Faded Front Grill

JD. said:

I use a dye called forever black on mine, gotta say it works really well.
You apply it with a sponge and it only works on porous plastics, also looks crappy after first one or two coats...but really finishes nice after several coats and it doesn't wash off either.

Before and after pics!

Badly faded grill and headlight finishers:

Not a real close pic, but hopefully you can see the improvement.

Click to expand...

Propper job! ;-)

superb results might have to get me some!

but from where?

tomcat59alan said:

but from where?

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Try this. www.foreverblack.com. Or this www.performancemotorcare.com/acatalog/Forever_Black.

Got mine from fleabay after reading some reviews for it.
Really impressred with the results, just apply several thin coats...and use your own sponge cut to shape, the old shoe polish type applicator it comes with isn't much cop.

Thanks for all the tips guys. I tried the peanut butter but it never really made any difference. It did work on my arches but they were nowhere near as bad as the grill. I also tried the hot air trick from my heat gun but that never worked either. Pictures from JD speak volumes so I have ordered some Forever Black. Will post some photos next week showing the before and after.

jt_armstrong said:

I also tried the hot air trick from my heat gun but that never worked either.

Click to expand...

Sorry I forgot to mention it only work on some plastics :-/ look forward to seeing the results...

JD. said:

I use a dye called forever black on mine, gotta say it works really well.
You apply it with a sponge and it only works on porous plastics, also looks crappy after first one or two coats...but really finishes nice after several coats and it doesn't wash off either.

Before and after pics!

Badly faded grill and headlight finishers:

Not a real close pic, but hopefully you can see the improvement.

Click to expand...

Thats really good results and how is it lasting ?

As a professional detailer I have to deal with problems like this quite a lot, Peanut butter is messy, as is linseed oil, when it rains it will run and streak over the bumper.

Someone mention using a heat gun, this is probably the one which will give the natural look back then seal it with some kind of crystal resin sealant. I have used Dodo Juice Gloss Trim Sealant and it was fantastic, see a video i did of it:

[nomedia="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OcvtWK1zOJE"]YouTube - ‪Prism Detailing - Dodo Juice Supernatural Gloss Trim Sealant Sheeting‬‏[/nomedia]

this is meant to last about 12 months.

Another good option is Chemical Guys New Look trim gel which i have a 50/50 pic:



Thr problem with this is that it wont last for long

Probably about two months ago now I did mine, still looking good...would probably look better if I washed it a bit more often!

Seems to be fairly water and chemical resistant, will try and get a more recent closer pic for ya later.

Here's a better pic:



Don't know if there any image size limits on here, hopefully not too big!
The pic on the right is taken about two months after using the dye.

JD. said:

Here's a better pic:

Don't know if there any image size limits on here, hopefully not too big!
The pic on the right is taken about two months after using the dye.

Click to expand...

Wow that looks great. Where did you get the grey colouring stuff from?

What can I say?
Had lotsa help and good advice on here, nice to be able to share my few successes as well as my many failures when I get chance! lol

You reckon I should be on their payroll?

JD. said:

What can I say?
Had lotsa help and good advice on here, nice to be able to share my few successes as well as my many failures when I get chance! lol

You reckon I should be on their payroll?

Click to expand...

As a matter of fact was going to paint mine. But have just ordered some Forever black off flebay. So ring them and ask for a cut.

I seem to spend more time looking under the bonnet than at it, but I've just ordered myself some too!

I think it's one of those things that is more popular in the states maybe. It keeps that plastic shine which might be hard to make look natural with paint.

Im definately going to order some and try it for myself, thanks for sharing

Buy a later grill off ebay

OK, so bottle of Forever Black arrived yesterday and the results are in. I have to say that I am well chuffed with results but couple of things to watch.
1) the little bottle of cleaner didn't do **** to my grill. Get yourself some petrol and clean it properly.
2) The little sponge thing is a pain the arse. It leaves bubbles which dry as bubbles. Get a good quality lint free cloth.
3) Mine had three coats before I was happy with the result.

Lets see if its still as good on sayurday when I wash it...

Lookin good!

Nice idea with the cloth, used a different sponge myself but will try a cloth next time.

Just used my forever. Black , amazing results, I second the lint free cloth, plus u can get a cloth right into the grill!