# Black Wow - A Little Test



## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

I know Black Wow has been around for quite some time, I confess I never really gave it a second look... seemed to be impressing some folk who used it at least  So, I now have myself some Black Wow to try and I think its about time I gave it a thorough work out on a variety of plastics in a variety of conditions.

Part of the problem with trim dressings is durability, and the huge variety of different plastics on the market they can be used on... water streaking appears to be another often complained about problem so they key for me to the following tests with Black Wow will be to assess just how durable the product is, on a variety of plastics through a variety of conditions. And to check its resistance to streaking 

But first of all, a quick test on application... Take on very old and faded plastic mirror, from a 1986 BMW M535i, cleaned thoroughly with APC:










In need of a little help... now normally, I'd dress a mirror like that with Autoglym Bumper Care, my trim dressing product of choice as I know that doesn't streak and it takes to most plastics well, looks good and lasts well _for a trim dressing_.

However, this was to be Black Wow's chance to prove its worth... So, a very small amount of Black Wow on a foam pad:










This was then worked well into the mirror for a good three or four minutes, working the residue in with light to medium pressure, using only very small amount and spreading the product on... kept going until nearly dry, despite aiming for very small amount, I still had a touch too much here. So, after about 20 mins, I buffed the mirror with a microfibre so it was dry to the touch and wasn't greasy on my finger.

We get:




























Looks impressive, thats for sure. Now, we need to see how long it lasts! This car belongs to a good friend of Bryan's, its being detailed steadily over many evenings and is used, but as a weekend car... so its going to be the light test for Black Wow. The big test for it has been lined up though!! 

Thoughts at this early stage - lovely product to use, very easy and a little goes a very long way... this gives it an advantage over and above the bottle lasting a long time, and that is its very clean to use... sometimes, the more watery Bumper Care can over spill a wee bit and can make a touch more of a mess while the Black Wow seemed a little more "precise" in use. Early days, initial impressions very good, a lot more evaluation to come


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## -ROM- (Feb 23, 2007)

looks a little too glossy for my liking. Something with a more matte effect would be better IMO.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

rmorgan84 said:


> looks a little too glossy for my liking. Something with a more matte effect would be better IMO.


You'll find this partly depends on the plastic you apply a dressing to, as well as the dressing itself.


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## Jakedoodles (Jan 16, 2006)

Dave - I've found wiping residue away with a paper towel, rather than an MF prevents the glossy look. I use BW on my van bumpers, cos they go a nasty gray, and it works a treat!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Wonderdetail said:


> Dave - I've found wiping residue away with a paper towel, rather than an MF prevents the glossy look. I use BW on my van bumpers, cos they go a nasty gray, and it works a treat!


If indeed prevention of gloss is the aim... but a glossy black sets off rather nicely with a solid red  _As long as it doesn't streak of course!_ Though I have found most trim detailers with the exception of Natural Looks to be of a glossy look on old BMW wing mirrors, the owner's 1987 E30 Cab was very similar.


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## monzablue16v (Jan 24, 2008)

I have found it does matt up after a day or two must be as it soaks in to the plastic or maybe mk2 golf bumpers are a different plastic, hard plastics always seem to go shiny


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

monzablue16v said:


> I have found it does matt up after a day or two must be as it soaks in to the plastic or maybe mk2 golf bumpers are a different plastic, hard plastics always seem to go shiny


Texture also has a lot to do with it as well... many plastics dont look glossy owing the the grain, much smoother plastics tend to look glossier when the are dressed... you can see the difference between this and the application of Black Wow to my Astra's bumper, post to be put up soon (comparison of various dressings so not complete yet). On the grainier plastic, the finish is far more matte.


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## hartzsky (Dec 23, 2007)

Looks good, I've found a good ol bottle of black Liquid Shoe Polish does just as good of job and only about 3 bucks, and lasts a long time.


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## lanciamug (May 18, 2008)

Dave KG said:


> Thoughts at this early stage - lovely product to use, very easy and a little goes a very long way... this gives it an advantage over and above the bottle lasting a long time, and that is its very clean to use... sometimes, the more watery Bumper Care can over spill a wee bit and can make a touch more of a mess while the Black Wow seemed a little more "precise" in use. Early days, initial impressions very good, a lot more evaluation to come


Dave, your AG Bumper Care is watery? Mine is a thick dark green gel like consistency! As I've said before, some of these product appear to vary considerably!


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

lanciamug said:


> Dave, your AG Bumper Care is watery? Mine is a thick dark green gel like consistency! As I've said before, some of these product appear to vary considerably!


I have three bottles of Bumper Care, and they do seem to vary slightly in consistency but never very thick gel, even after a lot of shaking of the bottle... more towards a watery nature.


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## Detailed Obsession (Mar 2, 2006)

rmorgan84 said:


> looks a little too glossy for my liking. Something with a more matte effect would be better IMO.


It's designed to give the plastic a deep, natural looking finish; the shine will die off after the first wash :thumb:

I find i get a realistic finish after a couple of washes, and this finish stays intact for a couple of months then, no problem.

It'll also shine if slightly too much is used, but again, the shine will die off when you wash the car. As Dave said, it can depend on the plastic too.

On my car, when i apply to the trim, i buff down with QD to get the true finish to show quicker than by washing (although you still don't get the 'proper' finish until the first wash. It makes my trim look really rich and deep in colour, without looking 'dressed' if that makes any sense...

Edit, looking back at Dave's original post, the plastic looks pretty smooth, rather than grainy, so i'd imagine its natural finish when new would have been shinier than the grained plastic trim on my car anyway.

Gareth


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## Bigpikle (May 21, 2007)

Dave - IIRC the instructions for BW were to wash after applying, to remove any surface residue and avoid any streaking issues.

I like it - only thing that works on the Saab bump strips and it does last - for me


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## fluffy (Sep 8, 2008)

Keeping an eye on this thread as I have a car from 1982 and one from 1986 that now have grey trims instead of black.
Still looking for the 'perfect' dressing, so one that doesn't streak and lasts for a reasonable time. 
Black Wow sounds promising so might give it a try...


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

I too will be keeping an eye on this anything to keep the bumpers on my mums Ka looking black...


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## m0bov (May 2, 2007)

Where can this stuff be got from and what sort of price?


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Rubbish Boys sell it:

http://www.carnaubawaxshop.co.uk/black-wow.html

and.. Detailed Obsession sells it, as does Elite Car Care. It's about £19.

http://www.detailedobsession.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=21&products_id=184

http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=50&products_id=403


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

I have found for extended longevity on all surfaces, that after cleaning with APC , a good old rub with IPA really helps.


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## rubbishboy (May 6, 2006)

RussZS said:


> Detailed Obsession sells it, as does Elite Car Care and a few others. It's about £19.
> 
> http://www.detailedobsession.com/catalog/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=21&products_id=184
> 
> http://www.elitecarcare.co.uk/product_info.php?manufacturers_id=50&products_id=403


Actually only one other in the UK. :wave:


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## alanjo99 (Nov 22, 2007)

rubbishboy said:


> Actually only one other in the UK. :wave:


Wouldn't be available from here, would it Ben ?

http://www.carnaubawaxshop.co.uk/black-wow.html

:thumb:


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## MidlandsCarCare (Feb 18, 2006)

Edited for accuracy


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## rubbishboy (May 6, 2006)

alanjo99 said:


> Wouldn't be available from here, would it Ben ?
> 
> http://www.carnaubawaxshop.co.uk/black-wow.html
> 
> :thumb:


:thumb:


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## m0bov (May 2, 2007)

£20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It would be cheaper to replace the trim that needs cleaning!!!!


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## CleanYourCar (Jan 23, 2006)

A good test Dave would be to see how it looks after it has rained a couple of times. I know all these trim dressings do tend to run slightly in the rain but I honestly couldn't see a benefit of this over other gel dressings. It definately does streak a bit, then you've got to work out if a 119ml bottle for £20 is better than something like New Look Trim gel which costs just over a tenner for 500ml and looks virtually identical.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

alanjo99 said:


> I have found for extended longevity on all surfaces, that after cleaning with APC , a good old rub with IPA really helps.


Its funny you should mention that as after speaking to Alan W thats exactly what I did  That BMW here is now fully completed, its a weekend car so its a light test - the red Astra will be a bigger test for it...


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

m0bov said:


> £20!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! It would be cheaper to replace the trim that needs cleaning!!!!


Not quite over an entire car... On cost per application, as I find you use less of it than many other trim dressings the initial outlay cost becomes less severe, if its more durable it may even prove cheaper and tests will be carried out to determine if this is the case... I can only say it works well thus far, if it lasts as well then on the small amount I used to do a whole E28, I'd happily recommend it at that price.



CleanYourCar said:


> A good test Dave would be to see how it looks after it has rained a couple of times. I know all these trim dressings do tend to run slightly in the rain but I honestly couldn't see a benefit of this over other gel dressings. It definately does streak a bit, then you've got to work out if a 119ml bottle for £20 is better than something like New Look Trim gel which costs just over a tenner for 500ml and looks virtually identical.


Good job I'm planning to put it up side by side with three other trim dressings for a durability test to see what its made of in comparison


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## BestGear (Mar 25, 2008)

...so....what is Dr Dave's opinion on the heat gun trick with "greyed" black plastic trim?

David


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

BestGear said:


> ...so....what is Dr Dave's opinion on the heat gun trick with "greyed" black plastic trim?
> 
> David


Stay tuned for a write up soon


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## Serious (Mar 19, 2008)

watery Bumper Care ???
Shake the bottle you must. lol


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## dominic84 (Jan 27, 2007)

> watery Bumper Care ???
> Shake the bottle you must. lol


Hehe, I was just about to say that - I've found this is epescially true for the five litre tins.


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Serious said:


> watery Bumper Care ???
> Shake the bottle you must. lol


Hasn't helped, trust me.


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

BestGear said:


> ...so....what is Dr Dave's opinion on the heat gun trick with "greyed" black plastic trim?
> 
> David


didn't go too well did it Dave 










I have been thinking about getting a bottle of this for a good while now but £18-£20 for a Tiny 4 OZ bottle has always put me off


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## Serious (Mar 19, 2008)

I use a small triangular makup sponge to apply BW. That way you don't get loads of product being soaked up.

And a little goes a long long way.


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## Alan W (May 11, 2006)

Great Test Dave! :thumb: Glad you're liking Black Wow, so far!

Black Wow does seem to perform best on textured plastic, rather than smooth, but does not streak when properly applied, ie thorough IPA clean followed by applying the least amount possible. Really, less is more with Black Wow and a very small amount will spread out amazingly far! Try it.  Although the bottle is small it will typically last a new Mini owner (with plastic all around the perimeter of the car) over 2 years. :thumb:

I look forward to your results on various cars and plastics. 

Thanks,

Alan W


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## Detailed Obsession (Mar 2, 2006)

Yes, BW performs superbly on textured (grained) plastic. This is on my car, around 6 weeks after application:










In my experience, BW is so far removed from 'normal' trim dressings that it's certainly worth the extra. It's so concentrated that the size of the bottle is irrelevant compared to other products - you use so little it'll still easily last as long; the durability means that you also apply less often. Why use large amounts from a big bottle regularly, when you can use small amounts from a small bottle far less frequently?

If you use it correctly, you'll also get no streaking, no matter how much it rains on it. The only way i can make it streak is by deliberate incorrect application (namely, applying too much and not buffing the product enough) - so if anyone ever suffered that, i'd advise IPAing off what's on there, and re-apply with less product, and really buff it out.

My original bottle is used on all of my and my family's cars, and all customer cars, and i've used less than a quarter in what must be getting on for a year now...

Gareth


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## Stew (Jul 9, 2007)

I have pretty faded bumpers on my freelander. They are pretty patchy. Would black wow actually make them nice again or will it just shine up the faded grey?


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## Dave KG (Feb 23, 2006)

Stew said:


> I have pretty faded bumpers on my freelander. They are pretty patchy. Would black wow actually make them nice again or will it just shine up the faded grey?


Thats exactly what I'm looking into, also with the potential of using heat to restore and Black Wow to "dress"... 

Will keep you posted


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## andy monty (Dec 29, 2007)

Dave KG said:


> Thats exactly what I'm looking into, also with the potential of using heat to restore and Black Wow to "dress"...
> 
> Will keep you posted


this any interest to you dave ?

http://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=87256


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## gug54321 (Apr 30, 2008)

using heat is also a good way to get rid of the scratches on interior trims!


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## Ross (Apr 25, 2007)

Rich found it didnt last that long


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## hartzsky (Dec 23, 2007)

My test results yielded about 17 days. And that was on a very well prepped surface, on bumpers, door handles and rear view mirrors. It rained twice during that time. My conclusion is that this product does not like moisture at all and will deteriorate once its exposed to the elements. The Wow looks fantastic upon application but does not even come close to the claim of "months and months" that is imprinted on the back of the bottle. Considering the cost of this, in comparison to its competition, quite frankly a product that I would not buy again. A tire gel will perform just as well and costs about 1/3 of the Wow.


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