Auto detailing has a lot of moving parts for fine-tuning the perfect look on a vehicle, and if you want to do DIY auto detailing, we want to give the best tips on how to get a good end result. One commonly overlooked area that needs attention is your plastic trim. Plastic trims and moldings on your car need special care in order to keep them in good condition and protected from harsh UV rays, and knowing how to take care of them will save you money in the long run and keep your vehicle looking good in the meantime.
Regular Care
Just like the other essential parts of your vehicle, your plastic trim and moldings need regular love and attention in order to look their best and last longer. There are just a few key things to keep in mind to protect the plastic parts of your vehicle.
Wash
Every time you wash your car, you should also be washing your plastic trim and moldings. For your normal plastic trim and moldings, you’ll want a fine bristled brush to help get dirt and other material out of the pores of the pieces. When cleaning smoother pieces of plastic, you will want to avoid stiff bristles as this may scratch the plastic. Textured moldings, on the other hand, should have a nice brush with stiff bristles for proper cleaning.
Protection
After you properly wash down and dry your vehicle, if you do not have any protective dressings on your plastic trim and moldings, you will want to apply a layer to protect against UV rays and the color fading they cause. All you’ll need is a microfiber applicator pad to put a fine layer of protectant over the services of your trim and molding. If you live somewhere that has constant intense sunlight, then it might be wise to apply a new layer of protectant every month, but for most places once every two months will work for your vehicle.
Remove Old Layers
There are plenty of dressings you can apply to your plastic trim and moldings, and you’ll want to find a product that meets your car’s needs. However, you will want to remember to periodically clean off the dressings you apply. If the layers pile up on each other, you can get some discoloration. You can avoid this by cleaning off any applied dressing before putting on new layers about every two months.
Restoration
There’s no need to worry if you’re plastic trim and moldings have already been damaged and faded in color because there are plenty of restoring products available. The extent of the discoloration and damage will determine which product you will want to use. Most light discoloration can be fixed with a standard restoration product, but there are also products infused with dyes for those plastic pieces that seem too far gone. The point is, it’s never too late to begin restoring and protecting the plastic trim of your vehicle!
Have you given much thought to your vehicle’s plastic trim and molding recently? If not, hopefully, we’ve given you a good place to start and reassured you that it’s never too late to begin protecting more parts of your vehicle. If you have been protecting the plastic parts of your car, let us know in the comments any products you trust and let us know anything we might have missed.
