jwardell-
No, I must say I haven't used the Autoglym although I have many of their products and find them quite good. I have found though that the Sonus has lasted at least through a couple rains and a washing so that's good news so far.

Yea, the tinted reflectors are a personal thing. I kind of have the monochromatic white/black color scheme going on so I wanted to make them disappear.

nodabs-
They are a piece of cake to apply, it took me 30 minutes for all 4. They were just a but long so I trimmed them easily with an X-Acto knife.

 

So you are liking the new Sonus product better than your usual Meguiars #40? How's the durability?

 

The durability "seems" to be similar. I haven't actually done any side by side testing. The look is similar but my eye tells me that the sheen may be just a tad bit glossier, but not by much. The application seems a bit less watery and was easy to see where you applied it. It wasn't "thick" by any means, but the blackness it gave, even on clean trim was apparent. Hard to explain. I just enjoyed using it.

I've applied it twice now on two cars and have enjoyed using it. You know...a new toy!

 

Oh no! Guess I have to get off my butt (maybe find some snazzy shorts to wear too ) and finally get that stubborn polish off the fender trim... I completely hear what Josh is saying about working with peanut oil.

Nice pictures BradB - "smoked" reflectors do work with what you're trying to do.

Just making a few posts in honor of completing my 10,000 mile Oil Service today... And oh yeah, the dealership did a nice job of polishing out the giant scratches they caused on my bonnet last time I was there. I understand the Service Manager himself buffed my bonnet (aint I special ).

I can now say "please don't wash my car" in 6 languages,
Tatt

 

Sonus Vinyl Protectant update:
We had a dirty rain here in town and the trim that was coated with the Sonus was all streaky looking....you could follow the raindrop runs. I was very disappointed at first. But luckily after a wash with Z7 shampoo (The MINI is Zaino'd) the streaky look all went away and the gloss of the trim actually seemed to come back some. (strange) It looked pretty much like the day I had applied it. (three weeks ago, now) Phew!

So far, so good!

 

Thanks again for the updates, brad. I just noticed autopia dropped autoglym bumper care anyway, so this is next in my lineup.

Glad to see it survived the rain and carwash. So far nothing I have tried has. (But then I wonder what you rain is really like?)

It's been raining here for over a week straight. My MINI is now 3 weeks overdue for a wash! At least I know I won't be the only dirty one at tomorrow's mini meet.

 

[QUOTE=jwardell]
Glad to see it survived the rain and carwash. So far nothing I have tried has. (But then I wonder what you rain is really like?)
[QUOTE]

Well, this rain was a pretty "sissy" rain. The kind that leaves big dirty drops on your car and just gets things dirty. Not a hard "drencher", like you guys in the East have been seeing lately.

 

Hah. It's just as annoying though when your car was just cleaned...

I really wish I kept my old trim to run tests on with other stuff. Like clearcoat. Or Hairspray. Or god knows what. Then leave it outside for a month.

 

I have used Meguiar's long lasting tire shine on the black plastic trim parts on our old VW cabrio. The kind that comes in the box with a foam applicator. Always gave a dark, black look with a slight shine. Never got all over the paint, and resisted the elements as well. Worked great on the smooth hard plastic that always turns white on the VW's

I have yet to try it on the mini, hope to this weekend.

BTW - the turn signal trim look great!!!

-jac

 

I just realized you were using the total eclipse and not the Sonus Tire & Bumper Dressing Gel which seems to be better suited for the trim. Total Exclipse is water based, so I would expect it to wash away. Have you tried the sonus tire & bumper gel?

I just did my trim last night with the autoglym, I haven't since early summer and it was like I was painting white trim black. Looks great now. Rain predicted again all weekend thanks to Wilma. We'll see how it holds up.

I plan to get one of these Sonus products next, but I need to decide which one...

 

I thought it washed away, but it didn't. That's why I was so delighted.

I am not a fan of the gels in general. Just personal preference. The application process, for me anyway, is too cumbersome and the shine tends to be a bit too much on the glossy side for my tastes. Plus unless you are careful, you can get the infamous "tire sling".

 

Not for tires, for the fender trim. I use Zaino's tire stuff and I love it. No tire sling possible. Stay away from the silicone stuff...

The AUtoglym is certainly thick and greasy. My hands are covered with it along with anything I touch. it isn't easy to wash off, and doesn't wash out of the towel I destroyed using it. But I don't think it is too glossy on the trim at all, there isn't much gloss. Especially compared to peanut oil.

 

First, I'm close to the end of my current bottle of #40, so I think I hear opportunity knocking, for me to try out the Sonus. I haven't been to Autopia, in a while .

Additional news from Lake Wobegone:
Item: I first thought my dealership did me a nice service, buffing out some MEAN scratches (which they themselves inflicted) from the bonnet. Well, I parked me MCS under the cold cruel fluorescent lights @ home, and Wow did they ever mess me up! I have been SwirlMarked to death! Fool me twice, shame on ME . Thank goodness they ONLY "fixed" the bonnet!

6 months ago I would have flipped (and started asking copious questions in the forum). Now, I'm annoyed, but it's only a matter of finding the time to properly deal with it. I have Detailing 101 to thank for that .

Item: I did scrub ALL of the residual polish off ALL my exterior trim finally, with peanut oil. I found yet another use that doesn't involve touching paint, for a batch of cheapo MF towels I have (their other purpose in life is cleaning up my 16" V-Spokes , that'll teach 'em).

If you put a dab of p.o. on a cheapie MF towel, you can use a finger to spread it rather thickly, but controlled, at first. I don't know if I helped anything by then letting it be for a minute or 2. Then I used a different/clean cheapie and 2 or 3 fingers to SCRUBSCRUBSCRUB. Beats throwin' 'em out, I guess.

This seems to have REMOVED the gray/white residue, just as advertised. It's been weeks, and the too-obvious gray/white areas have not returned like they used to before p.o. Not only that, but all of that scrubbing REDUCES the mess, making the trim very close to ready to put on #40 or your favorite stuff, with very little additional prep.

It was fun to recommend peanut oil and my technique for application/removal, to another owner the other day (Met a young lady driving a LY/W, with polish-infested trim, in the parking lot outside The Container Store). She had been about to leave me a "nice car!" note.

Tatt