My wiper frames, air intake and door frame black bits etc have faded and also have a few swirls of white stuff from my sloppy polishing and look decidedly shoddy.

I suspect one of the tyre or bumper products is what I want but don't know. I really don't mind if they end up a little shiny, just want it to be uniform and new looking.

So what do you recommend?

[mantaray]

I think Maguiars have a very good product, see if I can find it;
 Here tis:  http://www.meguiars.com.au/productdetail_2006.php?seq=109&category=CAR%20CARE&subcat=Glass,%20Clear%20Plastic%20and%20Exterior%20Trim&subsubcat=&show=1

[bumpkin]

I have been using this for years.

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-proddetail.asp?v06VQ=EM

[Dazzler]

Great info.. thanks guys 

[rustynutz]

I've always used ArmorAll Protectant on my black bits.....(it's not as painful as it sounds) 

Ok, thanks. I'm looking at these suggestions and I'm thinking that these products are possibly similar to the ones that used car dealers "shine" up the dashboards with.

I bought my son a used car and the dashboard shone so much that you needed polaroids to drive it. The wheel was also given the treatment and it was rather slippery to grip.

I know I did say I don't mind if I get a bit of a shine going but will these likely be the same as used on my son's car? I asked here trying to avoid this sort of treatment because I'm not sure if I like the real shiny look.

So from my description, are these similar products in your opinions?

I'm not proposing to use on the dashboard so even if they are these very shiny products they might still be what I want. 

[bumpkin]

I would not use the Autoglym product in the interior of the car, it is designed for the exterior plastics and would leave a dash for example being quite greasy.

As I said I use it on mine (and I have more black plastic on mine than most members since I have the bumper protectors).  You can see from the various pix of my i30 on the site that the plastics have a deep black look without being glossy.  I used to have a black car with black plastic side skirts,bumpers and wheel arch protectors (it took forever to keep smart as the cheap French plastics used at the time discoloured easily) and I always used the Autoglym to keep the metal shiny and the plastic black (I hope that makes sense!)

It can be left shiny by simply applying it liberally with a sponge and leaving, I however don't like shiny black bits either and so apply it quite sparingly with a muslin cloth, then use another muslin cloth to wipe away excess, this leaves a more matt finish.

I suspect the Meguiars one is similar, I did use Armor-All when it first came out and did not like it at all.

[kohan]

There is one very efficient product.
http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coatings/c4-permanent-trim-restorer/

[Dazzler]

There is one very efficient product.
http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/exterior-coatings/c4-permanent-trim-restorer/

Sounds like "the bees knees" 

[rustynutz]

I've used ArmorAll since I was a teenager and love it.
Used it on my motorcycles & cars for many many years and reckon it preserves vinyl and helps prevent cracking with age.
Downside? Seats can be a little slippery for a while and it does make the dash a bit shiny but on the i30 I haven't found that to be too much off a problem.
I use it on all plastic surfaces including the instrument panel and just find it makes it all look brand new with the added bonus that it seems to repel dust.
It's also good for tyre walls...just don't use it on motorcycle tyres unless you want to fall off....

[Dazzler]

Sorry Rusty but I haven't used Armorall since those rumours in the 70's and 80's about it actually causing cracking of dashboards etc...As per this forum thread (there are heaps more out there)...

http://www.f150online.com/forums/interior-care/20416-armor-all-bad.html

I just use a damp cloth and a dashmat for the interior...

[bumpkin]

I also just use a damp cloth, the use of interior products IMO actually increases windscreen fogging.

Thanks for all the recommendations about what you all use. The C4 stuff sounded wonderful until the price... it's $5,000 litre.

Yeah I know I only need a small amount but $100 for the smallest container - 15ml - still causes me to discount that. It just can't be worth that much!

I had a look at the wipers and as they were just mat black paint and only suffered surface oxidation (car is never garaged) I reasoned that a bit of cut and polish would work on them. Yep, came up like new.

I then wondered whether the same treatment would help on the plastic trim under the wipers where the inside air intake is. Only one way to find out and after a little bit of experimentation I ended up doing all my "black bits" with the cut and polish and it looks perfect. Just like new. Really!

Who would have thought.

I will add that I only used a very diluted cutter solution.

So there you are. Done... 

Sorry Rusty but I haven't used Armorall since those rumours in the 70's and 80's about it actually causing cracking of dashboards etc...As per this forum thread (there are heaps more out there)...

http://www.f150online.com/forums/interior-care/20416-armor-all-bad.html

I just use a damp cloth and a dashmat for the interior...

Yeah, Armorall or its generic type sounds like the shiny stuff I dislike. Sorry Rusty, no way I will be puting that on anything inside my car.

As it turns out I didn't put anything on the outside trim either, rather I took something off; the faded surface.

[rustynutz]

Sorry Rusty but I haven't used Armorall since those rumours in the 70's and 80's about it actually causing cracking of dashboards etc...As per this forum thread (there are heaps more out there)...

http://www.f150online.com/forums/interior-care/20416-armor-all-bad.html

I suspect this is yet another urban legend or myth.....

I reckon this quote from that other forum probably sums it up:

Maybe it's not the product that's the problem, maybe it's the quality of the vinyl that's the problem.

[2i30s]

i only use armor all on my tyres. i used to use it on all of my cars interiors but it caused dust to be stuck everywhere like fly paper. i only use a damp chamois on my cars interiors now. 

[Dazzler]

I use something called Tire Shine on our tyres (only about $2 at a discount shop) works a treat..

[2i30s]

export tyre shine,like you get at super cheap?    that stuff will do the job for pip,for sure. 

[DaveCRDi]

I have been using this for years.

http://www.autoglym.com/enGB/product-proddetail.asp?v06VQ=EM

I use this stuff as well, it works great.

I use different stuff for the tire walls though.

Autoglym stuff has always worked well for me, I use their super resin polish (which is basically a wax), bumper care, wheel cleaner, fast glass, etc.

Ok, I need to follow-up on this.
After a day or so the cut 'n' polish looked just as bad as before... it didn't work other than perhaps cleaning the surface a bit.

I finished up using Meguiar's Gold Class Trim Detailer. It puts a coating on that has a sort of wet look and while adding a bit of shine, certainly looks a lot better. I will say though, it also leaves a greasy surface on the smooth plastic coated door frames at the B pillar which immediately shows finger prints and other smears.

The wiper frames came up a treat though.