Coupe standard rear spoiler. Cleaning.

[dudabubba]

Hey,
Any advice from coupe owners on what to use and how to clean/shine the rear spoiler? It's a non-porous black plastic type material. I tried using back-to-black. That was a mistake. It left it looking streaky and mottled. The spoiler already didn't look solid black but this made it worse.
Thanks.

[ZoO]

I wonder if wet sanding at 2000 grit and up will do anything.

[cfmistry]

303 Aerospace Protectant? I don't have a coupe but it's all I ever use on black plastic trim and it's fantastic.

[Phr34k]

303 Aerospace Protectant? I don't have a coupe but it's all I ever use on black plastic trim and it's fantastic.

This
After multiple recommendations from fellow members after going through the usual Wal-mart/Advance/Autozone array of Black Magic, Back to Black, Armor-All, etc... I have to say that stuff is by far the best. No greasy residue, no streaks, just a clean black finish.

[dudabubba]

Here are some pics of the messy spoiler. I've got some 303 Aerospace Protectant on order and should get it in the next few days. I'll try it out and update the pics. I actually ordered the 303 to use on the dash and center of the steering wheel. I've seen plenty of coupes and z3s with dull/blotchy spots on the interior vinyl sections (center of steering wheel, dash above glove box, and inside doors...). I should do a separate thread for that...
coupe-spoiler1.jpgcoupe-spoiler2.jpg

[cfmistry]

Here are some pics of the messy spoiler. I've got some 303 Aerospace Protectant on order and should get it in the next few days. I'll try it out and update the pics. I actually ordered the 303 to use on the dash and center of the steering wheel. I've seen plenty of coupes and z3s with dull/blotchy spots on the interior vinyl sections (center of steering wheel, dash above glove box, and inside doors...). I should do a separate thread for that...
coupe-spoiler1.jpgcoupe-spoiler2.jpg

That spoiler does look pretty worn. Of course try 303 first, but you may need a coat of paint on that to get a nice uniform surface.

As for the dash splotchiness, 303 will take care of all that. Prepare to be amazed. The single-stage airbag, on the other hand, is due to oxidation and will repeatedly have that problem over time.

[ScottMZ3]

Here are some pics of the messy spoiler. I've got some 303 Aerospace Protectant on order and should get it in the next few days. I'll try it out and update the pics. I actually ordered the 303 to use on the dash and center of the steering wheel. I've seen plenty of coupes and z3s with dull/blotchy spots on the interior vinyl sections (center of steering wheel, dash above glove box, and inside doors...). I should do a separate thread for that...
coupe-spoiler1.jpgcoupe-spoiler2.jpg

I used Back to Black on mine and it worked perfectly. But mine wasn't nearly the condition of yours, so perhaps that's why the results were better. I agree with cfmistry, might actually need to be painted based on those photos. Makes a HUGE difference though once it is cleaned up!! Worth the effort/cost.

[BMWguy007]

Subscribed, curious to see results.

[MudHut]

Looks like someone tried to wax it. I would attempt to get the residue off first, then treat it.

[ADAz3M]

This is when Plastidip actually comes in handy.

Spray that thing!

[codyep3]

Trim paint for sure. I have never liked anything Plastidipped, especially it being such a temporary fix.

[danomite]

The long term solution is to simply color-match it to your car with paint...that's what I did.

[BimmerBreaker]

It looks like that trim is too far gone. So much moisture has released from it that anything short of painting that makes it look good will just be temporary.

[codyep3]

Coconut Oil is amazing for old and dried out trim. It will attract dirt after a couple days if left on thick, but it really penetrates old polymers.

[SGs54MC]

Seriously... painting it makes a world of difference. I painted my spoiler, rails, and door handles (shaved key holes) about ten years ago. Probably the best cosmetic mod I've done so far, yet still very subtle.

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[HeliHover]

What about a heat gun? I've only heard of people doing this to restore faded plastic, so I have no experience.

[Bcar]

those painted rails look great!

[Zoupe6]

I work on a bunch of old motorcycles with faded plastic pieces on them, especially the controls and speedo housings. The best stuff I have found for restoring these is peanut oil. I have a very purified grade ordered through Sigma Aldrich, a scientific supplier. I used it to restore the trim on my 89 911 when I still had it and it looked brand new. Keep in mind that there is clearly some degradation of the plastic happening so the condition is likely to slowly come back without painting, or just apply more oil.

I'm curious how the 303 stuff works.

[dudabubba]

Well... No total miracles to report. The "after" pictures sure look a ton better. It's definitely an improvement, but up close you can still see some streaking lines and stuff. It did have the wax residue look MudHut suggested so I tried all methods I could find for getting wax off.
-First cleaned with soap and water.
-cleaned more with all-purpose household cleaner spray (Clorox Green Works) and paper towels.
-tried rubbing the whole spoiler with a big pink eraser and cleaning more with household cleaner.
-did a clay bar rub with Mothers clay and instant detailer spray.
-somewhere in all this I even tried some Ph balanced Lexol leather cleaner and paper towels.

Thankfully, nothing made it worse so make a note that all those methods are safe to try.
All the rubbing and cleaning did give it a more glossy shine, so that helped, but you could still see the blotchy faded spots in the plastic so it didn't seem like it was on the surface.

Then the 303 application. This deepened the black but it also takes a few tries to get it on as best to uniform as possible. The instructions say to follow with a wet cloth to clean up excess and that made a big difference in minimizing the streaks but the 303 doesn't exactly soak into this type of plastic like it does some other types. I tried the 303 on all types of trim around the car and found the door handles are 303 lovers and look great soaking the stuff up.
clean coupe spoiler 1.JPGclean coupe spoiler 2.JPG
I'm satisfied with this for a while. I think I'll try some peanut oil next, even if it's just temporary.

- - - Updated - - -

Jeez... those "before" pictures look really, really bad... maybe it was a miracle??

[PbFut]

Have you tried Turtle Wax Ice? It's a polymer I think. I like using it because you don't have to worry about getting on the plastic trim and it makes it look pretty good. Did wonders on the 850 trim and evens out the satin black on the race car wing. Lasts fairly long as well.