This year I set out to find a wheel fender trim treatment product that would restore my horrible-looking trim to its original look while standing up to rain and washings. If you’ve read the first and second tests, you would know that the many, many products out there for the purpose wash away with a day or two of rain. Like many of my preferred detailing products like Zaino and Aquapel, I want something that will last through our New England weather and doesn’t require application every week or two. After many tries, I finally found it.
The final test mixes some old products with some new: Zaino Z16 and 303 Protectant were previous favorites. Mothers Back to Black I wanted to give a second chance as I continued to read recommendations. Forever Black, which thinks differently and is actually a black dye treatment. I added extra virgin olive oil next to the usual Peanut oil as some said it would be less dusty and oily.
Soon after I started the test, I was “blessed” with two days of medium to light rain, and as before, the vinyl treatments were gone:
Though I don’t have a photo, the Z16 took two days to wash off while the other two were gone in the first day. The forever black was undaunted and the oils were dusty and dirty but going strong. Another week passed with a little more rain, and I washed the car. And then there was one:
Forever Black. It comes as a kit with a cleaning solution, and the dye has an applicator built into the bottle. Easy to apply, however you will want to use painter’s tape to prevent any from getting on your paint (it can be wiped off with water before it dries, but why chance it), as I have done with all these tests. Actually, I had basically given up after failing so many products, and forever black was my last chance. I tested it on another spot well over a month before I started this test, and that spot is still black to this day. I’m so happy to have good-looking trim again!
Below is a list of all the products reviewed in my trim tests and my findings:
Forever Black
Extra Virgin Olive Oil – very slightly less dusty than peanut oil
Peanut Oil – household oils last a few days of rain but are messy and attract dirt
Zaino Z16 Perfect Tire Gloss – Lasted through a day of rain but not two
The remaining products washed away in a day of rain or less:
Mothers Back to Black
Black Again
Sonus Tire & Bumper Dressing Gel
Sonus Trim & Motor Kote
Vinylex
Aerospace 303 Protectant
Armor-All Protectant
AutoGlym Bumper Care
Poorboy’s Trim Restorer
Before application, I suggest taping off with 3M Scotch-Blue Painter’s Tape, and scrubbing the trim clean with a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser.
Awesome. Thanks for doing the hard work for us. It’s very much appreciated.
Comment by Shinka — September 10, 2006 @ 10:17 pm
I noticed in your last post (with the dog) that your trim looked really pretty bad; any ideas why it’s gotten that way? I’ll look more closely at my 4-05 build MCS tomorrow, but I don’t think it’s anywhere near as faded. Do I just have to wait a little longer? 🙂
By the way, I’m in the midst of relocating to Nashua, NH; I’m looking forward to meeting up with some New England Motorists!
Comment by blalor — September 10, 2006 @ 10:42 pm
Thanks! I’m gonna pick up some of that forever black. I think it will also bring back the black in my Aero Kit grill.
Comment by mdsbrain — September 11, 2006 @ 7:56 am
I’ve noticed that my trim has held up well. However, I have garaged my MINI from new and I think that has a lot to do with preserving the trim. Fortunately, you now have shelter for your MINI!!! My guess is that the major cause of the trim fading is UVA/UVB-induced effect of sunlight; perhaps pollution has an effect as well.
I have always used 303 protectant on the trim, but as you point out, Josh, it does wear off. I usuall quickly wipe the trim down with 303 after I wash the MINI. But I do have some spots that need constant care (front trim) so I think I’ll try the Forever Black product and top it off with an application of 303 now and then.
Thanks for taking the time to perform these tests, Josh!
Theo
Comment by Theo — September 11, 2006 @ 8:59 am
The other thing that “fades” (discolors) the trim is frequent washing/waxing – I bet Josh does more of that than anyone else 😉
Well done Josh for pursuing this to the end; I’m glad you got a result – though my wheel arch painting on GBMINI#2 might still be a better solution 🙂
Comment by Ian C. — September 11, 2006 @ 9:40 am
Great work Josh !
Another vendor for Forever Black is Bavarian Autosport at http://www.bavauto.com.
I have some on order now, saw the ad in their latest catalogue and decided to give it a try before I saw your write-up on it. Sometimes things do work out for me ! ! LOL
Comment by ScottinBend — September 11, 2006 @ 2:51 pm
Gonna have to get some of this stuff and try it as I like the fact that it is black and stains the trim area.
Since I don’t live in a rainy climate I can’t do the rain test but it does get very very hot here for months and B2B works for me here in SoCal if applied like I do. I have hand washed my MINI twice since returning from Monterey and the B2B coated trim is still spot on. I will say this about B2B it does merely mask the stain.
Thanks for the advice on trim detailer I’ll get some.
RB
Comment by ltzmtor — September 11, 2006 @ 7:27 pm
Thanks for the time and effort you put into this. Time to order this product and add to the collection.
Cheers!
Comment by Paul — September 16, 2006 @ 11:04 am
Josh – thank you for doing such a great job with the testing and reporting of these products! Very interesting and informative!
Comment by pbraun — September 20, 2006 @ 12:53 pm
Looks as if it might be pretty good. Well I need to spruce up mu rims and might try out fovever black.
Comment by Car Radiator Man — October 10, 2006 @ 6:36 pm
I was wondering if you have a dealer in Canada? Please let me know. I live in Calgary, Alberta and am interested in your product. If not in Canada please let me know how much extra it would cost to ship here. Thanks, Larry Bryans
Comment by Larry Bryans — November 3, 2006 @ 12:04 am
I actually just applied this product to my Jeep Wrangler flares – which had oxidized to a milky, splotchy grey. Like you, I’ve tried other products, only to see all of my hard work “wash away” in very short time.
I just used plain old masking tape to protect the body – I had a few splotches of ink that bled through, but they came off with water – following about 3 hours of multiple applications. The flares were in BAD shape. They’d make the worst shots of your mini look like new – I mean, I had actually little white spots all over the flares. But they – it’s a Jeep, not a show car 🙂
At any rate, we’ll see how long this lasts. But I’ve been advised to hit it with the 303 every few weeks to protect the dye. And I immediately followed up the application (after drying) with 303 – and will do so after every wash.
If it does end up washing off or fading away, I’ll be back with an extremely negative follow-up – as it took me about 8 coats to get it back to black.
It’s still not show quality – but it’s better than the milky splotchy grey – and I’m please so far with the initial application.
Comment by Jack — June 29, 2008 @ 12:31 pm
fantastic review! i haf been searching high and low for a product to restore my black (greyish actually) trims. been using meguiars’ nxt generation tech protectant – lousy product. goes to show that meguiar’s is just a very heavily marketed brand with useless products (at least over here)
i’ll give forever black a go. cheers josh! pls email me over the next few months if forever black is as good as it claimed to be.
gav
new zealand
Comment by gavin — December 27, 2008 @ 11:46 pm
I recently discovered armor all wipes have seemed to do the same thing, jut by chance i rubbed the trim to removed some dirt, and its still going strong one week later
Comment by Sarah — May 24, 2009 @ 8:33 pm