ABikerSailor
Diamond Member
Ever since I've gotten a smart phone, I've found myself spending time on Facebook, and lots of times I like to read the life hacks/things you can do to fix or repair things sections of that site.
I recently came across a hack to help make your car look a bit better, and I gotta say, not only is it cheap, but it actually works, and works well.
In a section of how to make your used car look newer, they had a hack to help your black plastic trim which has turned gray because of being bleached by the sun back to black. I tried it recently on a used car I just purchased. lt's a 2008 Honda Civic, and the thing looks damn near brand new, both inside and out, with the only real flaw being the black plastic trim that had faded out quite a bit and was now a medium shade of gray. The hack that I read said to take regular black shoe polish (the kind that comes in a can and is a thick oily paste, not the liquid in a bottle with a sponge), and rub it into the plastic. Well, it sounded like it would work, as both plastic and shoe polish are petroleum products, and the paste would more than likely be absorbed by the plastic.
I tried it on a section that wouldn't be noticed much if it didn't work, and lo and behold, it worked like a champ. I simply rubbed the shoe polish onto the plastic, then buffed it in to get the color to be even, and it turned it back to black, making it look almost brand new! I then proceeded to go over all the plastic trim, and when I was done (about 45 min later, it really doesn't take that much work), and had a car that was looking much better than it did when I started. I rubbed it in, then buffed it out, and not only did it look good, but I could even rub my fingers over the finished area, and no shoe polish came off on my hand. My car looks almost like it just came off the lot, and is looking really good! Showed it to another person who had the same problem with their trim turning gray, and they were amazed at how well it turned out. That is one hack I'm gonna remember, and if my trim starts to fade again, gonna hit it with some more polish. Didn't even have to use that much to get the whole car done either! Much cheaper (and more effective) than stuff you see at the auto store to revitalize your cars trim. Not only does it make it black, but it also seems to help rejuvenate the rubber trim and make it flexible and pliable again. A couple of bucks for a can of polish, or 15 to 20 dollars for stuff you'd buy at the auto store, you decide for yourself, but I'm gonna go with the shoe polish. Not only that, but if some of the polish gets on your glass or your paint, wipe it off before it dries, and it doesn't leave any trace of being there.
I don't have black plastic bumpers (they're painted the same color as the car), but I'm guessing that since it worked on all the other sections (most notably the plastic grill in front of the windshield wipers which are made of the same stuff) I'm guessing it would work for your bumpers as well.
I highly recommend this hack for anyone with black plastic trim that is turning gray. I put this in Arts and Crafts because it's kind of a small project thing.
I recently came across a hack to help make your car look a bit better, and I gotta say, not only is it cheap, but it actually works, and works well.
In a section of how to make your used car look newer, they had a hack to help your black plastic trim which has turned gray because of being bleached by the sun back to black. I tried it recently on a used car I just purchased. lt's a 2008 Honda Civic, and the thing looks damn near brand new, both inside and out, with the only real flaw being the black plastic trim that had faded out quite a bit and was now a medium shade of gray. The hack that I read said to take regular black shoe polish (the kind that comes in a can and is a thick oily paste, not the liquid in a bottle with a sponge), and rub it into the plastic. Well, it sounded like it would work, as both plastic and shoe polish are petroleum products, and the paste would more than likely be absorbed by the plastic.
I tried it on a section that wouldn't be noticed much if it didn't work, and lo and behold, it worked like a champ. I simply rubbed the shoe polish onto the plastic, then buffed it in to get the color to be even, and it turned it back to black, making it look almost brand new! I then proceeded to go over all the plastic trim, and when I was done (about 45 min later, it really doesn't take that much work), and had a car that was looking much better than it did when I started. I rubbed it in, then buffed it out, and not only did it look good, but I could even rub my fingers over the finished area, and no shoe polish came off on my hand. My car looks almost like it just came off the lot, and is looking really good! Showed it to another person who had the same problem with their trim turning gray, and they were amazed at how well it turned out. That is one hack I'm gonna remember, and if my trim starts to fade again, gonna hit it with some more polish. Didn't even have to use that much to get the whole car done either! Much cheaper (and more effective) than stuff you see at the auto store to revitalize your cars trim. Not only does it make it black, but it also seems to help rejuvenate the rubber trim and make it flexible and pliable again. A couple of bucks for a can of polish, or 15 to 20 dollars for stuff you'd buy at the auto store, you decide for yourself, but I'm gonna go with the shoe polish. Not only that, but if some of the polish gets on your glass or your paint, wipe it off before it dries, and it doesn't leave any trace of being there.
I don't have black plastic bumpers (they're painted the same color as the car), but I'm guessing that since it worked on all the other sections (most notably the plastic grill in front of the windshield wipers which are made of the same stuff) I'm guessing it would work for your bumpers as well.
I highly recommend this hack for anyone with black plastic trim that is turning gray. I put this in Arts and Crafts because it's kind of a small project thing.
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