# Re-Blacking Trim /Bumpers



## andy monty

Right first of all I Don't want to steal Dave KG's Thunder as i know he is planning a similar test/writeup but i beat you to it dave 

Take my Mums Ka with the black textured bumpers and a bored kind Son on a sunday....

First off the kit used/ needed:










Some kind of solvent to remove all residue from prior treatments.. ( i used tetrosyl Pre wipe degreaser) and spray bottle
A pile of old Microfibres,
Gloves (to protect from degreaser)
Detailing Brush,
Black WOW,
Heat Gun,
Foam pad (for applying black wow)
Some Quick Detailer,

(and to be on the safe side a suitable Fire extinguisher handy. The solvent is highly volatile and you generate static when rubbing with a MF better be safe than sorry)

Eye protection would be a good idea too....

The car Is a Ford KA on a 53 plate and over the years has had rather a few treatments of black trim products...

as you can see the textured grain is well filled with various products



















Anyhow before i started i removed as much i could using a Solvent pre wipe (intended to be used prior to painting)

this was applied as a spray left for 30 seconds then rubbed off well

(NB obviously this will remove any wax or LSP already on the car if you get over spray onto the body work)










this took some rubbing and a pile of cloths as they soon got contaminated










I then moved the car well away from where i was working and left the car an hour to allow the solvent to gas off

Then broke out the heat gun. (obviously a heat gun and volitile solvent's dont get along well and can cause a serious fire so take care if doing indoors vent the garage fully till the solvent has dissipated )

also don't touch the tip of the heat gun as it gets very hot (guess how i found that  ) also fully uncoil the extension lead






using rapid sweeping side to side and slowly moving up (the heat rises so pre warms the plastic above) Use extreme caution doing this take great care around fixing points as the heat can soften the plastic and deform due to the tension of the fixings)

if you have any darker or lighter spots re warm the area to blend them in (take your time)

if you keep the heat gun close to the trim not only is it faster but you only heat the surface and not the whole thickness meaning the trim keeps it shape

Next allow the trim to cool fully (make no attempt to rub,touch or brush the trim whilst its hot or you'll damage it)

give the area a light wipe over with a drop of QD to remove and residue

next with the foam applicator put a SMALL drop of black wow onto the pad and rub in well an area at a time










and leave for 20 mins then with a clean MF cloth buff off (with a quick spritz of QD if you have any stubborn spots)

Then sit back with a beer and admire your hand work (just got to do the front now :bang: )

Before









After


















appologys for the spelling and poor grammar but its not my strong point :thumb:

But i hope it helps (want any tips dave  )

EDIT : just to add some from pictures from the front.... (front plate removed as it was cracked by a stone chip just got to put a new one on )

Before:










After:


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## Stew

Good stuff. Stella never helps the spelling and grammar either!


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## rfmatt

Good effort there fella, very interesting!


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## andy monty

Stew said:


> Good stuff. Stella never helps the spelling and grammar either!


Nor do the vapours from the solvent


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## chris l

Nice work thanks


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## Griff

MMMM is it me or do those bumpers look patchy?


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## andy monty

Griff said:


> MMMM is it me or do those bumpers look patchy?


Yes griff to be honest they arn't 100% as you start a job "mum do you need the car today?" "no" so you get started get half way through and you get the infamous "how long will you be?" :wall: and i wanted some form of lime scale/ brick cleaner remover to remove the in ground water marks but couldn't get any today

but the theory is sound I'm going to have another go at it at some point but its far less patchy than it was :thumb:


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## dazzerjp

andy monty said:


> Yes griff to be honest they arn't 100% as you start a job "mum do you need the car today?" "no" so you get started get half way through and you get the infamous "how long will you be?" :wall: and i wanted some form of lime scale/ brick cleaner remover to remove the in ground water marks but couldn't get any today
> 
> but the theory is sound I'm going to have another go at it at some point but its far less patchy than it was :thumb:


yeah, just needs a few more passes.

I did the same last week on a 15 year old Honda. Without doubt, this method is the most effective Ive found and its lasts.

The only thing is it does tend to gloss the trim a bit too much. Need to add something to dull it slightly, but dont know what


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## 1000lakes

Lose the nozzle on the heatgun and move it in circular motion, less patches. 
If it doesn't work without it doesn't have enough power.


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## green-blood

Used a heat gun on my GOLF mk3 GTI last week, very successfull.


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## lee-bowman

why is a Heat Gun used? 

is it not right to just clean up and apply Black Wow?


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## green-blood

not much use on12 year old GREY bunmpers!!!:tumbleweed:


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## 1000lakes

Are you sure? I heatgunned grey golf bumpers and they turned out to be actually black.:lol:


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## novacabrio

Excellent guide. I did this ages ago to my bumpers on one of my Novas and always intended on doing a guide.



lee-bowman said:


> why is a Heat Gun used?
> 
> is it not right to just clean up and apply Black Wow?


 The heat gun melts the plastic back to the colour it should be. If you just use a bumper treatment once that wears off the bumper will just fade back to how it was before.



green-blood said:


> not much use on12 year old GREY bunmpers!!!:tumbleweed:


The Nova bumper I did were grey and it had the same effect










right is before, middle is just heat gun and the left is heat gunned and treated. Not sure what treatment I used as it was donated by a friend

Finished result was excellent


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## GeeJay

Excellent write up there  Well done!


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## Leodhasach

Nice one :thumb: I prep sale cars for my boss sometimes, and I always cringe when a Ka with faded bumpers comes through! :wall:

Glad my own car has painted bumpers, needless to say...


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## Dave KG

Nice review and write up there, interesting results as well


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## hardhitter

What method do people suggest masking part painted, part plastic bumpers and trim ? Obviously don't want to damage good paint with a head gun.


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## Jeffers01

Great guide. Another one in the 'cross fingers and hope I don't permanently damage the motor' category... but I just gotta try it!! :doublesho


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## Alsone

Consider also Plasticare Dye:

http://cgi.ebay.co.uk/Plasticare-Tr...ryZ72203QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Pictures linked from the Civic Forums (not my car or images):



















http://www.civinfo.com/forum/styling/39762-staining-grey-type-s-trim.html

The Civic's plastics come grey as standard BTW.


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## chris3125

I've just ordered some of the plasticare trim dye, going to try dying the grey bumpers on my caddy black, will post up how it turns out


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