The Detailing Hand Book

 

Dirty or dried out exterior rubber/plastic can really stand out on a well detailed car.  Plastic/rubber exterior trim if left uncared for can quickly dry out and rot and/or crack.  Luckily, aside from the tires the Honda S2000 has little exterior plastic/rubber trim.  The few exterior plastic/rubber pieces on the S2000 include the front grill, window trim, soft top trim, and rubber seals.  Of these areas the rubber seals are the most functionally important as they help to keep water from entering the interior of the car.

 

 

 

The black surface on the windshield surround is also part of the exterior plastic/rubber trim.  This area is actually coated with a vinyl sticker.  It is best to treat this area the same as paint and should be polished and waxed/sealed along with the rest of the car.

 

 

 

There are many factors which determine how often you need to care for your exterior plastic/rubber.  However, you shouldn’t need to follow the steps in this chapter more than 1-2 times per month.

 

What you’ll need . . .

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• Shade – Most car care products are not designed to be used in direct sunlight.  Dressing rubber/plastic in the hot sun can often result in streaky and splotchy finshes.  Therefore, it is important to find a shady spot to work in.  This can be under a car port, a canopy, or in a garage.  It is not recommended that you detail under a tree as sap, leaves, pollen, or other debris could fall on your car during the detail.

• Applicators – a few different types of applicator can be used to apply dressing.  A folded towel works well, but so do foam applicators, microfiber/terry cloth covered applicators, and foam paint brushes.  Foam paint brushes work particularly well on small areas of trim because their small tip gives you more control on where the dressing is applied.  Whatever type of applicator you use make sure it is clean before use.

• Rubber/plastic dressing – your choice of rubber/plastic dressing.  There are many good dressings available including popular choices like Vinylex, 303 Aerospace Protectant, and Meguiar’s #40.  However, these dressings are water based and will likely wash away during the first rain.  Dressings designed specifically for exterior use will last longer.  Some of these exterior dressings include Poorboy’s Trim Restorer, Meguiar’s #38, and Black Again.  For the rubber convertible top seals use a dressing specifically designed for soft seals such as Zyml Seal or Shin-Etsu Grease.

• Microfiber towels – cheap microfiber towels from a wholesale club like Costco are a great tool for removing excess dressing.  They’re cheap enough so that you won’t mind getting them really dirty, but they are absorbent and soft like more expensive microfiber towels.  Make sure they are clean and that all tags have been removed before use.