Black Wow Application on Severely Neglected Trim

OctaneGuy · #1 03-09-2009, 11:08 AM

I recently had a chance to detail a Lincoln Mark LT and at the base of the windshield, I got a chance to document a very important application technique for severely faded plastic trim.

This is what the truck looks like

This is the trim at the base of the windshield

After the first application of BW, you can see a noticeable improvement

Looks great so far!

But after a washing and an hour later, the BW looks faded already

Most newbies would give up and say BW is a piece of junk. However, what I always tell people is that BW needs to fully absorb and saturate the plastic and on severely oxidized trim, it needs more time to absorb. So I applied more product.

Seems to look even better now.

A total of 3 applications were made, spread over the course of the 12 hour detail.

So as a final test, I applied BW over the untreated adjacent area, and despite putting on multiple coats in a hurry, in an hours time, the area that wasn't allowed to soak is visibly lighter than the properly treated side.

What this means is that BW will continue to improve the neglected trim, the longer it's been allowed to soak. There is a direct relationship to durability. The better you apply BW, the longer it will last. Over time, as you start to see it fade, a quick application of BW will prolong the life.

Don't have any Black Wow? Buy it from one of the BW retailers or from myself at ShowCarSupplies.com

Richard

hemin8r · #2 03-10-2009, 12:05 PM

Great documentation Richard. I'm still on my original bottle.

OctaneGuy · #3 03-10-2009, 12:07 PM

Thanks!! And thanks for all your help during the move!

As for that one bottle..yeah I hear that too often, hahah. If only every car enthusiast could own just one bottle, I'd be alright, lol.

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by hemin8r

Great documentation Richard. I'm still on my original bottle.

Mister B · #4 03-25-2009, 04:54 AM

Looks great Richard! I have that exact same trim at the base of my windshield on my 04 F-150. I’ll have to give that application technique a try. Not looking forward to it though with all those square vent holes.

I got my bottle of Black Wow from you when you first came out with it. I used it on my ATV which has a lot of black textured plastic. BW made the plastic look great, but the next day I did notice it looked faded or somewhat splotchy in areas like you showed in your pictures above. I thought maybe I did something wrong. I never thought that maybe the plastic was soaking it up and could use a second application. I will have to give it another try.

Does your new PW make much of a difference in how BW works, or would something like M39 work just the same for cleaning the plastic first?

OctaneGuy · #5 03-25-2009, 07:05 AM

Re: vent holes
I know..if only you could somehow remove that trim and soak it in a vat of Black Wow right??? You know recently I used a teeth whitening product that take a hydrogen peroxide gel on a plastic strip and you leave it on your teeth for 30 minutes. Something like that could actually relieve us of these headaches that manufacturers create in their designs!

As for repeated applications...I know...I kept seeing that happen in peoples reviews and discussions online about the BW durability. What's important to realize is that the applications are cumulative..applying a second time, you'll use less product.

As for PW..PW is superior to M39. It takes only a few light rubs and embedded wax/polish is gone for good. It's also fully compatible with BW..no residues left behind that might interfere with BW's performance.

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister B

Looks great Richard! I have that exact same trim at the base of my windshield on my 04 F-150. I’ll have to give that application technique a try. Not looking forward to it though with all those square vent holes.

I got my bottle of Black Wow from you when you first came out with it. I used it on my ATV which has a lot of black textured plastic. BW made the plastic look great, but the next day I did notice it looked faded or somewhat splotchy in areas like you showed in your pictures above. I thought maybe I did something wrong. I never thought that maybe the plastic was soaking it up and could use a second application. I will have to give it another try.

Does your new PW make much of a difference in how BW works, or would something like M39 work just the same for cleaning the plastic first?

Mister B · #6 03-25-2009, 07:27 AM

Any idea when PW will be available? I'm curious to check it out.

OctaneGuy · #7 03-25-2009, 08:55 AM

I don't have a launch date. In it's curent incarnation, I can just bottle it and it's ready. But I'm not 100% satisfied with the formula. It could be as soon as 2 months from now, or as long as 4 to 6 months from now. You guys will be the first to know when it's ready.

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by Mister B

Any idea when PW will be available? I'm curious to check it out.

Deviant · #8 03-25-2009, 11:15 AM

I did my own little experiment with Black Wow. Because of my hands and the cold weather up here I can't really detail my car so the last time I was able to put BW on was in October last year. Needless to say my trim was severely neglected and quite grey.
I took some before and after pictures, as well as leaving an area masked off with no Black Wow. I then snapped some photos about a week later. I tried getting the vehicle in similar sunlight and using the same angles.
Before: (note: at this point all I've done is rinsed the vehicle off and allowed the trim to dry in the sun.)

Immediately after:

Note the tape, there's no BW under there:

A week later: (This is just after rinsing the car off, with only the one application of BW, I tried to wipe the water away.)

Obviously it needs another application, but it looks a lot better than it did.
The taped off area:

Up close:

This was just my little test, your results may vary.

OctaneGuy · #9 03-25-2009, 11:19 AM

Hey Ken,

Great test there, thanks so much for documenting that. What applicator are you using? It looks a bit uneven or maybe it's just the lighting. I'm thinking some PW might help even things up as well...

Oh and glad to see people back posting...was feeling kinda lonely around here for awhile!

Richard

Deviant · #10 03-25-2009, 11:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by OctaneGuy

Hey Ken,

Great test there, thanks so much for documenting that. What applicator are you using? It looks a bit uneven or maybe it's just the lighting. I'm thinking some PW might help even things up as well...

Oh and glad to see people back posting...was feeling kinda lonely around here for awhile!

Richard

I was using a MF skinny applicator but because the trim was pretty neglected I didn't think it was abrasive enough so I switched to using my bare fingers to work the BW around and getting closer to the edges of the trim. The unevenness is probably the areas where I used my fingers instead of the MF.
Also, in the week later photos there's still some bits of water on the trim.