Fender Flares.... my gripe with Jeep

[Roundlights]

Why is it that Jeep can not seem to make plastic flares that do not fade out 6 weeks after they leave the showroom??

Just a gripe.
Sorry.

Napa Part # 7244, its a GREAT trim paint. Hit it with flexible primer first and you are good to go.

Time of project: 2 hours
Cost of project: $15 (including masking tape & newspaper)

 

[TwistedCU]

Or just hit them with a heat gun, if you don't have a gun then cost $20-$30, but re-useable and another tool for the garage/shed/basement. If you have a heat gun all it costs is time and electricity.

 

[Retriever]

How much heat do you apply? What is the exact process?

Thanks.

 

[Roundlights]

Or just hit them with a heat gun, if you don't have a gun then cost $20-$30, but re-useable and another tool for the garage/shed/basement. If you have a heat gun all it costs is time and electricity.

No Kidding Twisted??

That HAS to be easier than masking it all off!!!!!!!!

Thanks man.

 

[88Wrangles]

Heat brings out the color and oils or whatever in the plastic to the surface...leaving them nice and shiny like they were new. After that put some armor-all or anything like that on them to help protect them a little.


Only problem is there's only so many times you can do it before it doesn't work anymore.



And be carefull not to get them too hot and warp/melt them or your paint!!!

 

[TwistedCU]

And be carefull not to get them too hot and warp/melt them or your paint!!!

right! and keep that gun moving

 

[Sparky-Watts]

My brother uses some type of protectant he gets from work at American Airlines (he's a A&P mechanic there) that they use on the planes to keep the trim pieces on his black Tahoe looking new. He's had it 3 or 4 years now, and all the exterior black trim pieces still look like they just came off the showroom floor.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

Talked with my cousin from Illinois this weekend at our annual spring campout, and he said he's replacing his flares with a new set on his TJ, and is going to give me his old ones. He's done the heat gun thing a time or two, but I'm also getting some of the protectant from my brother to make them black and stay black. Not bad, a free set of TJ flares for my YJ!!

 

[88Wrangles]

...I'm also getting some of the protectant from my brother to make them black and stay black...

Do you happen to know exactly what the stuff is called?

 

[Sparky-Watts]

Do you happen to know exactly what the stuff is called?

Well, yes and no. He told me, but I can't remember.

 

[judge09]

We have had this conversation a few times. I used Forever Black (i think) on my wifes volvo whose bumbers had faded bad. It was easy to apply. No taping needed and it stayed black for the next few months in the FL sun. We got rid of the car before I had a chance to see it fade.

Do a search...there were some great recommendations.

 

[redrooster]

Armor All is probably what makes them fade in the first place. I put some on my wife's Avalanche on the plastic tonneau. Only did it once and only on the tonnea. The tonneau is faded and the rest of the plastic still looks new and has never had any protectant on it whatsoever.
Armor All has alcohol in it. I should have known better.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

We have had this conversation a few times. I used Forever Black (i think) on my wifes volvo whose bumbers had faded bad. It was easy to apply. No taping needed and it stayed black for the next few months in the FL sun. We got rid of the car before I had a chance to see it fade.

Do a search...there were some great recommendations.

Forever Black is actually almost as bad as Armor All for plastics and vinyls in the long run. As redrooster said, Armor All contains alcohol (not sure of the ingredients of Forever Black, but probably close). A couple others just as bad are New Vinyl and New Black. All of these products actually take some of the plastic/vinyl surface off and speed up the decay process.

Here's a link to the stuff my brother uses, in the commercial form:

303 Aerospace Protectant

It doesn't contain alcohol and will not eat away at the plastic like many of the other products on the market. He also uses it on the plastic lenses of his S-10, and they haven't yellowed a bit like most others of that age have. I wonder if it would work as well on the plastic windows in a soft top.

 

[TwistedCU]

If that stuff Sparky posted a link to is the same bright blue stuff that auto detailers would call "dressing" then it is a great product. I don't use any of it though... soap and water is all I use on anything in or on my automobiles (old no 7 car wash for the exterior and heavily diluted with water dish soap for the interior.

I have hit the XJ's flares with a heat gun once, it worked great. No real process, just kept the gun moving and only kept heat on the bumper ends (flares are body color) until the color came back. It needs to be done again.

 

[Sparky-Watts]

If that stuff Sparky posted a link to is the same bright blue stuff that auto detailers would call "dressing" then it is a great product.

I've never seen it, and I didn't ask my brother what color it is....so I don't know. But he swears by it, and he's as persnickity about his vehicles as anyone I've ever known, so if he uses it, it's got to be the best (seriously, he does tons of research on every product he buys, so he pretty much is always right on as far as dependability, quality, and price).8)

 

[Jason4x4]

So Armor-All is bad? I did not know this (I only use it on the interior of my vehicles, but still...

I guess I'm going to have to invest in some Bushwhacker flares when my TJ's flares start to fade...hopefully that'll be a while (she's only a week old!).

 

[vinn]

great advice, except for Armor all. I have had bad results with it on plastic dash boards. there must be a better product. - vinn