Have a new 2024 F150 Platinum and looking for the best way to protect the exterior trim.
Think I’ve researched so much I’m confused as to best way to proceed. Is it even possible to prevent trim from fading when the truck is not garaged? I’ve seen contradicting opinions on ceramic coating plastic and if it does fail removal seems to be a pain. Isbit beat to use a trim sealant until it begins to fade and then use solution finish.
Hi Kevin,
Great question and thank you for asking.
First a quick story,
Back in 2013, I was asked to teach a class at Mobile Tech Expo on how to restore exterior black plastic trim.
I had no interest in teaching this topic. Zero. But I did it anyway. Including making a trip to the local salvage yard to collect a wide variety of exterior black plastic trim.
You can read about the particulars here,
How to restore exterior black plastic trim
Long story short, besides teaching how to restore faded exterior black plastic trim, I put as much or MORE stress on PMs or Preventative Maintenance.
That is, when your vehicle is BRAND NEW! Right now, start protecting the trim. Don't wait for a few years when the trim is already faded and then try to find some Miracle Product on late night TV that will fix the problem.
How to do Preventative Maintenance?
Start right away by applying Solution Finish to all exterior black plastic trim. Load the plastic up with Carbon Black.
Next, seal the surface. Solution Finish sells a topper and of course I trust the Dr.'s prescription.
Dr. Beasley's Plastic Sealant
The true key to the protection phase is really simple. It's advice I've been sharing since 1992,
Find something you like and use it often
This means, find a product you like, which typically means you like,
- How it applies
- How it wipes off
- How it looks when you're done
And then use it as often as needed. How often you need to practice Preventive Maintenance on a Garage Queen is a LOT less than on a Daily Driver parked outside, 7-days a week, 24-hours a day, 365 days a year.
For the amount of effort and cost to practice Preventative Maintenance, the dividends paid in return will be plastic trim that always looks factory new.
Back in 2010, I was already showing people how to machine scrub plastic trim. Here's a picture from that class.
I still teach this today in our classes only since then, the CORDLESS FLEX PE-150 was invented so we use cordless rotary polishers for this process for 2 reasons.
1: When working in a wet environment - you can't get shocked.
2: Zero pad or brush stalling with a rotary.
Pictures from this class
601 pictures - what a real hands-on detailing class looks like!
But I digress...
Mike
