[Duncan]

I have a 2005 Chevy Equinox that has black plastic exterior trim that has faded to grey. I would like to get a quote on repairing that somehow. If that is something you do would you contact me please.

Duncan

251-269-9191

 

[OTTE*DA*WORM]

There is absolutely NO repairing faded textured parts of your vehicle. Anyone who says they can is full of crap. Thats one of the main reasons Chevy stopped putting that crap on their avalanches. Poor design quality of black textured parts. The only thing you can do is replace the part(s). And, Yes, that is expensive. Also, if you paint the part(s) it will not last very long. I work in a collision shop here in Pcola. Good luck to you, and sorry i couldnt be of more help to you. O*D*W

 

[TailRazor]

He's right, there's no permanent fix aside from replacement but imho the best temporary fix is google:
Mothers 06108 Back-to-Black Trim Care

 

[joshalaska]

Just wanted to put my 2 cents in on this. As far as the faded black there really isn't a whole lot you can do. I own a detailing business www.autodetailersofnwflorida.com and have worked with this type of problem alot. There are products out there that claim to get it black like back to black and black dyes/stains but they leave it looking very sloppy and discolored. Your best option is to either buy new or do what I did for my Ford Explorer. I taped off the area I wanted to paint which was my trim all the way around the vehicle which was grey and I rolled on a vehicle paint that was black. It's been on for about 6 months and still looks great. Hope that helps.

 

[lastcast]

Try Mop and Glow on an out of sight spot. I've tried a bunch of things and this held for about 10 months.

 

[Duncan]

Just to let everyone know what I did. I didn't want to put a lot of money into it because I don't intend to keep the car but another year or so. I investigated a lot of products but it seems anything you apply comes off at one time another, some right away, some in a few months. I got a quote for painting the parts but it was pricey.

While researching on youtube I saw where some folks were using a heat gun to heat up the plastic and restore the black color. Since I had a heat gun I thought I would try it on a small part thinking that if I messed it up I could always get it painted. You hold the heat gun on the part until it starts to melt and you can see it turn black, it looks like you are spray painting the part so with a bit of masking tape, some cardboard to shield the painted areas I heated the front dam, side panels, rear pad and it looks good. I t has been a few months and it still is holding the color.

If you decide to try this I do have a few cautions, the line between being just right and melting the plastic is small so be careful. I didn't boil anything but you need to keep moving. I did it on a 60 degree day, I would suggest a hotter day. So do your research on youtube and watch some other folks go thru the process.

Duncan