nikkistarr

I just bought the stuff, and I already swear by it. It's for polising exterior trim and molding. I have some before and after pictures of my door handles, bumpers (front and rear), mirrors, bumper molding, fenders... what a difference. It's not just for black, everything on my truck is gunmetal grey and it brought it back to it's original color/shine. Yeah, I'm cheap and went to WalMart to get it, but for 4 dollars, I was amazed! It's so easy too! Wipe on, wipe off after about five minutes. This stuff is great I strongly suggest trying it. Again it's called Back To Black Polish/Cleaner by Mother's.

__________________
Wide Open Throttle

Jim D.

nikkistarr,

Yes, I agree it's great on molded-in-color plastics. Some others on this forum in earlier posts dissed it, but I don't think they understood its intended purpose, which is as a restorative -- or dressing on steroids.

But it also works great to bring some sheen back to faded black windshield wiper arms and such. I find it to be very versatile.

On neglected trim it can take a couple of coats to bring the life back. I do find it best to lightly buff the last coat, especially if it's a very hard plastic.

I highly recommend its use before claying and/or polishing as it helps prevent any possible staining from detailing products. I'll usually let the Back-to-Black penetrate while I'm using my polish, wax and whatnot.

I consider it a must-have in just about anyone's detailing kit if they have older or neglected trim.

nikkistarr

My primary truck is my 93 Ford Ranger. I got it in January from the original owner, that had it down in Hawaii. Luckily the salt water left no room for rust, but the man was older and didn't wash/wax it, ever, and never took care of the trim. So this stuff was great. I found an excellent polish, when I go out to my shop I will certainly post about it, it's great too. What do you suggest for polish and soap?

__________________
Wide Open Throttle

Jim D.

I did want to clarify that it's not a polish/cleaner -- it's a restorative dressing. On some rubber trim, especially softer trim around some windows, it can really transfer a lot of oxidized black from the rubber trim to the applicator, so in cases like this I like to use a nitrile or rubber glove and an old terry sock or towel that I'll end up throwing away. Though a microfiber-covered foam applicator is nice to use, and they're cheap enough to toss if they get too grimy.

As for the paint, be sure you try a clay bar, since it sounds like it's so neglected. I do like the Mothers Clay Bar Paint Saving System (it includes the clay, lube and cleaner wax sample). However, most of the clay kits out there are good too.

I'm going to make it no secret I like Mothers stuff, but I do have an assortment of other brands, of course.

Polish really is hard to recommend until you get a better assessment of your paint condition and color, but the cleaner wax is a good start for the first go-round. If you feel you need more polishing next time, try a dedicated polish, followed by a dedicated wax -- or a 3-step system (clean & polish, seal & glaze, and then pure wax) to help rejuvenate the color a bit, if that's possible.

Almost any quality car wash is recommended, and I personally never really liked a wash/wax combo product.