Consumer Reports Reviews Cladding Treatments

[vt_maverick]

And this is the picture they published after 70 days and 10 car washes:

http://static1.consumerreportscdn.org/content/dam/cro/news_articles/cars/CRO_cars_whatWeTested_03-14.jpg

Article: http://www.consumerreports.org/cro/magazine/2014/05/best-exterior-car-trim-cleaners/index.htm

[VXobsession]

They lie. My Back to Black is the best and longest lasting application I've ever done. They just don't know how to do it right...

[vt_maverick]

Please enlighten us...

[Triathlete]

Who washes their car weekly? Hell, at my last wash interval, 10 washes would have been 25 years ;)

[Mile High VX]

Who washes their car weekly? ;)

Guilty as charged sir...:bwgy::smilewink:bgwo::bgwb:

[Triathlete]

Sick, just sick :)

[LittleBeast]

They lie. My Back to Black is the best and longest lasting application I've ever done. They just don't know how to do it right...

I completely agree. Back to Black is the best, but you must apply like a wax. Apply liberally and then buff off.

[eternal21]

I picked up this a few weeks ago based on the reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Carworx-133-175-Refinish-Restorer--500ml/dp/B008A5GRHM

I've yet to try it out as I need to give the truck a thorough washing. Will report back in a few weeks.

[vt_maverick]

They lie. My Back to Black is the best and longest lasting application I've ever done. They just don't know how to do it right...


I completely agree. Back to Black is the best, but you must apply like a wax. Apply liberally and then buff off.

Have you guys tried all the products in the article? I'd never heard of ReNu Finish.

[Mile High VX]

Have you guys tried all the products in the article? I'd never heard of ReNu Finish.

I have used the Turtle Wax, Meguiars, and Mothers products. I am currently using an Eagle One product that I really like. Of the above, I liked the Turtle Wax product the best. Works great if you leave the VX out in the sun and apply to the cladding when it's warm.

ReNu is available on Amazon and looks very much like the Wipe New product...could be the same product marketed differently.

Another product that I have seen good reviews on is Forever Black, but I've never tried it and it looks like it's not an easy application.

[tom4bren]

I'll stick with B2B. I can be messy with that & not damage paint. Meguires discolored the paint on one of my cars.

[Ala5ka]

I like Meguiar's Professional M40 Mirror Glaze Vinyl and Rubber cleaner/conditioner. Subtle shine, less oily residue to collect dust. Apply like Mothers. Located in the autobody section not the cleaning products.

http://www.meguiars.com/en/professional/products/

[vt_maverick]

Thanks for the recommendation Ala5ka, definitely looks promising. How much does this typically run in the spray bottle?

Here's a direct link: http://www.meguiars.com/en/professional/products/m4016-vinylrubber-cleanerconditioner-16oz/

[Mile High VX]

Thanks for the recommendation Ala5ka, definitely looks promising. How much does this typically run in the spray bottle?

Here's a direct link: http://www.meguiars.com/en/professional/products/m4016-vinylrubber-cleanerconditioner-16oz/

Less than $12.00 from Amazon...don't ask me how I know but it will be here on Thursday.

[Ala5ka]

It's like $16 a bottle from O'reilly's

[blacksambo]

What do we think of "303"?

[Ala5ka]

haven't tried it don't know where to get it but it comes highly recommended by some.

[whitebreadx]

I used wipe new and it still seems to be holding up just fine 11/2 years so far

[Ala5ka]

I used wipe new and it still seems to be holding up just fine 11/2 years so far

You can simplify to 5 1/2 years

[vt_maverick]

Lol...

[vt_maverick]

I bought a bottle of the Meguiar's M40 product mentioned on page 1 and tried it out over the weekend. This is unquestionably a commercial grade product and quite different from their protectant product featured in the Consumer Reports article. I've used that product before and it's a heavy, milky white substance that actually dries to a yellow wax if not applied to the vehicle. The M40 product is thin and comes in a spray bottle, and appears to be either light white or clear (couldn't tell, it kinda foams on the terry cloth when you spray it). And man oh man does it stink. As in apply it outside or with fans running and all doors open in your garage, then let it sit overnight to dissipate. But it leaves a beautiful dark finish, and you can actually watch it penetrate the cladding during application (as opposed to their "protectant" product which seems to be a layer of oil or silicone that simply sits on top of the cladding). I put 4 coats on with a terry cloth applicator and a terry cloth drying towel, and it took no time at all - a spray bottle is way faster than pouring it out of a bottle (a la Back to Black or the other Meguiar's product).

So I'm very happy with the initial appearance, but as we all know the real question is how it reacts to rain and how long it lasts. It's supposed to rain here this week so I'll leave it outside for a few days to see if there's any immediate degradation.

[Mile High VX]

Good to hear...mine came on Thursday and unfortunately it snowed yesterday so no detailing this weekend.

I can't wait to try it...but more snow on Thursday and Friday so maybe this weekend.

[Ala5ka]

tried Armor All Outlast trim and plastic today...stay away from that stuff dusty swirls city, hoping it will come off eventually

[vt_maverick]

In other news I saw an ad for this in Motor Trend today:

Mother's Back to Black Heavy Duty (http://www.mothers.com/02_products/06141.html)

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/product/images/06141.jpg

[Ala5ka]

Imagine scrubbing all of your cladding with that little toothbrush :)

[Mile High VX]

In other news I saw an ad for this in Motor Trend today:

Mother's Back to Black Heavy Duty (http://www.mothers.com/02_products/06141.html)

http://www.mothers.com/02_products/product/images/06141.jpg



I bought this today from my local O'Reilly's today. About $10 and you get a free 12 oz. Back to Black.

[Mile High VX]

So spent some time with this over the course of the afternoon.

I used the small brush on the rear half moon to test it out. Product is a gel and it smells like Fantastik spray cleaner. Did a great job of cleaning and leaving the cladding bare.

I used a microfiber towel to apply this one cladding piece at a time. I put it on thick and then used a larger detail brush, with stiff bristles like the small one, to scrub and then removed with a microfiber towel. If I did this all at one time it would take me about an hour to do the entire VX and wipe it down.

I treated the cladding with the Meguiars 40 product discussed in this thread. Put it on heavy and rubbed it in good, going around the VX 3-4 times. It starts to get sticky after a bit and like Ashley said above you need to do it outdoors...whew!

I'll post some pics, but I think it looks great and has less shine than the other products that I've used. We'll see how it holds up to frequent washes...:smilewink:bgwo::bgwb::bwgy:

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/Cladding_clean_and_restore_559.JPG

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/Cladding_clean_and_restore_558.JPG

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/Cladding_clean_and_restore_557.JPG

[Y33TREKker]

So spent some time...
Come on...admit it.

All of that was simply a ploy to be able to post another jealousy-inducing picture of your fender mirror. :p

[FlyingV77]

fount it!

http://shop.armordillots1.com/

[Ala5ka]

I don't trust that armadillo...he looks like an unsavory character

[vt_maverick]

I used Armordillo TS-1 several times and it's a good product; it lasted much long than B2B but didn't darken the cladding as well as I'd hoped and also didn't last more than 2-3 months. Plus distribution channels were drying up since GM started recommending a different product (can't remember what) to Avalanche owners.

Still a good choice if you can find it though.

[ALC1717]

I Just Had My Entire VX Cladding Professionally Painted & Baked On In A Spray Booth With Gatorback Plastic Coating Paint. Finally The Satin Look I Desired, No More Streaks, & No More Applying Any Treatments Like Showroom New And Back To Black Etc. - Just Soap & Water - It Looks Amazing !!!! http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/Gatorback_Cladding_Front.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24684)

[evillecutter]

for me the turtle wax stuff looked and applied exactly the same as back to black but lasted about 10x longer as far as the shine is concerned - rain would take back to black right off and no matter how long i let it soak in and buffed it out - it would get runs - turtle wax has all the positive and none of the negative of back to black - never tried the other ones

[evillecutter]

I Just Had My Entire VX Cladding Professionally Painted & Baked On In A Spray Booth With Gatorback Plastic Coating Paint. Finally The Satin Look I Desired, No More Streaks, & No More Applying Any Treatments Like Showroom New And Back To Black Etc. - Just Soap & Water - It Looks Amazing !!!! http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/Gatorback_Cladding_Front.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24684)
that looks perfect!

[Otto]

Hi where did you get that done and how much was it
I would be interested in doing something like that:)

I get streaks no matter what I apply to the cladding
That looks awesome

[VXorado]

I Just Had My Entire VX Cladding Professionally Painted & Baked On In A Spray Booth With Gatorback Plastic Coating Paint. Finally The Satin Look I Desired, No More Streaks, & No More Applying Any Treatments Like Showroom New And Back To Black Etc. - Just Soap & Water - It Looks Amazing !!!! http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/Gatorback_Cladding_Front.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24684)

I also used GB and love the stuff!!! I taped off the paint and sprayed three coats for a nearly flawless, even finish. The best part is how this products dries evenly. I've also used it on some black interior pieces with great results. It helps cover up scratches/inperfections but also hides the original cladding texture a bit.

The Bad: GB still comes off with a strong dose of gasoline and it's essentially a special paint vs keeping the cladding original (and faded :cool:).


Hi where did you get that done and how much was it
I would be interested in doing something like that:)

I get streaks no matter what I apply to the cladding
That looks awesome

http://gatorbackcoatings.com/home.htm

3 aerosol cans of GB and one can of cleaner will give you enough to spray the entire cladding and have some leftover for future touch-ups.

[Mile High VX]

it's essentially a special paint vs keeping the cladding original (and faded :cool:).


What is this faded you speak of....:bwgy::smilewink:bgwo::bgwb:

[Y33TREKker]

I Just Had My Entire VX Cladding Professionally Painted & Baked On In A Spray Booth With Gatorback Plastic Coating Paint...
I wonder if Krylons' Fusion line of spray paints for plastics would be similar if the surface was prepped sufficiently?

[ALC1717]

With All Due Respect You Guys Do Not Seem To Understand. I Had My Cladding Prepped, Painted & Baked On In A Professional Spray Booth NOT With An Aerosol Spray Can !http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCN08131.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24695)http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCN08131.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24695)

[Lfen]

Can you give us a ballpark figure on what it would cost us if we chose to do the GB professionally with booth and all?

[VXorado]

With All Due Respect You Guys Do Not Seem To Understand. I Had My Cladding Prepped, Painted & Baked On In A Professional Spray Booth NOT With An Aerosol Spray Can !

Okay so will hold up a bit better? GB still looks the same to me on the cladding, aerosol or professionally applied. It's surprising how evenly it applies for an aerosol.

Latest picture from SL,UT in March. This 3 months after the initial application.

http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/3320/DSC05974.JPG

[FlyingV77]

the unsavory ones are the best friends to have fun with.

[ALC1717]

The Gatorback Paint On The VX Painted In A Professional Spray Booth Is Far Superior Than An Aerosol Spray Can Both In Appearance & Durability - Just Ask Neil Who Sells The GatorBack Paint ! There Is "NO Comparison"http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCN0796.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24686)

[vt_maverick]

I guess only time will tell. (Btw you gotta turn off the auto-capitalization feature on your tablet or smartphone.)

[VXorado]

The Gatorback Paint On The VX Painted In A Professional Spray Booth Is Far Superior Than An Aerosol Spray Can Both In Appearance & Durability - Just Ask Neil Who Sells The GatorBack Paint ! There Is "NO Comparison"http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/data/500/thumbs/DSCN0796.JPG (http://www.vehicross.info/gallery/showphoto.php?photo=24686)

I like how you say yours is "FAR superior in appearance"... our pics look the same to me, except mine has twice the resolution. So saying yours is FARRRRR superior to mine is a bit asinine, wouldn't you agree?

Durability, sure I bet the spray booth would last longer.

Unless professionally sprayed GB last forever, I prefer the aerosol. Reason being, it only took 45 minutes to prep and spray 2 coats of GB, the $45 it cost for two cans and the ability to do touch ups whenever I'd like. To each their own.

...and the cladding appearance is FAR superior to anything else I've used previously. :rolleyes:

[ALC1717]

I Guess You Want Me To Get Into A Pissing Match With You. Gussie Former VX Owner Seen My Car. If You Think Your Car's Cladding Looks Identical To Mine I Think You Better Go Have A Cocktail. But Best Of All My Friend Owns The Body Shop And My Total Cost Was The Price Of The Quart Of Gatorback Paint $75. Enjoy Your VX !!!

[Y33TREKker]

With All Due Respect You Guys Do Not Seem To Understand. I Had My Cladding Prepped, Painted & Baked On In A Professional Spray Booth NOT With An Aerosol Spray Can !
My question really shouldn't have started a pissing contest. Perhaps you didn't understand the difference between baking Gatorback on your cladding and the way that Krylons' Fusion paint series chemically bonds to plastics?

[Gussie2000]

Saturday I went to see Al's VX cladding and i was surprise how smooth and even the GB looks on the VX,baking the cladding will definately help it to last way more longer as the plastic will absorb it deeper,faster and better.

[JHarris1385]

Any updates?

[vt_maverick]

Gussie I don't think baking will make paint "absorb" deep into the cladding, if anything it probably just helps it adhere better to the surface. I'm Sure I'm Wrong Though. :p

FWIW I finally tried putting Meguiar's Endurance Tire Gel (affectionately known as "Grape Jelly") on my cladding and frankly it's the best experience I've had outside of TS-1. From what I recall of TS-1 the Meguiar's product looks darker but obviously doesn't last as long. Still it's quicker to apply than B2B (tire swipes work awesome) and seemed to resist rain pretty well. Just make sure you wipe each panel with a dry cloth to keep the sheen to more of a matte finish.

[eternal21]

Any updates?


I picked up this a few weeks ago based on the reviews.

http://www.amazon.com/Carworx-133-175-Refinish-Restorer--500ml/dp/B008A5GRHM

I've yet to try it out as I need to give the truck a thorough washing. Will report back in a few weeks.

It's been almost 3 months now. I've washed the truck 6-7x since then, plus dealt with the uncharacteristic rains we've been having. The cladding still looks pretty much the same as when I applied this stuff, which is surprising. I can see where I applied it unevenly during my initial application, so in a few weeks I plan on re-doing it to see how it turns out. As of right now, I'm very, very pleased.

[ipd]

Well I got a bottle of Mother's back to black. 1 GENEROUS coat down, and it looks good. Going to keep re-applying for a few days and see how it does. What I can't figure out is why this stuff comes out of the bottle white, but makes things blacker. I didn't bother to tape the paint first (Ebony VX), so I'm not sure if that's going to be an issue or not. I probably should have, but I was in a hurry.