How resistive to the sun are the exterior plastic parts on newer cars?

[denny33142]

I have a 2013 Genesis Coupe which has black plastic trim on the entire front fascia as well as hood scoops which are also made of plastic, the entire bottom rear (where the exhaust are) is also black plastic.

Since the car is sitting in the sun the whole time i usually take steps to protect the paint as much as possible, such as cleaning it every week and applying Collinite 845 every 3 months, However i am not sure what to do with all of the black pieces on the exterior.

Since car manufacturers seem so content on using these black pieces on the car i am wondering if they have also took measures to protect it against the sun similar to how the clearcoat protects the paint, I know that at least on older cars the black trims usually start fading much quicker than the paint itself.

[POWERMAN_]

Good thread, would love to know this as well...

[Setec Astronomy]

Can you afford to wait 5 years until your trim is damaged for the answer? At a minimum I would use an LSP as you have been (you mentioned 845), or perhaps a WOWA. A better solution would be something like Ultima Tire & Trim Guard (UTTG) or Wolfgang Exterior Trim Sealant (WETS). Even better would be a coating like Opti-Coat or Opti-Lens or DLux.

[KillaCam]

I would say no. Black textured plastic is cheaper to use than smooth painted plastic so of course manufacturers are going to save a ton of money that way.

I use duragloss 271 to all my exterior plastics. One day maybe I'll purchase Dlux and quit being cheap but my $8 bottle of 271 works well and a little goes a long way and lasts a long time.

[spiralout462]

I would say no. Black textured plastic is cheaper to use than smooth painted plastic so of course manufacturers are going to save a ton of money that way.

I use duragloss 271 to all my exterior plastics. One day maybe I'll purchase Dlux and quit being cheap but my $8 bottle of 271 works well and a little goes a long way and lasts a long time.

Good stuff! So is DG 301. :dblthumb2:

[BillE]

Meguiar's Ultimate Wax-LIQUID.

Bill

[FUNX650]

There have been great strides made in the Material Sciences': "plastics division".
I'll call it: "Progress for Polymers"!!

Sure...
-There are a few plastics that have been developed that include some that are "more weatherable"
than those previously used for automotive use. (Like: ASA/AES)

-But that doesn't mean all OEM's will use the latest and the greatest.
(If they do...expect a correlating-surcharge on the window sticker.)

-Or that the "newer plastics" will not eventually: 'Give way to the Gray'!!

Why is this? Here's a few reasons:

Ageing:
All plastics will undergo some amount of degradation over time.
It's the nature of the beast---an artifact of their chemical composition. (Think: 'Polymers')

Plasticizers:
-Over time (ageing) the plasticizers, that are added to plastics at the time of manufacturing, will leech/migrate-out.

-This causes the plastics to lose not only their flexibility, but they are left with imperfections---missing plasticizer molecules...
which can eventually cause splitting/cracking occurrences.(Think: Dashes. Then: Can ArmorAll's mantra: "We didn't do it"!!...be true?)

Chemical Exposure:
-Plastics (polymers) can be profoundly effected by exposure to chemicals...environmental and man-made.
Brittleness (loosening of the plastic molecules' bonds) occurs...which can only but hasten the plasticizers migration.

-What chemicals you wash a vehicle/vehicle's-plastics with can even have a bearing on plastics' life expectancy.

So...Even with today's advancements in plastics technologies...
IMHO: Best to keep the plastics always "sealed-up".
There has already been some excellent products recommended to do so.

:)

Bob

[PiPUK]

There have been great strides made in the Material Sciences': "plastics division".
I'll call it: "Progress for Polymers"!!

Sure...
-There are a few plastics that have been developed that include some that are "more weatherable"
than those previously used for automotive use. (Like: ASA/AES)

-But that doesn't mean all OEM's will use the latest and the greatest.
(If they do...expect a correlating-surcharge on the window sticker.)

-Or that the "newer plastics" will not eventually: 'Give way to the Gray'!!

Why is this? Here's a few reasons:

Ageing:
All plastics will undergo some amount of degradation over time.
It's the nature of the beast---an artifact of their chemical composition. (Think: 'Polymers')

Plasticizers:
-Over time (ageing) the plasticizers, that are added to plastics at the time of manufacturing, will leech/migrate-out.

-This causes the plastics to lose not only their flexibility, but they are left with imperfections---missing plasticizer molecules...
which can eventually cause splitting/cracking occurrences.(Think: Dashes. Then: Can ArmorAll's mantra: "We didn't do it"!!...be true?)

Chemical Exposure:
-Plastics (polymers) can be profoundly effected by exposure to chemicals...environmental and man-made.
Brittleness (loosening of the plastic molecules' bonds) occurs...which can only but hasten the plasticizers migration.

-What chemicals you wash a vehicle/vehicle's-plastics with can even have a bearing on plastics' life expectancy.

So...Even with today's advancements in plastics technologies...
IMHO: Best to keep the plastics always "sealed-up".
There has already been some excellent products recommended to do so.

:)

Bob

Nice post Bob.

There is a lot of work done to ensure that plastics are resilient to UV and environmental factors and there are facilities that test these things. Much as I hate to say it, I think that much of the damage that occurs is down to chemical exposure, like Bob points out. I cannot really comment on the US but, in the UK, road side car washers use strongly caustic cleaners which will do long term damage. Even detailers in the UK are guilty, often using products very close to those used by the road side guys (though rarely realising it). More than that, in the UK, detailers and valeters have to contend with a lot of tar and that means throwing paint thinners all over the vehicles. This latter factor is mostly ignored as troublesome, mainly down to clever marketing, but those more knowledgeable amongst us will know that, no matter what anyone tries to tell you and no matter whether you see it at the time of application or not, such strong chemicals will do long term harm to plastics.

[KillaCam]

Good stuff! So is DG 301. :dblthumb2:

I've tried it on rubber and it works well but on exterior vinyl it runs on the paint like crazy. Have you had similar experiences? Maybe I applied it too thickly?