Hey guys,

As our Gs begin to age, the inevitable fade of our exterior trim really begins to degrade the looks of the car as a whole. It makes the car look dated, cheap, and it is merely an eye sore. A few nights ago, I was finishing up my detailing by waxing my wheels and shining my tires. I was using a tire shine product by FW1 called TS2. It had been about 3 washes since I last shined my tires. Needless to say, they looked like crap. This tire shine worked wonders, better than any other products I had used in the past. After seeing that, I had a hunch.. would it work on exterior trim? My trim, especially on the roof, looked horrible. From all the times i've accidently gotten polish and/or wax on it, plus constant exposure to the sun really faded the trim. It was nearly gray in some areas, but in no parts was it black. Here are a few before pictures I took.

Passenger windshield trim


Window seal/trim


Lower window trim


Window base trim


As you can see, it looks bad. I wish I had taken more before pictures but I got too excited with the results.

I've tried other restoration products and they never seem to hold up. Mother's back to black seems like just a temporary fix. This has held up fantastic, and it is UV protectant.

What you need:
1. TS2 tire shine from FW1. Here's a website link, ebay has it as well for a lot less.
-Im sure other high quality tire shine products will do fine as well.
2. Painters tape.
3. A few microfiber towels.
4. Quick' detailer

Since I'm meticulous, I taped off the area with painters tape to eliminate most of the over spray. TS2 applies as a foam so it may splatter a bit upon application.



Next, simply spray on the TS2. As per the directions, allow it to sit. There is no need to wipe away. However, I did lightly wipe away the excess.

Rear quarter panel trim


Upper windshield trim


It will take about 10-15 minutes for the TS2 to adequately work itself into the trim so be patient. At this point, I took a microfiber towel and wiped away the remaining product and unveiled some FANTASTIC results. See for yourself. Keep in mind, ALL my trim was the same if not worse than the pictures posted above. See for yourself!

Roof trim




Rear quarter panel trim



Upper window trim


Here is a great side by side of the before and after results on the mirror bases.



The TS2 will leave a oily gloss on the paint and windows.



Simply wipe it down real good with some microfiber and quick detailer.. and viola!



Now the tire shine has a oily sheen to it. So it may leave the trim glossy for a little bit. After another 30 minutes, I went back and lightly rubbed it down with a clean microfiber. I cannot stress how much better the exterior looks. This also worked on the trim at the base of the windshield below the wipers. I'll snap some more pictures in the daylight tomorrow.

Happy detailing!!

A few extra pictures

 

seems like a great product, lemme know how it holds up, and if it stays in that condition then its a really good product

 

How long does this last??

 

^Yup. Million dollar question is...how long does it last?

 

I will update this as time passes. From the initial inspection, the product really seemed to penetrate into the rubber very well, better than anything i've seen or used to date. I've tried a lot of different products because the appearance of the trim is a absolute NUISANCE to me. But I will keep you guys updated!

-Sean

 

Just try peanut butter or peanut oil

 

There are a bunch of products out there from reputable companies that are designed specifically for this purpose. You apply the product, then wipe it off... Why is this a DIY, and not just a review? Oh, maybe because you didn't review the product. You just said you used it...

 

yea, post back a month later after rain and stuff like that and then compare the two

 

Thanx for sharing. I have to do this to my car now. This really makes it like new!

 

Seen it in person and looks great. All those white blemishes and water marks from the plastic just get cleaned out. Still holing up as of this weekend

 

Are you saying my sedan's trim won't fade? Because it is.

Looks like a good product. Im going to try it out.

 

Yes and trust me, I have used a lot of them. Only to watch as they fade back within a few days. My trim has not faded one bit since I did this. It has been through 4 rather heavy rain storms and it is not garaged. This has worked better than anything I've tried in the past, so I figured I'd post up. I decided to make a DIY because there are loads of people who don't even have the knowledge to change an air filter or even complete lesser tasks. That's why I made this a DIY.

I'll post some current pics soon. The trim still looks exactly like day 1. Very very happy with this!

Wannabe6MT, sedans are (self-proclaimed) superior. Therefore, no trim fade I'll fix that just for you buddy!

 

I've seen this FW1 stuff before. Some rando kids at a gas station approaching every one trying to rub the stuff on their cars to demonstrate it. Terrible marketing if you ask me. I find it hard to believe this stuff is better than the other well established brands.

You said you've "used a lot of" other products, "only to watch as they fade back within a few days." Give us the list of products you've used so we can avoid them...

 

I can agree with that. However, my roommate had some of their products so I figured why not. I wouldn't use their waxes and such because well, a spray on/fast wax isn't my style. I did find their tire shine better than other brands I had used before and it worked well on said trim. If you have some sort of a issue with this thread and/or this particular product then there are about 100,000 others you are more than welcome to read. I found a solution for a problem and I wanted to share. It has lasted the better part of a month with no signs of degradation like other products such as Mothers Back to Black, Megs Ultimate Black, and the inevitable Armor All. Am I saying this product is superior to all? No. I'm merely giving options, my opinion, and sharing a great experience I had.

Here are the pictures I promised. I have not applied another coat or done any sort of touch up. In addition, my car is not garaged and has seen a handful of moderate-heavy rain storms since I detailed the trim.

 

very nice