Review: Solution Finish Plastic & Vinyl Restorer

[Mike Phillips]

Review: Solution Finish Plastic & Vinyl Restorer


At our most recent 3-day detailing boot camp class we used a severely neglected 2002 Chevy Avalanche as a training car for our students.

One of the areas we covered was how to restore faded, oxidized exterior plastic trim. To undo the damage and restore the factory new look we used Solution Finish by Chris West.

The before and after pictures pretty much tell the story....



Before










Half and half









After









From the inventor...

First of all, Solution Finish is not an ink, dye, or stain – it is solvent-based modified black carbon.

Solution Finish does 3 very important things that are different than your typical plastic dressing:

1) Because it's solvent-based, it actually dissolves the existing oxidation on the plastic part.

2) It puts the black carbon back into the microscopic pores of the part being treated.

3) It contains antioxidants and light stabilizers that prevent the UV radiation from further oxidizing the trim.

What I’ve done is milled the carbon 7 times, making it as small as a virus – so with our modified and penetrating oil, it is able to draw the black carbon deep into the pores of the plastic.

In silicone-based products, the molecules are too “fat” (as we call it) to do anything other than coat the surface – a Band-Aid, if you will.

Pure plastic does not oxidize – it's the impurities and additives in the plastic that actually break down and cause the oxidation process to start.

When silicone starts breaking down and gasses off, it creates a hydro-peroxide gas which actually accelerates the oxidation process. Once that happens, it doesn't stop unless you prevent the gasses from forming; Solution Finish does just that.

Regarding the Avalanche you’re going to be detailing, it's interesting to note that the truck has 6 different manufacturers of plastics to on the vehicle. The running boards, quarter panels, bed cover, cab extensions, bumper covers and tailgate cap are all made by different companies.

Therefore, they all are susceptible to deterioration in different ways. But, as you will see, Solution Finish brings the black back and keeps it there.

On Autogeek.com

Soluton Finish




You can check out the full write-up that also shows you how to prep the plastic and apply the product here,

How to do high quality production detailing - Your largest market!

[haris300]

Looks good Mike. Solution Finish is great stuff.

[Aaryn NZ]

Just a quick question Mike.

Have you used anything like Solution Finish before? I have tried many products on plastic trim with various success. Some last longer than others & some are plain rubbish but Solution Finish looks & reads as if its the "goods". Most last as long as the next rainfall & then you get the nasty streaking look. Because our country has a MASSIVE hole in the ozone layer right above it, most vehicles with this type of trim is dried out & faded just like this Avalanche.

Very impressed with what Chris West wrote, sounds like he knows his plastic & more importantly, he knows his product.

Excited to put Solution Finish in my shopping cart & give it a whirl down here in NZ.

Aaryn NZ.

[fly07sti]

Hey Mike. I've always wondered what the lines/wripple effect in dried out trim was. Would you happen to know what it is.

[MDX Detailing]

I read before the ripple look is from the injection molding process, but I still don't know why injection molding causes it.

How long will solution finish last? Will multiple applications yield better results?

[Kamakaz1961]

Thank you for the review. I will be placing an order for it soon as my Black Wow and Wolfgang Trim are running low. I will be re-ordering Wolfgang and will get the Solution Finish based on this review. Again, thank you!

[RFrommann]

the part about the 6 different manufactures was a nice piece of info, because i have noticed that the plastics on them are always faded to different colors! and if you look in your before pictures, it's very evident!

[Mike Phillips]

Just a quick question Mike.

Have you used anything like Solution Finish before?

No. Nothing exactly like Solution Finish.

Solution finish is a trim restorer but it's nothing like most trim restorers. The key with using Solution Finish is starting with a clean base. That is, starting with plastic that is completely clean and in a perfect world other trim dressings have not been previously applied as this will hinder penetration and bonding of Solution Finish.

If you are working on plastic that has been treated with some type of dressing then your goal is to get it as clean as possible and that's what we did when we washed it.


I'm a huge fan of machine scrubbing when it's possible, not so much because it does a great job of really getting the plastic clean but more because I'm lazy and I'd prefer to let the machine do all the work.

From our last 3-detailing class, look at our class really getting in there and scrubbing the plastic.

Clean plastic cladding
This Chevy Avalanche has a lot of dull, oxidized plastic cladding. During the washing step we also scrubbed and cleaned it to prepare it for Solution Finish.








Machine scrubbing plastic cladding

I'm working on getting another Chevy Avalanche with plastic cladding in just as bad a shape or worse for the next class.

From experience there are situations when it's not practical to use Solution Finish so two other trim coatings I like and think every detailer should have in their arsenal are,

Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant
CarPro Pearl

With all three of these products in your tool bag you can tackle any trim detailing project that comes your way.

[MDX Detailing]

How do you decide which trim product to use from your arsenal? Test spot? Experience?

[parttimer]

How do you decide which trim product to use from your arsenal? Test spot? Experience?

I go based on what the person is paying. If they pay for trim restore or coatings, I will usually do Solution Finish. A basic detail will get either PERL or WETS.