what to use on exterior plastic unpainted trim?

[ron7000]

have a black 2006 gmc sierra, the factory plastic fender flairs which are black, and the mirrors which are the manual extendable type that stick out and extra foot that's all black plastic. And I had a 2002 camaro, bottom of the windshield were the wipers sit was that black plastic think whatever its called. What's a good product to use on PLASTIC stuff like that which is not painted? Mostly interested in something that will pull out minor wax residue and clean/protect and also act as a dressing so it makes the plastic somewhat shiny. And on a 2018 outback the plastic roof rail things that run lengthwise that i will never use other than to impregnate wax in to. thanks.

[MarkD51]

Hi, and welcome to the forum.

There's a good number of ways you could go. This will have to be your personal choice.

First off, and I'd say before you use any type of protectant and final dressing, you'd probably be wise to first clean well, and I might suggest a good and safe wax removal product. I think I can recall two that are sold here, and are specifically designed for removing such stubborn to remove waxes off of trim would be from McKees, and Griots Garage.

McKee's 37 Wax Remover for Plastic removes dried on wax from plastic rubber vinyl trim (https://www.autogeek.net/wax-remover-for-plastic.html)



All Purpose Cleaners sometimes help clean, depends on which one, some can be pretty aggressive. Products such as Simple Green come to mind, and I have damaged a few number of different surfaces messing with this product.

There's a number of pretty good products sold here that could be considered protectants and/or dressings. A few that come to mind that work very nicely, are Ultima Trim Guard Plus, Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant, and Blackfire also makes a Multi-Purpose Protectant that works well and can be used on just about any surface, interior or exterior.

But, if you want something even more durable, and longer lasting than these few I mention above, then a Trim Coating would be the best bet.

Such a product would be Carpro CQuartz DLX. This is extremely durable, can withstand very high temperatures, can be used on basically any wheels, painted, chrome, polished, can withstand even being applied to Motorcycle Exhaust Pipes.

It's a little trickier to apply, but I have used this product a good many times myself. As for difficult to clean trim parts which are a pain to deal with such as windshield wiper cowls, wheels, and will hold up for a long time to the ravages of all 4 seasons, CQuartz DLX gets my vote.

All the products I mention here in my reply contain no dyes, and can be used on any color trim.

[ron7000]

thanks.
few years ago i had ordered these two:
- meguiars 40 vinyl & rubber cleaner conditioner, I am out of it and liked it because it was watery and easy to apply work in and achieve the clean and dress goal i was after but it made no mention of good on plastic.
-meguiars natural shine proectant, still have a full bottle it's thick white and i find it hard to work in and do any type of cleaning its mostly a pure dressing/conditioner after the surface has been cleaned.

should have mentioned i'm not hard set on something that both cleans and conditions, looking mostly for conditioning/protecting/shining plastic like what a spray tire dressing does for tire sidewalls. After I have the car waxed I can easily go over the plastic with my bristle brush and some detail spray or glass cleaner to pull out the wax in plastic, i typically have already scrubbed the plastic with some all purpose cleaner prior to using claybar when washing. So I'm not hard up on cleaning project so much as a plastic dressing, the 40 I thought was ok on plastic and was priced right and i was ok reapplying every couple weeks.

[minerigger]

Wolfgang exterior trim sealant...solution finish black, or a coating like carpro dlux, gtechnique c4.

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[minerigger]

Wolfgang or WETS works great and a little goes a long way. Solution finish works great and a little goes a long way. Coatings a little goes a long way and it lasts quite a while

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[FUNX650]

- meguiars 40 vinyl & rubber cleaner
conditioner, I am out of it and liked it
because it was watery and easy to
apply work in and achieve the clean
and dress goal i was after

Considering the praise found
in the above testimonial: I’ll
suggest to stay with Meguiar’s
M40; it’s top-shelf, IMO.




but it made no mention of
good on plastic.

Vinyl is the world's most versatile
plastic material.


Bob

[AZpolisher15]

Though not a long lasting solution, I really like Duragloss 253 for the things you mention. It'll last weeks if it doesn't get wet. Control sheen with additional coats. You might also consider an initial application of WOlfgsng exterior trim sealant. And then 253 after washes to give it that "dressed" look.

[TTQ B4U]

have a black 2006 gmc sierra, the factory plastic fender flairs which are black, and the mirrors which are the manual extendable type that stick out and extra foot that's all black plastic. And I had a 2002 camaro, bottom of the windshield were the wipers sit was that black plastic think whatever its called. What's a good product to use on PLASTIC stuff like that which is not painted? Mostly interested in something that will pull out minor wax residue and clean/protect and also act as a dressing so it makes the plastic somewhat shiny. And on a 2018 outback the plastic roof rail things that run lengthwise that i will never use other than to impregnate wax in to. thanks.

Keep it simple......mineral oil on a MF Rag will pull it off with ease. I've tried various wax removers and they pale in comparison.

In terms of protection and looks, Gyeon Q2 TRIM. A few drops goes a LOOONG way too. I've done a dozen or so cars with it thus far and it's awesome. Nice deep dark color with a Satin finish. I'll post a handful of pics next.

[TTQ B4U]

Here's an example of what it can do on a Brand New Vehicle. The color and finish stays too.

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/167849797/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/167849800/original.jpg




http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/167725704/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/167736768/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/167736772/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/167736738/original.jpg

http://www.pbase.com/timothylauro/image/167848428/original.jpg

[Jon TDS]

Meg's Hyperdressing is a staple for us.

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[BillE]

Give Meguiar's Ult LIQUID Wax a go for all that plastic. It will not stain plastic.

I have two vehicles that between them have more plastic that a box of Revell models and works like a champ!

I will add...I've been doing this since Meg's introduced ULW without any issues.

Bill

Bill