Hey guys. I was given an opportunity to use the Mothers "Back to Black" product this weekend on my truck. I was looking for a way to "restore" the faded grey fender flares that are on my FX4.
Upon first use, and day one, I can say that I'm pretty happy with the product. It went on nicely, didn't streak when I got a little on the paint, and soaked into the faded plastic nicely. I had to do a few coats in some areas, but overall I'm pleased thus far.
Here are some pictures:

1. Rear passenger flare. Before


2. Rear passenger flare. 1/2 coverage


3. Front passenger flare. Before


4. Front passenger flare. 1/2 coverage


5. Front passenger flare. Full coverage


6. Entire truck. Passenger side. Full coverage


I'll take more pics as the week progresses to see the lasting power of this product.

I also did the plastic cowl cover (it looked horrible "before") but I could not get a good picture of it as the sun was going down, and had set by the time I finished.

Stay tuned....

 

Looks good. Post a pic every week so we can see how long it lasts. I use Turtle Wax Ice and it generally lasts about a month in the heat in humidity.

 

Thanks bridge!

We certainly don't have the heat/humidty here in Central VA that you do in Houston. We have some, but it just doesn't compare.

I'll be sure to make weekly updates on this. We're in a bit of a drought right now, so I don't know if it'll get rained on anytime soon, but we'll see.

 

I'd be very interested in the lasting results update on this as well... My flares on my 05 FX4 are practically white!!

 

Looks great! Time will tell.... I have pretty much resolved that no matter what you use, prepare to re-apply often..

 

Let's just say that the Back to Black bottle is in a place where I can get to it easily.

I only did the flares and the cowl. I did not do the bed rails as they are just that, bed rails. It's a truck and they're already a little beat up, and they will only get worse. Honestly the bed rails are less noticeable in my eyes anyhow. The flares and cowl were an eye-sore

I used between 1 and 2 ounces of the 8 ounce bottle. I would like to have this last 3-4 weeks per application, and hopefully more depending upon weather.

We'll see.

 

A lot of owners have had success with a heat gun.

YouTube - Using a heat gun to restore automotive plastics

 

Thanks Charlie. I'll have to check that out tonight at home. Corporate has cut access to all video on our network. Apparently watching vid's all day takes up too much bandwidth...go figure

 

Thats pretty cool stuff!! Nice looking truck too!

 

I did my cowl over a month ago now with the Back to Black and it still looks great. The flares I have had to reapply more often but it still works just be careful to wipe off excess.

 

just so you guys know.....
the heat gun works wonders....and it gets the job done with no chemicals, and it will last as long as the original condition did the first time.....

heat gun trivia......you are not melting the trim as some might think, although you could if you staid in one spot too long.....IMO, if you do that, you were trying to do it......you will get color back long before you melt anything....

what you are actually doing, is pulling the pigment back up into the top layer of oxidized material.....
the key to a perfect job is over lapping(just like spray painting) and attention to detail....

have fun and impress the misses !....it works great !!

some of us live in harsher environments then others, so results will vary....but as a rule of thumb, if your plastics went south in 2 years with little to no protection, then you can expect around 2 years or so after using a heat gun.....chemical protection afterwards will increase that time im sure......
im not sure how many times you can do this, i have not had a need to do it again to the same plastics so that i cant speak on....

 

So the heat gun intrigues me and has me thinking even further. Could one heat the plastic AND apply a product like BtoB? Would it open the pores and allow further penetration of the product? Just brainstorming here...instead of working.

 

You probably could, but it won't help or accomplish anything. If you get the plastic hot enough to get anything into the molecular struture, you're likely going to have a real mess (and maybe even damage).

All the products do is sit on the surface of the plastic. Some adhere better than others. Some provide better UV protection than others.

My personal favorite is 303 Protectant.

And FWIW and IMHO, Armor All is worthless.

 

I also use the Back to Black but it just doesn't last long. I found this stuff and it seems to be a more permanent fix. I am going to try it next. Its called Wurth Stone Guard. Here is a website showing some results http://www.properautocare.com/howcanirefao.html.

 

i think that would be a waste of time and material....and could possibly lead to a real mess.....

the heat from the gun is pulling the pigment back up to the surface, so there wouldnt be anywhere for the BtoB to soak into.....it might "soak" in on a nano scale level, but your still going to make a mess.....

plastics look the best when there is nothing on them and they are fresh and new looking......thats what the heat gun will give you!