[Cosmo1111]

bought a mini the other week and the black plastic skirt around the sides and front of the car is looking a little faded (probably from sitting in the sun). just wanted to find out the best way of bringing it up.

also there is a small strech mark in the leather seat. any ideas on hope to fix that up a bit?

your help would be loved

[sef]

I use Meguiars Trim detailer for the black plastic skirts... I have the same problem with them fading and it brings them up a treat...

[Laza]

I use black wax, it makes them look like new! (at least for a while.... :P )

[thebadun]

I've heard good things about a product called Black Wow, though I haven't used it myself. I believe it was developed for the MINI arches/skirts, but isn't the cheapest. Other than that AutoGlym Bumper Care is pretty good, needs to be thinly applied and well rubbed in. I've just bought a bottle of the Megiars Trim Detailer mentioned above, but have heard that the durability doesn't match the other two.

In addition to those, if you are feeling brave heating the plastic before applying works suprisingly well, I did that on the valance of my '91 Golf which looked like it hadn't been touched since new and it looked brilliant.

[OJM]

I'd be interested on the response to the leather care - my driver seat is getting a little stretched and cracked. I purchased some leather cream, but it's more of a protection against it happening from the first day. Unfortunately I don't think the owners before me protected the leather etc.

[gotsmart]

For the plastics on my smart, i use 303 Aerospace Protectant. It protects well and will also restore some of the "black" of faded plastics.

[JustACooperClubman]

Use this:

SCD Black Wow the only exterior trim dressing you will ever need!

Black WOW was developed in the United States by the MINI community. This stuff is fantastic! I use it in both of my MINIs.

Here is the UK distributor:

SCD Black Wow the only exterior trim dressing you will ever need!

[Bissell]

I havent used this on a mini, but the autoglym bumper care is spot on on the bmw cars that i have owned, particularly the X3 which had shed loads of black exterior plastic.
simple to apply, i use a sponge and then you just buff it off.

[Hugo]

Elite!!!!!!!!!!!

[M.O.S]

I have to say, the mini stuff is the best I have ever used. It makes the plastic look like new, with a gentle shine but doesn't clog the plastic or cause it to go grey quickly like others do. Therefore, I recommend the black stuff you get in the bag when you buy the car.

[designer_label]

Back to black isnt good - its sticky - and flies stick to it - looks bad!

Apparently as its plastic - which comes from oils originally you should put a oil on it to really be natural and make it look like new....I have heard you can use peanut oil to really make it look nice....never used it myself though

[Hyper Active]

Quote: Originally Posted by gotsmart (original)

For the plastics on my smart, i use 303 Aerospace Protectant. It protects well and will also restore some of the "black" of faded plastics.

Use this too , it's good stuff .