what can i do to bring my sideskirts back to life on my 96 hatch cuz the color is faded and it looks like a dull gray rite now... they only look good after i go to the car wash and it only lasts like 2 days

 

I saw some of this "restore black" stuff at autozone I think, you could try that. Or you could repaint it. Or you could use some canola oil/peanut butter.

 

Meguiars Vinyl/Rubber Stuff, the #40, or Meguiars extreme tire gel/shine. It works wonders on my side-skirts/mud guards

http://www.meguiars.com/?car-t...ctant

^^ That should work ok also, but I haven't used it before.

I found a picture for the Meguiars #40: .
It's not cheap though, around $10.

 

I would just buy the duplicolor car paint.

Prep it, paint it, clear and done.

It will look great if you take your time.

Paint matched sides look sooo clean on an ek.

 

yeah, I agree, then use the recommended products above.. I can't see a pic of it so I was assuming the "grey" was a real dark grey since you said that after a wash it looked great (so a repaint wouldn't necessarily be needed).

 

Here's a really good product:


http://www.urethanesupply.com/waxblaster.html

This will remove all the nasty embedded wax, polish, dirt, etc. If your car has been taken through car washes time and again, you will have wax buildup, which will appear white (or gray when filthy dirty).

Follow it up with this:


http://www.urethanesupply.com/...e=URE

This product is a trim dressing that has black dye mixed in. This will rehydrate your trim, and also spread a nice thin layer of black dye that will penetrate into it and restore the color.

Then, for further upkeep, I'd use one of the following products:

Meguiar's #40 Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner

or

Meguiar's NXT Tech Protect (seems to last a little longer for exterior use).

If I'm doing a photoshoot, or going to an event, I'll actually use Meguair's High Endurance Tire Gel on my sideskirts and front lip. It produces a really deep glossy black.

 

Here's my rather extended list of products I use, what they cost, and what I use them for. I've since added quite a few more products to my catalog, but the list still stands firm.

https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1781607

 

thanks... i dont want to paint them

 

I go with ^^^^^. If you already have some sort of Tire Shine product, you can use that. It restores the shine, and is a quick and efficient solution.

If your SideSkirts are scratched, then simply making them shiny might not be all you want to do... If you want the OEM finish, then Duplicolor sells a Flat Black Trim Paint that works well. If you want an OEM color, then you'll have to find a match or get it done by a pro. Of course, do the necessary Sand & Prep work...

Here are some links that might help:
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=489625
https://honda-tech.com/zerothread?id=1440736

Good luck!
JasonGhostz

 

Or paint it flat black.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Eran &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">Here's a really good product:


http://www.urethanesupply.com/waxblaster.html

This will remove all the nasty embedded wax, polish, dirt, etc. If your car has been taken through car washes time and again, you will have wax buildup, which will appear white (or gray when filthy dirty).

Follow it up with this:


http://www.urethanesupply.com/...e=URE

This product is a trim dressing that has black dye mixed in. This will rehydrate your trim, and also spread a nice thin layer of black dye that will penetrate into it and restore the color.

Then, for further upkeep, I'd use one of the following products:

Meguiar's #40 Vinyl and Rubber Cleaner/Conditioner

or

Meguiar's NXT Tech Protect (seems to last a little longer for exterior use).

If I'm doing a photoshoot, or going to an event, I'll actually use Meguair's High Endurance Tire Gel on my sideskirts and front lip. It produces a really deep glossy black.</TD></TR></TABLE>


This will make them look new again. The other solutions are temporary.

Oil, peanut butter and products such as Back To Black will only last a very short amount of time. In fact it will probably be gone after one wash, or as people normally wash cars, it will be gone before you even get to wash the car again.

/Reported to move to Paint and Body section.

 

THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS!!!

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by phoebs &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">THIS THREAD IS WORTHLESS WITHOUT PICS!!!</TD></TR></TABLE>

You're worthless in all caps.

If it's faded/greay, then you need to paint it black or put tireshine/grease on it.

The only lasting effect is going to be paint man.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by ek forever guy &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">You're worthless in all caps.

If it's faded/greay, then you need to paint it black or put tireshine/grease on it.

The only lasting effect is going to be paint man.</TD></TR></TABLE>
The stuff Eran's talking about is a dye. It makes it look stock and doesn't have the risk of peeling or chipping.

 

Dye works too

 

kiwi shoe dye works great

 

Watch out when using products not designed for that material though. Sometimes you get strange reactions.

 

not in this case, its been done thousands of times.

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bailhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">not in this case, its been done thousands of times.</TD></TR></TABLE>
Thousands? I've never heard of anyone using it before.

 

They said they havent heard of you either.

Google this; "kiwi shoe dye on bumper"

 

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote, originally posted by Bailhatch &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">They said they havent heard of you either.

Google this; "kiwi shoe dye on bumper"</TD></TR></TABLE>
I was speaking of using it on the 6th gen Civic sideskirts.

First results I read:

http://www.edition38.com/forum....html

<TABLE WIDTH="90%" CELLSPACING=0 CELLPADDING=0 ALIGN=CENTER><TR><TD>Quote &raquo;</TD></TR><TR><TD CLASS="quote">The streaky bits are from when I tried the kiwi polish/dye etc-couldn't get it looking even!</TD></TR></TABLE>

Sounds like the squeeze bottle is the best bet if you're using shoe polish. Put one coat on, let dry, put another coat on.

I don't know if I'd do this with parts I want on my car though. I'd have to test it one something else first.

Also found this comparision.

http://forums.vwvortex.com/zerothread?id=2493675

The OP has had the products on for a month and notes the dye doesn't repeal water. He said he'd come back to report a month later, but never did.

That heatgun idea looks kind of neat though...


Modified by NOFX at 9:56 PM 6/2/2007