Faded plastics are a combination of Sun, UV, heat, and elements causing porous plastics to degrade or oxidize on a molecular level.
Faded Plastics fade as more as it’s exposed more!
Unlike paint which has a protective clear coat, plastic trim generally is left to its own.
Plastic pieces don’t have a protective clear coat and without this layer of defense, they will always be more susceptible to damage from the elements.
Over time, oils near the surface start to degrade and dry out.
Leading to the whitish discoloration over time. It takes time but fading also is a precursor to plastics breaking down, becoming brittle, and falling apart.
Sunlight is your car trim’s Kryptonite. Its UV rays dehydrate the plastic and degrade it slowly on a molecular level.
Then there are contaminates from the road, which will only speed up the degradation process.
So, if you’re down in the tropics with intense heat and sun, is likely that you’ll be looking at faded trims faster than a car in a covered garage.
But, it’s already faded and you’re looking for how to reverse this.
There’s a quick, homemade short-term solution, and a longer-term solution. Which do you prefer?
Here are the Short Term Faded Plastics Fixes
Short Term solutions include using quick fix fillers like WD-40, Vaseline, oils, and even…peanut butter? What? Peanut Butter?
Peanut butter as a mixture contains high in fats.
Thus, it will somewhat restore the surface of its oils for that nice, slick black look.
In fact, all of the above solutions are heavy in oils, and the process just keeps it nice, for a short period of time.
After some rain, a wash, or maybe a few days in the sun, you’ll have a week tops or two before it gets white again.
Bonus if you might get an ant infestation if some peanut butter gets stuck in places!
But be warned! It may damage the integrity of the plastics to increase the deterioration of the plastic.
Take the Professional Route for Trims Restorations and Faded Plastics.
If you’re looking for a long-term Solution, Peanut Butter ain’t what you’re looking for.
For 20 minutes or more, clean out the plastics and apply a great ceramic coating like IGL Coating’s Ecocoat Trim that seals and protects the plastics.
It impregnates and forms a strong chemical bond that crosslinks on the surface, restoring and protecting the trip and hard plastic surfaces against UV damage and Fading for up to 2 years.
Additionally, Ecocoat Trim absorbs UV and it works on ALL colors of plastics and not just Black!
Unlike specific Black Trim Restorers, Ecocoat Trim is colorless, making it easy to apply, and, making “oversprays” almost invisible.
Hate applying those black trim restorers only to have it bleed all over the vehicle or stain everything else?
Ecocoat Trim seals directly onto the plastics without any bleeding or staining.
Bonus: Is a Heat Gun or Flame Thrower a Short Term or Long Term Solution?
Heat guns increase the heat and draw out the oils from beneath to the surface.
So it does work! Also, again, for a bit of time, until those oils evaporate. Then it’s back to square one.
Also, if you’ve ever worked with a heat gun, you know how sensitive it is to overheat.
If you’re not careful, the Heat Gun would probably melt more off, causing irreparable damage. So we’d definitely be careful with that!
If you’ve never worked with a heat gun, we definitely won’t recommend this to be your first project!
So we know, those plastics degrade over time and if we want to keep plastics looking new, we’ve got to lock them oils in. At least for as long as we can!
Hint: Use ceramic coatings like Ecocoat Trim!
Up to 2 years protection, A great UV absorber, crosslinking with substrates, Ecocoat Trim is your number one choice for Plastic Protection! Want to know more about how it can protect your plastics? Read more to find out more.
Easy Peasy.
Protect Your Car with IGL Coatings
IGL Coatings is a global pioneer in developing low and zero VOC ceramic coatings with distributors in over 50 countries worldwide. Join the Global Phenomenon for Detailers today! Contact us at marketing@iglcoatings.com to reach out to your local distributor to get on board.
For more information on car care, protecting your plastic cars, and ceramic coatings, visit www.iglcoatings.com!
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