ABS plastic peices faded to white?

L

LeadingEdgeDetail

New member
Just thought I'd bring it up... Detailed an '86 Jetta that hadn't been waxed, detailed, or even washed, in a veeery long time...



I didn't get pics, but the wheel arches, as well as the bumpers, had faded beyond grey to WHITE! White with some grey streaks! :faint:



After rubbing some Meguiars #40, it was obvious that this thing wasn't going to be able to look as good as new. :wall



But then, I remembered a trick I read on-line about using a heatgun to bring back faded plastic... I've never tried it, but what better chance to try? Sure enough, about a second after I start the plastic turns jet black again! Took about an hour and 15 minutes to do all of it, but after, the plastic looked almost as good as new! Then I let everything cool, and rubbed in some Meguiars #40, and it was brilliantly black, and brilliantly gleaming.



All in all, the car went from an $800 neglected Jetta, to a $2500-ish Jetta with a couple dents! Pretty good improvement, and shows why people should get their cars detailed before selling!! :rules:



The owner was --> :woohoo:
 
hmm...very interesting. Do you know why the heatgun does what it did? Im going to have to give this a shot on my dad's jeep. Does it leave an even black finish or streaks in the way you move the heat gun? Thanks for the great tip! Ive never heard of this before.
 
I'm not 100% sure on how it works, but I do know that it is "melting" the very top bit of plastic, which somehow turns it back to how it was... Either it brings the oils and such in the plastic to the top, or it burns off whatever has caused it to fade in the first place.



I do slow sweeping motions, maybe 1" every 2 seconds... Held about an inch away.



There was almost no streaking, I did it in overlapping motions. Basically, you're painting your trim with a heatgun :getdown



Also, I must add a disclaimer! TEST ON A SMALL SPOT THAT ISN'T VISIBLE FIRST!!!!

I tried the same method on the plastic trim that runs along the doors, and it wouldn't change color... So I tried a little longer, and gave up... After, I looked at it and it was just about to turn brown and start bubbling! Definitly not ABS plastic!



Whatever you do, be careful, and know what you're doing. You'll figure it out quickly :clap:
 
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