[jonty007]

The plastic roof covers along the side & the rear "parcel shelf" could do with being "back to black"d.

Can anyone recommend a product for cleaning/restoring the plastic which wont make it look "plasticy" when finished? If you know what I mean.

Ta

 

[Darren]

I don't know if you have 'these' products, but I use a little Simple Green to clean and then protect with a product called 403. The 403 has sunscreen built in to protect plastics. I use it on the parcel shelf, dash, doors. It leaves things looking clean and not overly shiny or greasy.

Moderator, what ever became of our request for a "cleaning" forum?

 

[drbass]

Hi jonti,

I've been using Meguiar's "Natural Shine" Vinyl&Rubber Protectant for a while, and I'm very happy with it.

Spray on a microfibre cloth (for better application control) and wipe. Easy to control the "shine" aspect - if you apply a second coat it gets shinier, third coat shinier still. One can always use a fresh microfibre cloth to wipe off any excess.

Have used it in my Passat on the dash, any other plastic and the rubber seals on the doors and boot. Very happy with it.

Yes, I'd be interested to see the detailing forum as well - can't have enough of that.

Regards,
Michael

 

[neh321]

A lot of the specialist plastic cleaners leave the surfaces way too shiny.

The only one that I've found that seems to leave them looking like standard is a Comma spray. It's the only one that got 5 stars when Auto Express tested interior sprays.

This applies to the UK market of course..

 

[jonty007]

Thanks everyone - I'll have a look for these - I don't want the plastic to go too shiny.

 

[silvershadow]

Hi jonti,

I've been using Meguiar's "Natural Shine" Vinyl&Rubber Protectant for a while, and I'm very happy with it.

Spray on a microfibre cloth (for better application control) and wipe. Easy to control the "shine" aspect - if you apply a second coat it gets shinier, third coat shinier still. One can always use a fresh microfibre cloth to wipe off any excess.

Have used it in my Passat on the dash, any other plastic and the rubber seals on the doors and boot. Very happy with it.

Yes, I'd be interested to see the detailing forum as well - can't have enough of that.

Regards,
Michael

I am a very satisfied user of Meguiars products for the past 30 years after a friend in the USA showed them to me during a visit in 1975.

I PM'd the Administrator about setting up a new topic on Detailing but did not receive a response or acknowledgement. My current privileges do not allow me to create new topics unfortunately as the software for this forum is different to that of another forum that I moderate - this software [Apache] is more flexible in nature.

 

[neh321]

'Auto Express' magazine did another feature last week on interior and exterior cleaners.

Top marks this time for the dash was the Simoniz Foaming Dash Cleaner at £4.99.

They say "Victory for this foam cleaner marks a first, as previous winners have all been sprays. When first used, it looks a little odd, but it's no more messy than a conventional trigger or aerosol cleaner, and works just as well when applied direct to a cloth. And what a performance - none of its rivals could match the stain-busting power, and it left a clean matt finish. This newcomer from Simoniz could set a new trend for trim cleaners, judging by this impressive result."

 

[cb391]

Here in the states there is a product called Back to Black made by Mothers especially for plastic bumpers and trim that seems to work pretty well. I don't know if it is available in Europe. There is something else I saw somewhere else called Forever Black that does the same thing but I don't know who makes it.

 

[Darren]

Andy,
Do you put back to black on the rear shelf? I had thought about it, but wasn't sure if it would last or attract dust and pollen.

So far, I'm very happy with Meguiars "Quick Interior Detailer" and the 403 I mentioned above.

 

[cb391]

Darren,
I got the info from the Ford Escape forum I hang out at. The Back to Black came highly recommended to use on the early models with the flat finish on the bumpers. It isn't supposed to change the color or stain it. And it isn't supposed to leave any residue behind. I haven't tried it myself, but was planning to. Previously I was using Armor-All cleaning pads on the black areas and I don't think it has hurt the finish.