Mark (smokey mow) Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 After a long day of polishing and cleaning the camper ready to put it up for sale, I now need to turn my attention to the faded grey bumpers which after 20 years in the sun have totally lost their appearance. My limited experience in the 90's of products such as "back to black" was disappointing as the finish always ended up patchy and seemed to need reapplying again after almost every wash. I'm now wondering if there's something better that I could be using to give a longer lasting finish? I'm not interested in trying any of the old wives tales of smearing peanut butter over them but rather I'm seeking something that can be bought in a bottle and that lasts a reasonable amount of time. Is there anything you've used that works well? TIA Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellski Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 HI Mark, Personal recommendation after using this product in a similar situation to you and was amazed by the results Expensive but a professional product but a little goes a long way and will give a much better, longer lasting result than back to black gel products. Gtechniq C4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Norman Verona Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Mark, Richard, who used to live here and was an industrial chemist recommended Mir. This was to arrest the UV attack on the carbon. It did get the carbon black again but did not arrest the degradation. I've seen WD40 used on UV degraded plastics, might be worth using it on a small patch. However I don't think anything will stay good for long. Richard said that even the best polish would be gone after a few washes. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 HI Mark, Personal recommendation after using this product in a similar situation to you and was amazed by the results Expensive but a professional product but a little goes a long way and will give a much better, longer lasting result than back to black gel products. Gtechniq C4 Thanks, that looks really effective from the video and the type of thing I'm looking for not cheep for the amount you get but it looks like it goes a long way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted April 20, 2014 Author Share Posted April 20, 2014 Mark, Richard, who used to live here and was an industrial chemist recommended Mir. This was to arrest the UV attack on the carbon. It did get the carbon black again but did not arrest the degradation. I've seen WD40 used on UV degraded plastics, might be worth using it on a small patch. However I don't think anything will stay good for long. Richard said that even the best polish would be gone after a few washes. Thanks Norman, if I'm honest it only has to look good until it's sold. But I'm not one to bodge a job and I don't know how long it will take to sell the van so I would rather I apply something that looks good and lasts. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BudSlater Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Gtechniq is pretty good, but it's very very picky about the preparation... If you have a hot air gun, many people have used one of these to bring out the black. Never had the cahoonahs to try it myself Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quinten Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Still think peanut butter works well Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boombang Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 In my experience only two things work really well for any length of time. 1 - paint them. Clean properly and use a specific bumper type paint to bring them back. 2 - heat. Use a hairdryer or be very careful with a heat gun over the plastic. Brings back depth of colour and the natural sheen - before and after is below: BEFORE: AFTER: Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Deako Posted April 20, 2014 Share Posted April 20, 2014 Don't paint or use any crap products. Use a heat gun. Very carefully. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Thanks for the input guys I was eager to get on today but nowhere was open to sell me some expensive liquids in a small bottle and I'm sadly not blessed with enough hair to own a hair dryer. Luckily the corner shop was open so I decided to give peanut butter a chance after all, at only £1.99 for a jar of happy shoppers finest it was worth a punt As I believe is the norm on detailing forums here is the before and after And a couple of pictures of a now very shiny van Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kit Car Electronics Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Looks good enough to wipe your dinner on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marto303 Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Looks great Smokey Hope the new owner doesn't have a day out at Woburn or Longleat Safari parks, those bumpers will drive the monkeys, er "NUTS" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Looks great Smokey Hope the new owner doesn't have a day out at Woburn or Longleat Safari parks, those bumpers will drive the monkeys, er "NUTS" The thought had crossed my mind they do have a slightly err nutty smell at the moment Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark (smokey mow) Posted April 21, 2014 Author Share Posted April 21, 2014 Looks good enough to wipe your dinner on...thanks it's not quite finished yet next weekend I'll be turning my attention to the interior. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hellski Posted April 21, 2014 Share Posted April 21, 2014 Seems absolutely nuts that it would have worked but good results; would be interested to know how long it will last but fingers crossed you get a quick sale Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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