A lot of the plastic bits in my miata have gotten a bit more gray then black due to time and the sun fading them. Is there a product that will help bring them back to black? I'm pretty sure not a lot can be done, as I suspect the damage is done. But just thought maybe someone knew of something to help richen the black up.
any ideas?
Mothers Back-to-Black Trim & Plastic Restorer and Griots Interior Detailer live on my shelves.
When Back-to-Black doesn't get it done I've had good results with Krylon Fusion satin black... just don't tell the Pebble Beach judges.
I have heard, but not verified, that judiciously threatening a faded plastic part with a heat gun can help bring back the color.
My go-to fix for faded black parts is a can of SEM Color Coat in Landau Black. It bonds like crazy to plastic and looks for all the world like OEM black plastic. It's seriously good stuff.
DarkMonohue said:I have heard, but not verified, that judiciously threatening a faded plastic part with a heat gun can help bring back the color.
Depends on the type of plastic. I don't know the right type of plastic, but I have seen it done before. It basically brings the oil in the plastic out to the top; it faded because it dried out. At least that was my understanding of it.
Sem Color Coat Black of some flavor is probably your best bet. The Shop I run, regular Sem Trim Black is best seller by far but works better on older metal dashes as opposed to newer plastic ones. That was right from one of the Sem tech support guys I've spoken to.
Here's a before and after example of SEM Color Coat on a kid's bike seat. I have used it to restore and recolor faded plastic and vinyl stuff many times over the last ~30 years and have only ever been disappointed if I failed to properly clean and degrease the part. If you prep the surface correctly, it's absurdly tough. I've never seen it flake or peel if the part is in decent condition and prepared correctly.
In reply to bludroptop :
If you use a rattle can to fix it, make sure there's no silicone on the surface. Paint and silicone don't get along in my experience.
A good scrub with dish detergent preps the surface for the SEM paint. That stuff is magical.
Ceramic coating has worked very well and lasted on exterior plastics so I'm sure it'd work good on interior plastics
I have used a heat gun on the exterior plastics on my former 1986 GTi.
Pay attention to what you are doing and do not pause in any one area too long.
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