I know this has been talked about before, I did a search and didn't get much. The vinyl black exterior trim on my 2005 F150 is looking faded already. I have quit using the turtle wax ice on it because it seems that the ice was leaving a white powdery residue on the balck trim after it rained, and it appears to me that the balck trim really started looking fade after using the ice. So for RP and you other guys that know you stuff, What's the best product out there for exterior black trim?

 

I have had good success using Meguiars #39 Heavy Duty Vinyl Cleaner for cleaning all of my black exterior plastic trim. It is the best cleaner that I personally have found for my black trim. It works especially well for removing wax residue. I then follow up with Meguiars #40 Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner to protect all of my trim.

 

Try 303 Aerospace Protectant! I use it on my black trim for the truck. It works great on my 2003 GT Convertible top.

 

Just do not use Back to Black. It will look good for a few days, then leaves a white residue in the grain of the plastic. The best results I have had is not using anything on the bed rails. I use the pressure wash at the car wash and hold it close to the plastic. This gets it clean and removed the stuff I had used from the grain. It has remained looking good without anything. My faded appearance was from the stuff I had used to make it look good.

 

What about the black trim around the windows? What's good for that? Mine looks kind of dingy, and the ICE and Armor All leave streaks if I put that on there and it looks like crap.

 

303 Aerospace

 

Where can this be found? At any old auto parts store? I can't ever recall seeing it anywhere, but then again, I've never really searched for it.

 

Actually, it is limited in regards to who carries it. and it is a little pricey, but it REALLY lasts.

There is a ton of it on ebay. Looks like a fair price too.

I find it at local 4x4 off-road shops etc too

 

303 is a very good product... fantastic in fact. Another one that I like just about as much is called Vinylex.

Both products are somewhat elusive to find on the shelves of most stores but, Pep Boys does carry Vinylex. For 303, you will probably be in business if you have an RV shop or similar nearby...

Otherwise, you're pretty much limited to online...

RP

 

Yeah like he said...although I have always had luck finding 303 at truck accessory shops that sell soft tonneau covers, especially the Access line.

 

I have been very pleased with this Meguair's product. I have not been able to locate any in the auto parts stores here in town, so I had to order 2 online.


http://www.meguiars.com/estore/produ...cfm?sku=G13415

or go here, this guy ships it out fast too!

http://www.autodetailingsolutions.com/Meguiar's%20Specialty%20Auto%20Detailing%20Supplie s.htm

 

West Marine carries 303, it ain't cheap, but it's local and convenient.

So far I've only used 303 on my 05 interior and exterior trim since it contains protection from UV. I'm reluctant to use anything else for this reason. Am I being silly? I dunno. I'd like to get a little more shine on the exterior than the 303 provides, but I don't want to use something that will promote fading. Do the Meg's products protect against UV or am I being overly retentive about this. I plan to keep this truck a good long time so prevention now will ease the aging later, at least I hope so.

 

scorpio try this stuff. It has a UV protectant like you want.

A premium complex blend of ingredients clean, shine and protect dashboards, trim, tires, door panels, moldings, and more without a greasy or plastic look. Special conditioners help prevent drying, fading, or cracking and offer UV protection to reduce damage caused by the sun. For best results, spread Gold Class Vinyl/Rubber Protectant evenly over the surface with a High-Tech Applicator Pad and remove any excess product with an Ultra Plush Super Terry.

Just tryin to help you out brother!

 

I use the Megs #40 for the interior and I love it. It makes it look new and clean without the greazy look that Armor All and some of the others can leave. For the exterior, I've recently started using Poorboy's products (www.poorboysworld.com) They have a product called Trim Restore and it makes your vinyl look new. It take out all of the white residue and discoloring, and it's fairly inexpensive. The only drawback is that it's only available online, but it's worth the wait.

 

So just to make sure, because I know some people are reffering to interiors in this thread...
The 303 Aerospace and Vinylex are both great products to use on the rubber molding around the windows on the outside of the truck? I'm a little reluctant to put anything around there after seeing what Armor All does to it, but if these are as good as people say they are then I'll give them a try.
Any chance anyone has any up close shots of how it looks on the exterior rubber trim? That's the one place on the truck I have a hard time taking care of.