Announcement

Collapse
No announcement yet.

DIY: Black Plastic Restoration

Collapse
X
 
  • Filter
  • Time
  • Show
Clear All
new posts

    #31
    Originally posted by trippmann View Post
    I just applied it to the plastic around the wipers. ill check back in after some time.
    Sounds good. Looks a lot better doesnt it?
    Current:
    1989 325i
    1988 M3
    1987 325ic
    Past:
    2001 330ci
    2001 M3

    Comment


      #32
      What other materials can this work on?

      Comment


        #33
        Thanks for the write up!

        Comment


          #34
          Thanks for the write-up! Yesterday I did a trial run of the procedure on my US-spec grilles to see how it works before I try it on my soon-to-be installed Euro-grilles. My grilles were pretty much gray & white, and after the treatment, they look nice & black again.

          Couple of tips for doing grilles -
          1) Wrap a flat head screwdriver with a thin cloth for both applying and removing the solution to reach the tough spots in between the slats. It took me about 45 minutes to do each grille & 15 minutes for the kidneys.
          2) If I had nicer paint on my bumper, I'd be worried about any remaining thinner washing down onto it when the grilles get wet for the first time. You may want to thoroughly rinse the grilles off before reinstalling them. I feel pretty good that I got most of it off.
          3) Rubbing the solution off the plastic is important, because this is when you are actually removing the contaminants & dirt. Don't just wipe the cleaning solution off, rub it good. Keep in mind that products like Armor-All just leave the dirt stuck on the plastic, so you really only need to wipe it on, whereas this procedure intends to clean the dirt off.

          I plan to drive around with these grilles for the summer, so I'll post up a pic if how they look after a few months of sun & rain. I'd say the grilles look about 95% as good as if I had painted them with trim paint, but this way I don't have to deal with chipping paint 5 years down the road...

          I'm pretty happy with the results, but see for yourself.

          BEFORE:


          AFTER:


          R135 /// 1990 Alpinweiß II 325is
          └┼┼┘ /// 1993 Black/Black Convertible (sold)
          ..24

          Comment


            #35
            Impressive, going to go try this later this week.

            Comment


              #36
              Thanks for posting that. Any black plastic thats faded, Ive used this stuff on, and it really helps bring it back to life.
              Current:
              1989 325i
              1988 M3
              1987 325ic
              Past:
              2001 330ci
              2001 M3

              Comment


                #37
                thanks for this DIY. I just wanted to share my experience using it.

                I have an extra set of side mirrors and I decided that I should try to restore it using this DIY instead of painting it over. I was worried about how boiled linseed oil can spontaneous combustion so I wanted to try it on something I can easily replace before I attempt to do it on all my black plastics (i.e. the side trims and the bumpers).

                Here are the results:

                1. the before pics of the side mirrors before I applied the solution:


                2. the after pics:


                Although, the top one looks wet it dried off to look like this:


                3. finally, a side by side comparison with the side mirrors that were currently on my car:


                I was going to wait awhile and see if anything bad happens (like exploding mirrors) before I put them on my car, but couldn't wait and decided to swap them out the same day. They have been on my car and exposed to the sun for about a month now and I still don't see any negative changes.

                This stuff really works! Next, I am going to try it out on the black plastic running boards of my SUV and see how it handles there, but I suspect it will turn out just fine.

                Comment


                  #38
                  A word of advice to all who try this: Don't get it on your paint. My brother sloppily applied some of the mixture onto my side moldings and got some on the paint. It does come off, its just a pain in the ass.

                  Comment


                    #39
                    The paint thinner didn't damage your paint? I'll add painters tape to my shopping list now... Thanks!


                    Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                    Comment


                      #40
                      just did my grilles, wiper cowling, and wiper arms - looks great! keep in mind this is like a wax - the oil dries to form a thin film, so you really want to get as much excess off as possible. I noticed when doing my kidneys that it did a nice job restoring the "chrome" on them, but then when i tried the diving boards it made a mess. still looks better actually but the dried film is super sticky and attracting dust. so i'd say keep it off the chrome/DBs generally.

                      it did nothing for the cosmoline on my air box though - OP did you do anything else to remove the cosmoline? even straight mineral spirits didn't do much, though it seemed to soften a little.
                      '89 lachssilber vert - Frau Blücher
                      '84 alpine 2dr - gone to the great beyond...
                      '00 titanium 4dr e46 - bricked

                      Comment


                        #41
                        Originally posted by Semblance View Post
                        just did my grilles, wiper cowling, and wiper arms - looks great! keep in mind this is like a wax - the oil dries to form a thin film, so you really want to get as much excess off as possible. I noticed when doing my kidneys that it did a nice job restoring the "chrome" on them, but then when i tried the diving boards it made a mess. still looks better actually but the dried film is super sticky and attracting dust. so i'd say keep it off the chrome/DBs generally.

                        it did nothing for the cosmoline on my air box though - OP did you do anything else to remove the cosmoline? even straight mineral spirits didn't do much, though it seemed to soften a little.
                        I dont think there was cosmoline on my airbox. So I cant help you there, sorry.
                        Current:
                        1989 325i
                        1988 M3
                        1987 325ic
                        Past:
                        2001 330ci
                        2001 M3

                        Comment


                          #42
                          Oh, I thought that was cosmoline sort of flaking in your first pic. Thanks though, and thanks for this awesome fix!
                          '89 lachssilber vert - Frau Blücher
                          '84 alpine 2dr - gone to the great beyond...
                          '00 titanium 4dr e46 - bricked

                          Comment


                            #43
                            Originally posted by Semblance View Post
                            Oh, I thought that was cosmoline sort of flaking in your first pic. Thanks though, and thanks for this awesome fix!
                            First off, jharuimn thank you for the write up! Worked very well on the plastics on my car.

                            Secondly, Semblance check this out http://www.r3vlimited.com/board/show...moline+removal
                            Here's a video as well.


                            Hope this helps! :D

                            Comment


                              #44
                              yeah, i was hoping for a solvent. we'll see if i have the energy for the heat gun. sorry for being off topic.

                              thanks!
                              '89 lachssilber vert - Frau Blücher
                              '84 alpine 2dr - gone to the great beyond...
                              '00 titanium 4dr e46 - bricked

                              Comment


                                #45
                                DIY: Black Plastic Restoration

                                Tried this today.... Could use a 2nd application in the future but not bad and easier that painting them!

                                After


                                Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

                                Comment

                                Working...
                                X