Cleaning up unpainted parts of the fascias

[Ashyukun]

I got my repainted fascias back from the body shop earlier this week, and while the paint job is fantastic, they didn't do anything in the way of refinishing/cleaning up the unpainted black portions. What's the best way to clean up the raw plastic so it looks as good as the newly-painted parts?

[Delorean Industries]

Be careful about what types of cleaners you use on this surface. The material does not like aggressive cleaners. Especially types used by body shops to remove armor all products etc.

[Farrar]

It's urethane, so I would use the least aggressive cleaner first and then if unable to clean properly with lots of elbow grease, I would start incrementally moving to stronger cleaners.

Farrar

[Ashyukun]

OK, so I've got an idea of what NOT to use... what does work then?

I'd presume standard automotive car wash detergent and water would not be a problem. I would assume that things like acetone would be a bad idea.

Anything in particular good for getting out scuffs? Can Back to Black be used on the bumpers safely?

[sdg3205]

OK, so I've got an idea of what NOT to use... what does work then?

I'd presume standard automotive car wash detergent and water would not be a problem. I would assume that things like acetone would be a bad idea.

Anything in particular good for getting out scuffs? Can Back to Black be used on the bumpers safely?

I know you're asking about cleaning products, but are you interested in painting it? I found mine so hard to keep looking clean I just painted them. A lot of people don't like the idea of paint on the bumpers but personally I love it.

Just putting it out there. With proper prep work, SEM Trim black looks pretty sharp. I did my entire engine bay, pontoons and engine cover and license plate bezel too.

[rddmc]

Clean the facia as as well as possible, then apply Black Again. It is made by North American Oil Company( www.northamericanoil.com ). I have never seen it in a store, I buy it online. It also works great on the rear louver and the fiberglass pontoon. It will bring a dull gray facia back to new looking.

Rod
10921

[outatym2001]

Ashyukun.

DMC Northwest hires a company to come in and paint the front and rear fascias of the DeLoreans in their shop.

I started by stripping the entire black and grey fascia with a spray can of paint remover safe for plastics and scraped off the paint with a plastic scraper.
I told them I wanted to paint the black parts myself with SEM Bumper Coater (39103 Flexible Bumper Coater Black). It’s a 12 oz can and I might have used one can on the front and one can on the rear or more? I can't remember the total amount I used.

They recommended I paint the black parts first then they will mask off the black and paint the rest grey.
They wanted me to lightly feather the black onto the soon to be painted grey area about a half inch or so.

If you want a permanent fix then it’s SEM Trim Black or SEM Bumper Coater. But, first you must remove any silicone residue from junk like Armor All or the paint will NOT stick.

I already mention what I did with the Trim Black in the thread below. You’ll see it.
http://dmctalk.org/showthread.php?198-My-Favorite-DeLorean-Web-Sites-Part-II-of-II.

P.S. I don’t see how you are going to use cleaning chemicals on the black with out ruining the already painted grey parts.
Scuff marks, scratches, could have been repaired by using a two-part epoxy filler that the painters use who painted your grey fascias.

[kajcienski]

Clean the facia as as well as possible, then apply Black Again. It is made by North American Oil Company( www.northamericanoil.com ). I have never seen it in a store, I buy it online. It also works great on the rear louver and the fiberglass pontoon. It will bring a dull gray facia back to new looking.

Rod
10921

I too have had really great results with Black Again and highly recommend it. I ordered it on Amazon after doing a bit of research on these types of products. It is UV activated so you apply it (it is almost like a syrup), then let it sit in the sun for a little bit, then bingo! My louvres, intake moldings, bumpers, etc... looked pretty good already, but this product made them literally look brand spanking new. It does well in the rain (in that it doesn't wash off like some other products) and seems to last for quite a long time (no dulling yet after a couple months). I am told, however, that if you apply it to something like the louvre and end up repainting it at some point, it will need to be completely stripped because the product works through a chemical reaction with the paint and won't let anything stick to it very well (so am told). Good stuff!

ADDITION: AND it is safe on the other painted parts, not just for black painted trim and plastics. However I don't see why you would want to use it on the gray fascia paint. I use something calls Nu Shine on that area and works great.