I recently had a chance to detail a Lincoln Mark LT and at the base of the windshield, I got a chance to document a very important application technique for severely faded plastic trim.

This is what the truck looks like


This is the trim at the base of the windshield


After the first application of BW, you can see a noticeable improvement


Looks great so far!

But after a washing and an hour later, the BW looks faded already




Most newbies would give up and say BW is a piece of junk. However, what I always tell people is that BW needs to fully absorb and saturate the plastic and on severely oxidized trim, it needs more time to absorb. So I applied more product.

Seems to look even better now.




A total of 3 applications were made, spread over the course of the 12 hour detail.


So as a final test, I applied BW over the untreated adjacent area, and despite putting on multiple coats in a hurry, in an hours time, the area that wasn't allowed to soak is visibly lighter than the properly treated side.



What this means is that BW will continue to improve the neglected trim, the longer it's been allowed to soak. There is a direct relationship to durability. The better you apply BW, the longer it will last. Over time, as you start to see it fade, a quick application of BW will prolong the life.

Don't have any Black Wow? Buy it from one of the NAM vendors such as Alta Performance Products, Detailers Paradise, MINICorsa, MINIMania.com, Way Motorsports, or from myself at ShowCarSupplies.com

Richard

 

Good info, Richard.

Wow, that must have been a b!tch to apply, with all those slots, nooks, and crannies.

 

Good write-up and great photos. I have a question regarding BW soaking into the plastic parts over time. Have you had any experience with painting plastic parts that have been previously treated with BW over a long period of time? I've found that silicone can be very hard to get out of plastic prior to painting, and can easily lead to "fish-eyes" in the final painted finish. In fact, I've even had silicone soak into metal - I once had to repeatedly oven-bake a contaminated hood and wipe it down with metal prep after each baking to get all of the silicone out.

I'm curious because I'm planning on painting the arches/trim on our two MINIs. I've purchased an entire set of new trim pieces for my wife's car, but if I can get away with simply cleaning the trim on my car rather than replacing it, that would save me a few hundred dollars.

 

For the sake of longevity of the paint, and the fact that paint isn't expensive, but the labor to prep, and finish the pieces after painting is---I'm assuming you will probably be doing this yourself, I personally wouldn't risk it, and would just use new pieces.

Course if you really HAD to save the costs of getting new trim, I've found that full strength Simple Green works pretty well to clean up BW spills. I'd probably soak the trim in SG baths for a day or so. I haven't tried this however, but it's something I would try.

I do know that SG baths are great for stripping things. I believe our shop uses SG to strip chrome, but I could be wrong on that..I know it is used to prep metals.

Richard

 

Very interesting. On my 7 year old Town & Country, one application of BW did great on the plastic below the windshield and it still looks good months later... but the grille behaved similar to the first example you showed - looked very good initially, but after a washing or two it reverted to its original gray. I'll try it again with multiple "soaking" coats and see how that does!

 

Cool. .I'll get an email every 3 or 4 months from someone not getting the results they expect...and till now, hadn't experienced the problem myself..so I was pretty happy to be able to document it. From what I've seen, it only happens with really severely faded trim. Trim in good condition needs less product.

Note that I applied it with the pea sized amounts..and let it soak for hours. Came back, and applied some more. Not back to back, and not gobs and gobs of BW for each application.

Richard

 

Great photos Richard I must say, when I apply BW liberality, and just leave it alone, the end result is better than applying a more normal amount, and wiping it down.

Mark

 

Hey, Mark... I might do that if I'm not going to drive the MINI for a week or so. Otherwise, if there's a lot of BW on the trim, it's a dirt/dust magnet.

 

Richard, thanks for the write-up. It helps me understand what has happened to me on older cars.

Could you share with me how you applied BW to that vent? The nooks and crannies look impossible to get into, but you did it!!!

Thanks!

 

For me, after the "soaking" period, I wipe the surface dry in the same way as if I did only one application. That should minimize any dust attraction.

Sadly, it's just patience and tools like qtips and swabs. I also used a small waffle weave microfiber towel to apply the BW to get a bit more coverage. Some of you have received my 12x12 "claying towels" in your orders..and that's the same towel I used..maybe it should be called MINI Waffle instead.

Richard

 

Hi Richard:
When is the PW going on sale? I would like to order both BW and PW at the save time.
Thanks
Gary

 

Depending on how you have it shipped, there shouldn't be much cost savings by buying them together instead of separately..since one bottle is less than a pound, but two will take it over one pound, putting it into the two pound price range.

Regardless, I'm having financial issues right now that's preventing me from getting the PW through production. Sorry about that. I don't have an ETA at the moment, though it will be as soon as possible.

Richard