Hey guys, im looking to restore the trim on my '98 because it has faded to a light gray color. But im not sure what to use. i have found some paints for the trim and i have found some oils that are supposed to restore the color also. Does anyone have suggestions on what works and what doesnt?

 

I've seen people talk about Mother's Back To Black, plain ol' spray paint (well Krylon Fusion), propane torch, and even peanut butter. There's also bedliner, this rattle can stuff I used on the door molding made it a dark grey color with a decent texture.

 

get some mother's back to black, if that doesn't work i would recommend plastidip since it has a nice rubbery texture, cleans easy, and is removable (and re-doable).

if you don't wanna spend money but have some tire blacker that will work too, but not as well.

 

Wait, What?


I tried the mother's stuff on a different vehicle, wasn't impressed. Didn't last very long. I'm curious about the flame-toasted peanut butter though. I have some interior trim that is fading, and well....combining fixing that with lunch would be awesome. Does grape jelly help? Planning purposes and all...

 

Heat gun was the quickest easiest way I've found.

 

I tried ,y propane torch on a spare piece I had. It did good but left it a little streaky. I'm sure if I'd taken more time it would have been just fine though.

 

having done detailing in the past, the "tricks" never seem to work long term besides the heat gun method...but its easy to screw it up if you are not careful

your best bet IMO if your looking for long term, uniform and maintenance free results



that stuff matches fairly well....i resprayed a belt molding and window trim for my XJ i got at a junkyard

if your doing the flares and bumper pieces, and you do them all at once they will match

 

I just used black trim paint from oreillys, and it worked fine. I did have to apply it twice to get a good streak free even color.

 

i just used a standard black spray paint and it has stayed black without fading for almost 2 years now. the heat gun method does work great but keep away from your paint if you go that route

 

I just used Renu trim restorer. It worked pretty well, the bumpers look brand new. The side trim came out black but its a little lighter then the bumpers. It's supposed to last 12 months. As others said, paint is probably a better long term option.

 

I heard paint or dye is the way to go. The oil-based restoration treatments are not permanent and will most likely fade over time, as they do not bond to the plastic, but they make it nice and shiny for a while. I just ordered this stuff:
I will let you know how it goes, but for the most part, it seems to get very positive reviews, other than the fact that it can be a PITA to apply. At the advice of reviewers, I ordered a secondary foam brush to apply it.

 

Probably has to do with the peanut oil in the peanut butter....putting oil on anything makes it better, right?

 

I just had horrible horrible visions of someone rubbing their XJ down in Vaseline...

 

I used a magic eraser and some diluted dish soap on the door handles...came out pretty good