Faded bumpers

My bumpers have faded on my FL and are of a lighter shade. I've seen other FL's of a similar age that have normal looking bumpers with no fade. Is there any way to restore it back to how it was without replacing it?

Here you can see what I mean:
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4054/4672972768_cb53080a82_b.jpg

Notice the difference between the colour of the bumper and the "nudge bar".

I guess that you've already tried good old-fashioned Armor All?

It's not permanent (in that you need to do it at every wash - ideally). But it certainly put some colour back into mine.

It also have UV protectors in it - so regular use should help stop further colour fade.

use smooth peanut butter cheap and good car valeters secret haha hope it helps

Hairdryer - heat them up

early freelanders had grey trim , not black. Are you sure its not actually grey trim.

boiled linseed oil works a treat and lasts for a while

I'm trying too get hold of some autoglymm black pastic dye as i've read in a few places and been told by a few people that it works quite well. I've also the early grey bumpers and i'm hoping this stuff will make them quite a bit darker. No luck in finding it locally though.

i have used Mer bumper and vinyl gel for a while now

Bumper Cleaner – Mer Bumper and Vinyl Cleaning Gel

it really does do the job and lasts, i find that if you use it once and re-apply after a couple of washes it should last about 3-4 months, apply it with a sponge.

biggeeeee said:

Hairdryer - heat them up

Click to expand...

There's a few videos here that shows the use of a heat gun.

YouTube - heat gun bumper

I used shoe shine to get them back to black. You need to give it two coats but once dry, it's stays on for months. I did mine in February and they don't even like they are fading yet. And it only costs 97p from ASDA

Just make sure you wipe off the excess off the bodywork before it dries, as it is a pain to get off.

Linseed oil [Willo juice] dash of old doozle oil ,dash of white spirit till it flows nice . . . . . shake it in a bottle. . . . .cheep cheerful and it works, apply with a lint free cloth and rub [word of warning] linseed oil on a cloth can self ignite [true] soak in water after use and leave under the nearest tratter

use Autoworks bumper shine on mine last for about a month £1 a can Poundland

The magical WD40
Spray it on a cloth, wipe on, bumper goes black, and its waterproof.

Groundnut oil works well

Hi

See [nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk8U5tKQXQw"]YouTube- Restore faded plastics with heat[/nomedia] which works like magic and lasts 1 year (but it will not work on the door handles and filler cap).

For those items use Smooth Peanut butter & it lasts for about 3 months.

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4f62OwctOBc"]YouTube- How to polish plastic with peanut butter!!![/nomedia]

I did mine and just wish that I had taken before and after pics!

Good Lick (oops luck)

Den

Can anyone tell me what colour mine are suposed to be, haven't seen them since just after I got it in 2007, at this stage I think it's the mud that's holding them on
Back on dry land - Photo - M.A.D. Hippos Club

I used this Auto Plastic/Vinyl Trim Permanent Dye by Showroom New: eBay Motors (item 120608854596 end time Nov-11-10 20:43:54 PST) and it is amazing stuff, worked a treat

Skinny Mike said:

The magical WD40
Spray it on a cloth, wipe on, bumper goes black, and its waterproof.

Click to expand...

Is this a serious suggestion?

I have the earlier grey bumpers and mouldings

I spray some Silicone Lubricant on a cloth and wipe it on

This removes the white marks from wax that gets on there and, returns the plastic to a very nice dark grey

Poorboy trim restorer is very good. I tried it out the other day, again like most its not permanent but it does improve the look of the bumpers alot. Well worth the money.