fixing faded plastic

[debbie]

OK just to try and keep this a short as I can. I was talking to a guy at work that had his own valeting business and he told me how to get black plastic trim back to black.
He said to use a heat gun but said to be careful as on the thinner plastics the gun could distort or make the plastic go wavy.
Know I don't have a heat gun as such but did have a hobby heat gun for drying glue on cards. Any way I thought I would give it a try on the peace under the windshield, so hears some pics tell me what you guys think.

the first pic is as i took it off the car

the second pic is after i done a small peace

the rest is the finished thing with a bit of trim cleaner


http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102096&stc=1&d=1256644696

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102097&stc=1&d=1256644696

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102098&stc=1&d=1256644696

http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102099&stc=1&d=1256644696


http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=102100&stc=1&d=1256644696

 

[1Gab Laser]

So you just heat up the plastic or is there some techique to it? Would a hair dryer or something work?

 

[Eclipsed]

i just painted mine and it looks great.

 

[KYNDL7]

Nice results I was going to paint mine but now I will be trying this first.

 

[dannyd97gst]

i just painted mine and it looks great.

Me too, and the wipers as well.
Years ago Dodge had a tsb for doing this on the running boards. It DOES work but with a real heat gun you have to be very careful.

 

[Kickerbeast]

Does it only work on black plastic, or would it work on interor pieces as well if they are faded?

 

[Eclipsed]

Nice results I was going to paint mine but now I will be trying this first.

my plastic was just kinda messed up and needed to be sanded down. after that the plastic restore stuff wouldnt work. so i just painted it. did the same thing to my fog light covers too.

looks really good.

 

[TSIAWDTalon]

On smooth plastic pieces, you would be surprised what a little rubbing compound and some elbow grease will do.

 

[Fabian]

dude, this isnt a very good write up at all. What the hell are we supposed to do with the heat gun? Did you put something on the plastic before you used the heat gun? do a step by step write up man! This could help ALOT of people out

 

[debbie]

Sorry for the lack of info but i done this about an hour before i went to work
There’s not much to it you just take the heat gun and go back and forth until the plastic changes color a bit like coloring in really. But like i said be careful if your using a heat gun that’s meant for say paint stripping

 

[Flash]

I spent $35 at my local dealer and just bought a whole new trim piece. I tried Mother's back-to-black and it worked, but nothing can compare with a brand new OEM trim piece and for the price you just can't beat it.

 

[Fabian]

ha, its hard to believe that just using a heat gun will bring the color back out of it. thats funny! I use this real oily stuff that works really damn well, it lasts a long time, but its still kind of a hassle to put it on when I wash the car and all.

 

[TSIAWDTalon]

ha, its hard to believe that just using a heat gun will bring the color back out of it. thats funny! I use this real oily stuff that works really damn well, it lasts a long time, but its still kind of a hassle to put it on when I wash the car and all.

I have seen it done before, BUT you can really fubar a piece up quick if your not careful.

 

[Thomas91169]

interesting.

with products like Black WOW and Forever Black (Trim dye) I dont see this process as being worth the risk. Back2Black is really crappy, you would get better results using peanut butter (seriously, visit a detailing forum) than that OTC crap that resembles mangoo.

I use Black WOW on all my cars and love it. Its not a dye like Forever Black but its a whole lot better than Back2Black, lasts way longer and doesnt streak if you use it correctly.

 

[Trav83]

I might have to try this come spring time (no garage, and I live in NY). I used plastic spray paint on my interior pieces, looked good for a while but then it starting peeling and looked terrible so I just stripped it all off. Thanks for the tip

 

[hhuricane]

They did something similar on "Trucks" on Spike. You gently go over the part just until the parts starts to change color. Don't hold it on there for too long as will melt the plastic. It won't work on everything but it is worth a try.