Black Plastic Cleaner & Sealer
- Thread starter TimL
- Start date
Ron Ketcham
Active member
A couple of "real" products are out there, Solution Finish is one, ValuGard ETR kit is another.
The ValuGard and a training video can be seen under the training video section at valugard.net
Most others are just "dressings" that wash off in a short time, not a real coating.
The ValuGard and a training video can be seen under the training video section at valugard.net
Most others are just "dressings" that wash off in a short time, not a real coating.
Accumulator
Well-known member
TimL- If it's not so far gone that it needs refinished with the ETR kit, you can try what I do:
-Clean with Griot's Rubber Prep, scrubbing until no more dirt/dead material/etc. comes off
-Seal with something like Utlima's Tire and Trim Guard Plus (UTTGP). I like two or three coats
-Maintain with ValuGard's Fast Finish QD, which I find leaves the *perfect* level of sheen for black trim. Just spritz some on after the wash when you're drying it off
You can skip the middle/sealant step if you like, I'm doing OK on some trim using just the FastFinish, but it'll take more work at each wash. With the Ultima on there the trim is basically maintenance-free for an extended period.
Another approach that works OK for me (but not as well as the above) is to clean/prep with KAIO and then protect with either KSG or Collinite 845. I did it that way for *years* until discovering the Ultima sealant. You'll need to redo it, starting over with the KAIO, every so often.
So I use either a trim sealant or an LSP-based approach. I do *NOT* use dressings on such trim.
-Clean with Griot's Rubber Prep, scrubbing until no more dirt/dead material/etc. comes off
-Seal with something like Utlima's Tire and Trim Guard Plus (UTTGP). I like two or three coats
-Maintain with ValuGard's Fast Finish QD, which I find leaves the *perfect* level of sheen for black trim. Just spritz some on after the wash when you're drying it off
You can skip the middle/sealant step if you like, I'm doing OK on some trim using just the FastFinish, but it'll take more work at each wash. With the Ultima on there the trim is basically maintenance-free for an extended period.
Another approach that works OK for me (but not as well as the above) is to clean/prep with KAIO and then protect with either KSG or Collinite 845. I did it that way for *years* until discovering the Ultima sealant. You'll need to redo it, starting over with the KAIO, every so often.
So I use either a trim sealant or an LSP-based approach. I do *NOT* use dressings on such trim.
lobster poutine
New member
CQuartz Dlux.
tom p.
Active member
primo spaghetti said:
Optimum Power Clean followed by Cquartz dlux = outstanding, long-lasting (hydrophobic) finish
Junebug
JAFO
The best cleaner by far is Mothers Trim Cleaner, $10 at Autozone. I have cleaned up some old nasty trim and it is amazing. I haven't tried Mothers trim sealer, but if it's half as good as the cleaner then it's worth it.
Accumulator
Well-known member
You CQuartz DLux users- have any of you also used Utlima TTG+? I'm always interested in how the two compare for various people, not that I'll run out of the Ultima any time soon...
JimT- Welcome to Autopia! I remember The Wax Shop...we're dating ourselves here, that was a while ago!
What are you after, a dye, a dressing, or a sealant? As you can maybe tell from this thread, most of us here are leaning towards sealants these days.
JimT- Welcome to Autopia! I remember The Wax Shop...we're dating ourselves here, that was a while ago!
What are you after, a dye, a dressing, or a sealant? As you can maybe tell from this thread, most of us here are leaning towards sealants these days.
Junebug
JAFO
Nth Degree did a pretty good thread on trim sealants - check it out.
Accumulator
Well-known member
JuneBug- Yeah, that thread kinda reinforced my plan to stick with the Ultima (and the size of the current "smallest bottle" is enough to last me for years and years, so my interest in the comparison is kinda just theoretical).