[GeolJon]

I spent some time searching the internet for products to restore and protect the plastic trim on my Xterra (there's a lot of it). This stuff had lots of good reviews and a reputation for being long-lasting, so I picked up a box at AdvanceAutoParts decided to give it a try. I'm planning to periodically update this thread over time to see how well it lasts long-term as a service to the forum members considering something less dramatic than plasti-dip. My plastic trim wasn't terribly faded to begin with, so your results may vary.

Follow the directions. It's pretty easy to apply, just avoid get it on glass or paint. I first cleaned off all the plastic I was going to treat and used masking tape to protect the headlights (although this can be used on headlights), metal and windows. It has a very powerful smell, so be sure to apply outdoors. I wetted one of the small lint-free rags they include with the bottle and found it was sufficient to treat the front bumper and side trim easily. A little goes a long way.

Here are a couple before and after photos for now. Feel free to ask questions or add stuff to the thread.

 

[KuanR]

@eighty

Sent from my SM-N9200 using Tapatalk

 

[TurboChris]

I'm planning to periodically update this thread over time to see how well it lasts long-term as a service to the forum members considering something less dramatic than plasti-dip.

Long-term on-going review thread FAIL.

Jon, you forget about this? lol

 

[Just a Hunter]

I use Wipe New at least twice a year.

For what it's worth, I've not found another product which works any better.

I've been told Chemical Guys has a product which works well on black exterior trim, but I've not tried it yet.

www.chemicalguys.com

 

[GeolJon]

Long-term on-going review thread FAIL.

Jon, you forget about this? lol

Sorry, thanks for the reminder.

I applied Wipe New last summer. I did all of the exterior plastic in June except the roof area, which was done in August. The truck sat in the hot Texas sun through October, survived a winter in Utah, and has been through at least a dozen car washes. Rarely garaged or covered.

Here are some photos taken shortly after I washed the car yesterday, ~10 months after application. The first 3 show areas that have generally less direct sun exposure. The plastic still looks great, water beads, and the Wipe New doesn't seem to have worn off at all. Compare to the first set of photos at the top of the thread.

 

[GeolJon]

Another set of "after" pictures:

Rear bumper step barely shows any fading, except, if you look closely, where I didn't apply it as carefully or completely along the sides of the step treads.

I didn't clean off the roof box/air dam very well, so it probably doesn't look as good as it otherwise would be. A little fading after ~8 months, though the water still beads fairly well. Remember this is probably one of the the most sun and weather exposed parts of the truck. I also didn't treat it quite as thoroughly as other parts. Also, there the chalky white near the front is excess car wax that I still need to wipe off.

The rear wiper arm and back door latch were the most faded and sun exposed before I treated. Looking at those areas, there is some fading of the Wipe New, but it still looks much better than when I started.

 

[GeolJon]

One last photo of the plastic below the windshield. Also, I should have cleaned it off before taking the photo. This spot shows fading, though I think it is largely due to the fact that I didn't apply Wipe New very thoroughly because the bottle was nearly empty. Still, looks better than when i started.

To summarize:
Wipe New is the best stuff I've found for exterior plastic (though smelly), and lives up to its promise if you follow the directions on the box closely.

Thorough treatment with Wipe New on exterior plastic can easily last a year, although for best results, you probably want to retreat the most sun and weather-exposed areas (e.g. rear door handle, rear wiper, air dam) twice a year. And after it dries initially (~24 hours), it is not sticky, so you don't need to worry about dust and bugs either.

How's that for a long-term review? Any questions?

 

[General_Tarfun]

Good review and update. I actually picked up a bottle last week that I'm going to put on soon. The instructions emphasize pretty heavily keeping the surface out of the sun for 24 hours after applying, did you follow that part exactly?

 

[GeolJon]

Good review and update. I actually picked up a bottle last week that I'm going to put on soon. The instructions emphasize pretty heavily keeping the surface out of the sun for 24 hours after applying, did you follow that part exactly?

I don’t think I was able to keep it out of the sun completely for 24 hours, but I definitely made sure that it wasn’t going to get water on it. I applied it in the evening and tried to keep it in the shade as much as possible the following day.

 

[Ezdaar]

Is it slippery?
When it gets wet after curing does it get slick?

 

[GeolJon]

Is it slippery?
When it gets wet after curing does it get slick?

After drying, it isn't noticeably slick or slippery. When wet, it doesn't seem to be much different than what the plastic is by itself.

 

[TurboChris]

How's that for a long-term review?

Wish I would have tried it before I painted all the plastic......Great Review!

 

[Alaska Viejo]

The instructions tell you to degrease with liquid dish soap and then spray and wipe with trisodium phosphate. Did you all do this step? (I finally break down and buy the car wash trip with wax....)

GeolJon, Re your quote, although I'm not a geologist and never played one on tv, during one week in 1999 I did witness 5 or 6 eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat; the best eruptions to watch were at night, when it was easier to see the ejecta, like large boulders glowing red-orange rolling down its flanks into the jungle. The villa we were in had shutters, but no glass (like they all did, to allow the air to circulate) and ash would drift through the slats. In the morning, there were small pits on top of the lap top computer's lid due to the high humidity combining with the high sulphur content of the ash and (I'm guessing) making a bit of sulphuric acid. I bought some souvenir post cards of the volcano and when customs was checking my stuff on the way out I joked that I really didn't think it was a volcano in the picture, but was probably just a Marley family picnic making all the smoke. You'd have thought I'd dissed the Queen. "You cant say that about Bob Marley, sir!! I'm confiscating this postcard!!" At the end of that same week we'd had a Class 1 hurricane; flew out to Oregon coast in time for a low grade typhoon to blow in. Interesting times. Lots of earth quakes living in Alaska. Mostly they're kind of cool, until you get hit by one that goes on for a bit. Starts you wondering about "to run outside or maybe stay here and die warm?"

 

[Alaska Viejo]

So I washed down the trim with Dawn dish soap and will follow with 409 cleaner in the morning. While washing, I was noting lots of plastic trim (black grill, kind of silvery dividers of the grill, then either plastic or painted metal on the roof rack and wet gear bin, and I'm wondering what folks are doing on those parts. (So glad this site exists!).

 

[GeolJon]

The instructions tell you to degrease with liquid dish soap and then spray and wipe with trisodium phosphate. Did you all do this step? (I finally break down and buy the car wash trip with wax....)

GeolJon, Re your quote, although I'm not a geologist and never played one on tv, during one week in 1999 I did witness 5 or 6 eruptions of the Soufriere Hills volcano on Montserrat; the best eruptions to watch were at night, when it was easier to see the ejecta, like large boulders glowing red-orange rolling down its flanks into the jungle. The villa we were in had shutters, but no glass (like they all did, to allow the air to circulate) and ash would drift through the slats. In the morning, there were small pits on top of the lap top computer's lid due to the high humidity combining with the high sulphur content of the ash and (I'm guessing) making a bit of sulphuric acid. I bought some souvenir post cards of the volcano and when customs was checking my stuff on the way out I joked that I really didn't think it was a volcano in the picture, but was probably just a Marley family picnic making all the smoke. You'd have thought I'd dissed the Queen. "You cant say that about Bob Marley, sir!! I'm confiscating this postcard!!" At the end of that same week we'd had a Class 1 hurricane; flew out to Oregon coast in time for a low grade typhoon to blow in. Interesting times. Lots of earth quakes living in Alaska. Mostly they're kind of cool, until you get hit by one that goes on for a bit. Starts you wondering about "to run outside or maybe stay here and die warm?"

Pretty cool. I haven't yet seen much of an eruption (yet) other than the lava lake on Hawaii and some smoke coming out of Stromboli in Italy. I have been to a couple of recently erupted volcanoes though. One of the criteria I want wherever I live is whether there is active tectonics. For that reason, Texas was too boring for me.

I used dish soap and maybe a little rubbing alcohol to prep. And don't forget to tape off the areas around where you want to treat. It didn't really do much for the shiny metallic plastic on the bumper (although that part didn't need it anyways). I removed the wet box from the roof to treat it.

 

[Alaska Viejo]

Well, in spite of the hype to the contrary, it is boring here unless you're into malls and such (or grandkids). I'm sure that if one is waiting for the New Madrid fault to let go, it could be a long wait. Although the last time it did, I understand the Mississippi ran backwards (to the north). I was living in the Seattle area when St Helens let go; when the 'boom' arrived, I thought a bird had flown into one of the windows. Not sure how long afterwards it was, but it was a clear enough day that we were able to see the plume. There was a news organization cameraman near the mountain when it erupted, who kept recording video as he walked out in heavy ash downfall. It's an incredible thing to watch. Forget which channel it was. The dust was a PITA - people were putting panty hose over the opening for their engine air intakes to cut down on the amount of powdered quartz that made to the combustion chambers.

Back to the X - the sloping surface forward of the bin - did you use the product on that surface also?

 

[GeolJon]

Yes, I removed the roof box to treat it, then did the rest of the plastic on the roof in place. Also pulled the covers off my roof lights to apply it closer to the ground.

I actually have worked as an adjunct teaching a college natural disasters course online for the last 2 years, so I’m pretty familiar with New Madrid and other hazards across the country. Have also done a considerable amount of research on geophysical (earthquakes & tsunamis) hazards in Indonesia and the mountain west. Fascinating stuff to me.

 

[Alaska Viejo]

Hey, thanks for your help on the Wipe New application. Good luck on going through that earthquake! But be careful what you wish for...

 

[General_Tarfun]

I didn't get as much life out of this stuff as I was hoping for on my rear panels. Oddly enough the wetbox has held up the best overall. I've started seeing prices in the $50-$60 each range for the rear bumper plastics so I'm leaning more towards just buying new and using a UV protect on it this time.

 

[Veneven13]

Thanks for the tips, what kind of step bars do you have??