Trim fading

[basil the dog]

I did a search and nothing turned up, so here goes....

Anyone else had problems with their black trim, ie the wheel arch, bumper bottom and sill mouldings. Mine appear to have been sun bleached especially on the o/s wheel arches. As the car is less than a year old I am tempted to sak BMW to replace them at their own cost. I believe that they are quite cheap anyway. Do you think BMW will play ball on this?

Cheers

Basil the dog (currently with kennel cough!)

[Cooper Man]

Quote: Originally Posted by basil the dog

Do you think BMW will play ball on this?

Cheers

Basil the dog (currently with kennel cough!)

Not at all!
What you need is something like Auto Glym's Bumper Care. You put a "dollop" on a soft clean cloth, spread it about over the plastic trim and, as if by magic, your grey trim now looks brand spanking new again!

It is excellent, I have been using it for years on many cars. It even revives the look of your tyres!

[basil the dog]

Yup, been using a mixture of bumper care and vinyl/rubber care from AutoGlym. The results have been very good but I was troubled to find what lay underneath. After a storm last week, which washed the AutoGlym coat off, the trim had bleached, giving a nasty washed out finish on the o/s. The n/s that spends most of the time out of the sun was ok. This leads me to believe that the sun has caused the problem.

Also moticed that the parcel shelf was starting to lighten up.

Wish I had a double garage!

Basil the dog

[Cooper Man]

Quote: Originally Posted by basil the dog

This leads me to believe that the sun has caused the problem.

Also moticed that the parcel shelf was starting to lighten up.

Wish I had a double garage!

Basil the dog

I would assume that these mouldings are some kind of polypropylene which I don't think is very good with ultra violet light at the best of times.

If my car hasn't been washed for several weeks , then my arches also look faded, but, if you look around, so are the "wings" on many Ford Ka's, and Vauxhall Cavalier bumpers etc.

You can give it a go with your dealer, but I wouldn't expect much joy.

[Intrepid]

I've always used bumper black - works a treat and my Mini sits basking in the sun all day long..

[whovous]

peanut oil and a toothbrush seems to have worked for me. Products like Back to Black cover, not cure, the problem.

[basil the dog]

Peanut oil? How do you use this, how good are the results?

[trico]

Peanut oil works miracles. It revives the color and removes wax overspray. Just a little on an applicator cloth lifts the dirt and leaves a dark sheen. I usually follow the peanut oil with Meguiar's Vinyl and Rubber Protectant which works well on everything from tires to dashboards.

[Aqualung]

some people swear by 303 http://www.303products.com/main.php?infopage=home which is a marine product....very "strong".

Someone else mentioned they got the best price here...http://www.carcrazy.net/ but I don't know if you can get it across the pond.

[whovous]

More on peanut oil (or peanut butter!) in this thread:
http://www.mini2.com/forum/maintenance-mini-care/50951-black-trim.html

[nylo]

it was precisely because i didnt want my mini looking like a corsa or ka with faded trim that i started looking for something to treat the arches etc. came across Mer Bumper and External Vinyl Cleaning Gel which comes in a blue bottle. got it in halfords, and its really good. it leaves a slightly glossy finish, and leaves the plastic well waterproof. it brings it back up to black very smartly. ive also been known to use a wee dollop on the rear wiper, trim between the roof and windows and black front grill...basically anything that's plasticky and black- its sweet- well worth the money! hope this helps

[uptick]

Quote: Originally Posted by whovous

More on peanut oil (or peanut butter!) in this thread:
http://www.mini2.com/forum/maintenance-mini-care/50951-black-trim.html

Does peanut oil attract squirrels?

[trico]

I don't think so. However, watch out for those elephants around wild animal parks and in the Serengti.

I suggest that you not use WD-40 on your trim or paint, or anywhere that may be subject to high temperature. It is petroleum based, not silicone based, and has a low flashpoint of approx. 120 degrees F. See this Link. While I might loosen a nut with it, provided its not near anything that is hot or that sparks, I certainly wouldn't want to park a car with WD-40 used on the trim in direct sunlight on a hot day.

[basil the dog]

Spoke to BMW about this yesterday and they said that if the bits had faded, and they wanted to see the car first, they would replace the bits and not charge me!

Good news.

Cheers for all the info, especially the peanut oil stuff. I will get the wife to pick me some up at the weekend.

Cheers

Basil the dog

[sidley1960]

Hello:

I went to my dealer to pick-up my MINI Cooper and taking MINI2's advice gave the car a thorough inspection. I noticed scuffs on two areas of the driver's side exterior arches. My dealer looked at them along with the dealership's manager. They used two different vinyl protectant products but the scuffs still show. They told me to try olive oil and if that didn't work, and if it really bothered me, then they would contact the BMW rep and have them come out to inspect it. I'm wondering if this has happened to anyone else, or for that matter, if you have ever scuffed the arches, and if so, what did you do to fix them? Also what's best for protecting the chrome bumper inserts?

Thanks for your help in advance.

Best regards,

Sid