turning faded bumpers back to black ? help

[antinora]

hey my bumpers are always drying to grey colour after a wash or after the rain comes round. What can i use to bring them back to new spec ? i have this Polyglaze dash care - what you guys think i shoul use and where can i get from thanks in advance

[syncro]

Volkswagen bumper black.
Get it from a dealer.

[Golf Loon]

I have tried all of the stuff and it all washes off. The best is to take em off the car and spray with stin black paint from supercheep auto. 2.50 a can. Looks like virgin plastic when you have finished!

[Satanstoenail]

I read that Kiwi Express shoe polish works really well, apparently it doesn't run or wash off, so I went and bought some at the supermarket for about $4.00. It seems to work, but applying it is hard with the sponge, I'm wondering if you can get it in liquid form and rub it on with a cloth.. Anyway the one I bought looks like this:

http://www.indiainfoline.com/bize/Kiwi-express-pack.jpg

[aussieg60]

I have also used the shoe polish stuff and it seems to work and stay on.

[mrgolf]

Painting them black or putting shoe polish is a bit dodgy in terms of proper detailing. I always use Autoglym Bumper Care. It conditions the plastic and needs to be re-applied every few months.

[antinora]

so i think i might get the volks bumper care..... any help on how much it is ?

[joshyd-mk2gti]

ive used the shoe polish before. worked a treat.

[antinora]

has anyone got any before/after pics ?

[joshyd-mk2gti]

have a read through this thread. beware its on the tex thou!!

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2493675&page=1

[antinora]

now im thinking to get the leather dye..i just want something that is easy and will look good and stay clean but i dont want it to be a job easy to stuff up you know ?

[Golf Loon]

shoe polish is easy to apply.

[antinora]

yeh and is it the shoe polish or leather dye are they two different things?

[vinderliker]

Painting them black or putting shoe polish is a bit dodgy in terms of proper detailing. I always use Autoglym Bumper Care. It conditions the plastic and needs to be re-applied every few months.

I agree with Mrgolf, when I had a paint chip scratch and detailing business, I found that the Autoglym product was by far the best, it cleans and conditions all the exterior black plastics and rubbers, but don't use it on your tyres.

[joshyd-mk2gti]

its pretty simple really. you wont stuff up. if you get any on the paint just wipe it off with a rag. if you find some on the paint a day after or something, use a wet rag to wipe it off.

i couldnt find the dye anywhere. i used the polish instead and its fine. same bottle as this.

http://www.golfgods.net/images/golfgods_1862_23499810.jpg

[syncro]

What does your owner's manual say?

Volkswagen (Votex) Bumper Black = For black Volkswagen bumpers (Always worked well on my Golfs, VWs)
Boot polish = for boots

[82cab]

i'll say it before and i'll say it again. Vinyl spray is the best thing to use. It lasts about 5 years before it starts to wear off and when it does it doesn't peel off like normal paint will after time

[syncro]

i'll say it before and i'll say it again. Vinyl spray is the best thing to use. It lasts about 5 years before it starts to wear off and when it does it doesn't peel off like normal paint will after time

That's the only paint I would use on them. After all, they are vinyl.
That's the best stuff to use for a grey-black change.

[midget]

put in a request for a car detailing section

who else reckons its a good idea :?

[antinora]

think im just gona do them with the dash n trim care(polyglaze) for now the finish is ok...then ill see later on

[gtimk5]

I have spaked my bumpers before, so that I can keep the chrome strip in em. The only bumpers that we got with chrome mouldings on early Golfs were grey so masking and painting were the only option if you wanted black. However if you have ever applied any bumper black type stuff on them you might be hard pressed to get the paint to go on them, and stay.....

[Golf Loon]

think im just gona do them with the dash n trim care(polyglaze) for now the finish is ok...then ill see later on

Hope it comes up good, cos paint wont stick to polyglaze!

[mrgolf]

Do not use the Polyglaze stuff. Try bumper care. Check out pics of my car in either VWMA from last year or Volkswagen Magazine from last year also. The car looks sensational. The bumpers are old. I did them with Autoglym Bumper Care. It really is excellent. I have won a bunch of trophies at shows, and swear by it. Yeah, it has to be done every few months, but it really works.

Check out these pics on this web site...

http://stevesgti.spaces.msn.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaHandler=TWlj cm9zb2Z0LlNwYWNlcy5XZWIuUGFydHMuUGhvdG9BbGJ1bS5GdW xsTW9kZUNvbnRyb2xsZXI%24&_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaFolderID=cns!1C42B21E609BE3C2!1 19&_c11_PhotoAlbum_startingImageIndex=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_commentsExpand=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentExpand=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentFocus=&_c=PhotoAlbum

http://stevesgti.spaces.msn.com/PersonalSpace.aspx?_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaHandler=TWlj cm9zb2Z0LlNwYWNlcy5XZWIuUGFydHMuUGhvdG9BbGJ1bS5GdW xsTW9kZUNvbnRyb2xsZXI%24&_c11_PhotoAlbum_spaFolderID=cns!1C42B21E609BE3C2!1 12&_c11_PhotoAlbum_startingImageIndex=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_commentsExpand=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentExpand=&_c11_PhotoAlbum_addCommentFocus=&_c=PhotoAlbum

Browse through. There are a bunch of pics in each album.

[Golfwise]

I read that Kiwi Express shoe polish works really well, apparently it doesn't run or wash off, so I went and bought some at the supermarket for about $4.00. It seems to work, but applying it is hard with the sponge, I'm wondering if you can get it in liquid form and rub it on with a cloth.. Anyway the one I bought looks like this:

http://www.vwwatercooled.com.au/forums/
I have used shoe polish for ages now as nothing else works as well.
Don't spray them with bumper black spray can type paint as it will eventually dry out and peel off.
When spraying plastics you must use a plastic primer first.

[mrgolf]

I have seen a couple of cars with boot polish bumpers, and it does look good at the time, but eventually looks a bit shoddy. Trust me. Try the Autoglym.

[joshyd-mk2gti]

Painting them black or putting shoe polish is a bit dodgy in terms of proper detailing. I always use Autoglym Bumper Care. It conditions the plastic and needs to be re-applied every few months.

my plastic trims that were done with shoe polish about 9months ago still look perfect. yours has to be reapplied every few months. suit yourself..

[mrgolf]

Mine conditions the plastic to make it last a long time. thats what it is designed to do. But then, every few months might be a bit much for others. I am happy to detail my car. I like it looking nice, so I tend to polish about 3 times a year, and do the trims maybe 4 times if necessary.

Hey Josh, what is wrong with the tex?

[joshyd-mk2gti]

fare enough.

nothings wrong with the tex. just didnt know if id be allowed to post a link to another forum or not.

[tommymac]

kiwi is the best

i have used it and loved it gives a nice matt finish

[mikinoz]

Perhaps you should look at it like this...

You use tyre blacking/enhancer on the tyres once, then it looks like it needs doing after the first wash.

You re-apply the tyre black after the first, and second and third wash, about the tenth application, you wash and realise that the tyres are still pretty black, almost not needing any tyre black. And when you do they look REAL HAWT!

My point being that there is no 1 step make it look great forever solution. Autoglym, Votex and Kiwi - the tip to looking good is preening frequently.

What if your lady only put makeup on once a year? Sure she would look shabby after a few months too! ;)