Reminder: Don't forget to take care of your black trim!

[paris1]

Four months into ownership of CX-5 and I started to notice how soiled the black vinyl body trim was beginning to look. So yesterday after washing the car I took a half hour to go over all the trim with Mother's Back-to-black cleaner/conditioner. Made a huge difference. Brought back a nice even matte black appearance. (cheers2)Car looks like new again. Just a friendly reminder!

 

[jtl]

I thought you owned this car a lot longer than that. Good advice, and if you let it go too far it is hard to bring it back. Do it every month.

 

[Chris_Top_Her]

My old Escape had trim too. Armor all it at least monthly to keep it from fading grey

 

[Bopper]

Because I'm new here I am going to let you have some top secret info so I can prove my worth.
Turtle Wax Ice - Synthetic spray wax/polish. The beauty of this stuff is that you can wax the whole car and treat the black plastic all at the same time, in the direct sunlight or in the shade. It is actually meant to be applied to the plastic or black rubber along with the painted surfaces. It is just way to easy to use and stays on after a rain shower without streaking, unlike ArmorAll. I have been using it for about 5 years with no ill effects. This post will self destruct in 5,4,3,2 (blowup)

 

[Gio26NJ]

I've been neglecting my black trim, it's been holding up well but I hate to clean it and a day later it rains or snows and the roads are filled with dirt and salt. Thanks for the reminder! will need to do this next weekend hopefully if the weather permits.

 

[BoneKrusher]

why doesn't Mazda paint all that black trim body color (protest)

 

[popeyecahn]

why doesn't Mazda paint all that black trim body color (protest)

Cost and issues with matching color to the body maybe? Ever notice that many plastic bumpers don't exactly match the sheet metal?

Back to the OP, I've read good things about 303 Protectant and I think I'll try that on the CX-5. I've used Armor-All in the past but I think it actually causes more problems than it treats. It's a short term solution I feel.

 

[nizzy1115]

I assumed it was part of anti rust measures since the lower doors are common to rust.

 

[paris1]

I've read good things about 303 Protectant and I think I'll try that on the CX-5.

I've used 303 for years on various trim components with good results. I just thought I'd try something (by a major mfgr: Mothers) that was specifically formulated for this purpose. I thought maybe the product might have had a bit of black coloring in it (similar to TurtleWax Black Chrome), but it didn't. Nonetheless, it worked great and there's no arguing with success. We'll see how it lasts.

 

[shinjyo]

I prefer if they can paint the black trim glossy black.......

I use 303 Protectant for a long time.

The other thing is I wipe and dry those black plastic trim first after the car wash to prevent water spot.

 

[IHeartGroceries]

Ugh...not sure I am thankful for this reminder.

Nearly a year in, and having not given it any attention, the plastic panneling on mine is also looking to look like crap.
Definitely on my to-do list to Back to Black it back to life.

 

[Jcanracer]

I'm gonna buy some of this "back to black" stuff the trim on my CX5 is ok, but my wife's focus (which is only a year old) looks like garbage.

 

[doughboyr6]

i got rear ended last night. while stopped waiting for traffic to pass and turn right a car came up behind me. they were completely stopped behind me and for some reason, they thought they saw me go or move and stepped on the gas and hit me dead center in the rear bumper. theres not real damage that i can tell, have to see underneath/behind, but i would say she couldn't hit me harder than 20kms/hr since we were stopped and she was so close behind me. but her licence plate bracket did manage to scrap and cause some small indentation to my black trim (the very same black trim this post is referring to), is there anyway to get that out or fix it cheaply?

 

[wild west]

Does Mother's attract dust?

Four months into ownership of CX-5 and I started to notice how soiled the black vinyl body trim was beginning to look. So yesterday after washing the car I took a half hour to go over all the trim with Mother's Back-to-black cleaner/conditioner. Made a huge difference. Brought back a nice even matte black appearance. (cheers2)Car looks like new again. Just a friendly reminder!

 

[wild west]

Does Mother's attract dust? I live on a dirt road and it is 2 miles till I get to pavement. Thanks

 

[paris1]

Does Mother's attract dust? I live on a dirt road and it is 2 miles till I get to pavement. Thanks

no

 

[SayNoToPistons]

Cost and issues with matching color to the body maybe? Ever notice that many plastic bumpers don't exactly match the sheet metal?

Back to the OP, I've read good things about 303 Protectant and I think I'll try that on the CX-5. I've used Armor-All in the past but I think it actually causes more problems than it treats. It's a short term solution I feel.

Paint match isn't an issue because the polypropylene resin is exactly the same as the parts that are painted... They save minuscule amount of production costs from not painting the areas, but it is mostly intended to hide dirt and scuffs. Look at higher end of the market like the BMW X5 (double the price of the CX-5) that uses equal if not more amounts of unpainted bumpers and body claddings.

 

[V8toilet]

I use Turtle wax ICE wax on the black plastic. It is the only wax you can use on that black plastic that won't leave a white residue on it and it helps the water bead off like wax does on paint. It's also one of the highest rated paste waxes in consumer reports. Don't use the liquid though, it's not as good.

 

[mongo2004]

I use Turtle wax ICE wax on the black plastic. It is the only wax you can use on that black plastic that won't leave a white residue on it and it helps the water bead off like wax does on paint. It's also one of the highest rated paste waxes in consumer reports. Don't use the liquid though, it's not as good.

Not true, however you are right most of them do leave a residue. I use zaino brothers all in one. You can put that stuff on anything and no residue. I have used just about everything and I always wind up back with zaino.

 

[SayNoToPistons]

I use Turtle wax ICE wax on the black plastic. It is the only wax you can use on that black plastic that won't leave a white residue on it and it helps the water bead off like wax does on paint. It's also one of the highest rated paste waxes in consumer reports. Don't use the liquid though, it's not as good.

I use Turtle wax ICE wax on the black plastic. It is the only wax you can use on that black plastic that won't leave a white residue on it and it helps the water bead off like wax does on paint. It's also one of the highest rated paste waxes in consumer reports. Don't use the liquid though, it's not as good.

Incorrect. Take this from professional detailers:


"Consumers reports will typically review the waxes and sealants readily available to the public over the counter. Menzerna, Collinite, Chemical Guys, PBW, Wolfgang, other PBMA products, etc will not be in those reviews for that reason. And you won't find many TW fans on this site, as David said, because the professionals use, more or less, professional lines of products.

Even waxes and sealants that feel super slick, may not be protecting the paint as well as you think, nor last as long. I know I've had this happen with my own waxes. Some are noticeably slicker than others, but some of those waxes that aren't as slick protect better and longer. I doubt you will get 9 months out of any wax, unless you garage your vehicle and live in ideal environmental conditions. However, a wax like 476 will be in the longer lasting category of waxes. Heck, I have had a few layers of 476 and Collinite's 845 Insulator Wax on my hood and performed 2 alcohol wipedowns and 2 dawn washes with 10 minutes of dwell time and the wax is slicker and beads water better than ever. That's not something many waxes can hold up to."


My new favorite off the counter (mainstream) sealant/wax product is Meguiar's Ultimate Wax (in liquid) as it has far superior durability to everything else Meg's has put out, evening NXT 2. Mostly being that Meg UW is actually a synthetic polymer sealant. The "wax" in the name is just for marketing for the typical consumer. There are good amounts of filler as well so it will (temporarily) fill slight marring and swirls that the typical person will not correct with machine polishing. The liquid version does not stain trim either. There are actually many professional products that don't stain trim and are far superior to the typical crap TurtleWax, ArmorAll, EagleOne, etc that you find at your local parts store. Not that I am saying every TW product is crap, but most are, and even the best from TW is inferior to what is commonly used for the same price that is usually not sold. Though I can guarantee you that if you must choose one off the counter product, it should be Meg's UW.