How to "restore" finish on plastic parts?

[thback]

Thanks Mike,

Did I sound like I wanted to sell the car?.. ;-)

In the Netherlands we have the famous "cockpit spray", that turns every black plastic part into shiny black...... for a couple of days. Well, I have enough input to try it all. Thanks

[67eSse]

I'll chime in on this one. "Black Again" did a great job for black plastic bumbers on the wifes SUV, it lasts about 6 months. It turned a gray washed out looking top surface back to a dark charcoal color with not too mush shine.

The other product that works is the Low-Gloss finish Armor All, not the original Gloss finish. It brought back some of the outer finishes on the 10 year old BMW plastics, and the dash looks better. It seems to last about 6 weeks on exterior stuff.

Bob

[6Shooter]

Has Armor All changed/improved their formula? About 17 years ago, a friend who was

[6Shooter]

Has Armor All changed/improved their formula? About 17 years ago, a friend "helped" replace the windshield rubber on a 65 Ghia. He had sprayed Armor All (big mistake) around the windshield frame area (not necessary) and sprayed the vinyl dash pad. Later that year (?), the nice original, 20 year old dash pad vinyl became torn, split, warped, and wrinkled from the windshield post to the speaker area to resemble a Rockie Mountain relief map.
At a tire tech session (1988?), a rep warned that Armor All used a carrier to suspend their silicone that would remove/release the silicone that was molded into the rubber during the tire manufacturing process.
Now, if/after I wash my car, I use my chamois or a damp hand towel to wipe/remove the dash/interior dust. After I finish washing the exterior, I use the same soapy water with a dedicated sponge or old t-shirt for the wheels/tires. Maybe not the best/concours way (no Q-tips), but it works for my driver/beater. At least my 32 year old (in debt/owned for 25 years) Porsche dash pad vinyl hasn't cracked/split yet. I still stay away from Armor All (once bitten...). Has anyone contacted any tire mfg. recently re: tire care ? (besides avoid curbs/potholes?)