How clean are you getting your plastic trim before you apply trim restorer?

[BrianT]

My '07 Jeep GC plastic on top of the rear bumper and the cowl pieces were on the schedule to clean and apply trim restorer this weekend.  I'm having one heck of a hard time getting the plastic oxidation off!!  Tire and Rubber cleaner isn't really working.  I'm using a kitchen scub pad and tire and rubber cleaner, but I'm not getting all the oxidation off.  How perfect does it need to be??  Thanks!

[BrianT]

The first pic is of the rear top piece of the bumper.  It's not perfect, as you can see I didn't fully remove the oxidation down in between the two ridges.

[BrianT]

Second pic you can still see some of the oxidation.  Does that all need to be removed?  That piece was in seriously bad shape, it looks 1000 times better then it did, but how clean does it need to be?

[BrianT]

This pic shows the wiper cowl that I haven't tried to clean yet.

[BrianT]

This pic shows the cleaned cowl piece on top of the not cleaned piece on the bottom.  

[BrianT]

This last piece has been cleaned, but as you can see I can still remove oxidation with my finger nail.  Tire and Rubber cleaner isn't cutting it.  I scrubbed that section for 3-4 minutes!!  Not having fun, but I will go the distance if need be!  And hints on something stronger to try???

Edited July 15, 2018 by BrianT
Can't spell apparently

[BRZN]

Could what you're thinking is oxidation, actually be the trim itself? The Tire & Rubber Cleaner is going to remove all the dirt that's on the trim. If the trim has been exposed to the elements for a long period of time it may, itself,  just be coming off as you scrub. Could there be dried Tire & Rubber Cleaner on the trim? Wipe some of the Coating Prep on the plastic and see what the appearance is then.

 

To clean trim prior to the Trim Coating I'll spray it down with the Tire & Rubber Cleaner while I'm washing the vehicle and scrub with a brush. I'll use different brushes depending on the size of the trim; from a toothbrush to a Tire Scrub brush. Then wipe down with Car Shampoo as I wash the vehicle. After I've dried the vehicle I'll go over the trim with Coating Prep just before applying the Coating.

 

Discoloration of old trim may not come completely back to its original black appearance. For that you'd need to first apply Adam's Black Trim Restorer prior to the Coating.

[BrianT]

Thanks Dave!  I broke out the pressure washer and gave the trim a fast once over and called it good.  I went over everything with the prep spray and didn't get anything coming off and onto the towel.  I coated them, and I'll post up some pics tomorrow when it's sunny.