Whale Tail Rubber Trim $796 bucks? I don't think so...

[McLaren-TAG]

I've been putting my car back together after having it painted over the winter. The plans of having it ready for the driving season where laughable I guess. I tend to be a bit of a perfectionist so things are taking a while, but it's been slow and steady progress so I'm happy.

The latest though I thought I'd share with you here. Nothing makes a freshly painted car look worse for wear than "old" trim. So I'd sprung to replace every piece of rubber on the car and that was good. Every piece with the exception of the smile and the whale tail trim. I'm not made of money...

So both items were in good condition, pliable, and free of damage but they were faded and no amount of off the shelf restoration product worked well, worked for long or worked at all. In a few days they looked as old as ever. So I got an idea...

I've used a leather dye to change certain pieces of interior trim from brown to black, so I thought, why not. It's alcohol based and it penetrates the porous surface of the leather and it works well. I might just do the trick on rubber too.

So here's the bottom of the tail finished, and flipped over for comparison is the top of the tail. You be the judge. The black dye really penetrated the rubber and took care of the fundamental problem that no amount of surface cleaning and surface product could fix. it's not done yet, but I'll post pictures of the finished tail out in the sun so I can get the details. I'll give it a good silicone protectant treatment after the dye has a fully cured but I have to say that I'm ecstatic with the look and hopefully it will give back something to the forum.



Dyed and paper towel buffed bottom portion of tail trim.



Top side for comparison, just cleaned but very faded by comparison.



The dye I used, I'm sure the brand doesn't really matter, but I bought it from a cobbler shop so I'm sure it's pro quality stuff.

[TheSt|G]

FYI there is an actual product made for this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FOIJXQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage


Hopefully you prepped it with something like Griots trim cleaner.

[2jmotorsports]

Some personal thoughts on the "Back to Black" stuff:

Fantastic product that works well on POROUS rubber and trim. Not so good on non-porous surfaces. I learned the hard way on some faded gray Volvo bumpers. The stuff looked like it stuck to the surface well and every coat made it a darker, more even color. However because it never absorbed into the substrate it tended to chip or flake off easily.

[McLaren-TAG]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

FYI there is an actual product made for this:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000FOIJXQ?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_search_detailpage


Hopefully you prepped it with something like Griots trim cleaner.

Did you not just hear me say that I am not made of money?

Good to know, but at least this stuff was already sitting on my shelf and it clearly works. Probably the same thing. You can actually see it being absorbed into the rubber instead of it just sitting on top.

It actually looks pretty crappy until you give it the "buff" to even it out. I was going to say that it probably would work smoother if it had a foam applicator like the one you linked to shows. I used the applicator in the car which is basically just a cotton ball on a stick. Better strokes with a brush I'm sure.

[88911coupe]

Anything special with regard to pre cleaning or prep? I assume it's critical to get it to absorb. Maybe some sort of mineral spirits or something like that? Would not want to damage the original rubber but something that would really clean it and open the pores...of there are any pores.

[TheSt|G]

Originally Posted by McLaren-TAG

Did you not just hear me say that I am not made of money?

Good to know, but at least this stuff was already sitting on my shelf and it clearly works. Probably the same thing. You can actually see it being absorbed into the rubber instead of it just sitting on top.

It actually looks pretty crappy until you give it the "buff" to even it out. I was going to say that it probably would work smoother if it had a foam applicator like the one you linked to shows. I used the applicator in the car which is basically just a cotton ball on a stick. Better strokes with a brush I'm sure.

I'm not saying buy a new tail rubber. It's a $12 item.

Originally Posted by 88911coupe

Anything special with regard to pre cleaning or prep? I assume it's critical to get it to absorb. Maybe some sort of mineral spirits or something like that? Would not want to damage the original rubber but something that would really clean it and open the pores...of there are any pores.

At least for the $12 product I highlighted, you need to use Griot's trim cleaner to remove all the old waxes and other deposits so it can work directly with the surface material.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by 2jmotorsports

Some personal thoughts on the "Back to Black" stuff:

Fantastic product that works well on POROUS rubber and trim. Not so good on non-porous surfaces. I learned the hard way on some faded gray Volvo bumpers. The stuff looked like it stuck to the surface well and every coat made it a darker, more even color. However because it never absorbed into the substrate it tended to chip or flake off easily.

SEM TRIM BLACK. #39143 Get it at an auto paint shop.

'04 Volvo S60. Beautiful dark blue. Horrid gray oxidized rubber center stripe around car. Dark blue set off the chalk gray almost as nicely as if the car was jet black.

Lower ground effect trim was still black but needed sprucing up.

They were two were different materials.

Mask, clean with paint prep quick flash cleaner and spray. No chipping, no nothing. Looks great three years later.

Have not tried it on my tail rubber which is exactly like McTag's (the condition). I know this stuff would adhere and look fine but I have leather dye as well. My fear is that leather dye may not be made to resist the weather like this stuff.

I will spray some on a test plate and take a pic on top of my tail to see if the "shine" is close to what is seen in McTags first post.

[uwanna]

Originally Posted by TheSt|G

At least for the $12 product I highlighted, you need to use Griot's trim cleaner to remove all the old waxes and other deposits so it can work directly with the surface material.

On several reviews of Forever Black product, folks have had real good luck using "GOOF OFF" product in the cleaning prep. Ordered some Forever Black and I will try with Goof Off and report.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

I will spray some on a test plate and take a pic on top of my tail to see if the "shine" is close to what is seen in McTags first post.

Not impressed with results. Too flat.

[RSBob]

Have been using Forever Black for years on a variety of cars and the stuff is a permanent dye and works great. It may take 3 coats but the stuff won't fade for years. Just don't get on painted surfaces.

[Bob Kontak]

Originally Posted by RSBob

Have been using Forever Black for years on a variety of cars and the stuff is a permanent dye and works great. It may take 3 coats but the stuff won't fade for years. Just don't get on painted surfaces.

Suspect with tail rubber I would pull the bad boy off to ensure a nice wrap around onto the back AND to get it away from the real paint when applying.

[4flyboy]

Great tip TAG,

Please post the results when you've had a chance to finish it with a silicone sealant.....really anxious to see if you're pleased with results over time.

thanks,

Scott

[RSBob]

Originally Posted by Bob Kontak

Suspect with tail rubber I would pull the bad boy off to ensure a nice wrap around onto the back AND to get it away from the real paint when applying.

Well said sir - either remove or do some phenomenal masking. I typically use painters tape around the areas I am treating (mirror surrounds, bumper trim, rocker trim, door pulls, ignition round surround, etc).