Old, discoloured plastic parts on your vehicle are a normal occurrence after years of exposure to sun and other elements. And no, they don’t look all that nice. However, there are methods to make it shine bright again, just with some caveats. Here’s my recent attempt.
The Product At Hand
There are a myriad of different products that you can choose to bring old plastic to life. I chose the one from Sonax because:
- It’s known for quality
- The price was decent
Since I buy all my car related stuff with my own money, price is quite a factor. So looking for the best value for money is what I’m trying to do here. I’m sure other plastic refreshers are amazing and do a great job – just not for my wallet.
Application
This water-based varnish can be applied in the following way:
- Clean the surface to be polished
- Apply the product by slightly pressing the tube down on the surface
- Apply evenly across the surface
- Wipe excess substance with a damp cloth
- Let it sit for about an hour to achieve permanent results
Application Process and Results
Working with the sponge on top of the tube can be challenging for tight and/or uneven spots. As long as the surface is straight and even, the coating can be applied even by a total amateur like me. No problems at all. Once it comes down to creases and other hard-to-reach surfaces, the results get worse as the application becomes somewhat sloppy. You could use additional small wooden sponge brushes, but I didn’t have those – The one brush on top of the tube is all I had.
Still, even my far-from-perfect application rendered the old plastic nice and fresh again. Looking at it from the distance, it looks absolutely fine. Click on the gallery below to see the results in more depth.
Conclusion
The Sonax plastic refresher is a great product if you want to somewhat quickly, cheaply and easily bring old faded car exterior plastic back to life (to a certain degree). So in that sense, this water-based finish is definitely a recommendation.
However, if you want the most amazing outcome, this won’t be an ideal solution, since you will need more utensils to apply the product in the best way possible. I’d advice seeking a help of a professional detailer who can squeeze out the maximum for your vehicle for perfect results.