Oxidized Flares?

[ramphonic]

hi i have a 2001 tacoma with black flares

they look horrible mostly because of a white coating on them

i dont know if its fading or oxidation or a combo but ive tried different stuff on them and only lasts till the next rain or washing

ive tried black again, mothers back to black, tire shine,armorall
any ideas

[RedSoxRacer]

What are the flares made out of? Plastic or rubber? Or are they painted?

[Murr1525]

They are that black textured plastic kind correct?

Did you do anything in the past to clean them, like Simple Green, or dish soaps, etc? Or perhaps it was done by a previous owner, unless it is just from the sunlight/elements. Obviously, it would be good to find what the cause is/was.

At any rate, it is pretty much impossible to restore the plastic, all you can do is dress it and hope for the best. Or some VW owners use textured black paint on their bumpers.

The longest lasting dressing Meguiars makes seems to be the All-Season Dressing. You can do a search to find some pics of it in action, always looks nice for me.

All Season Dressing

[ramphonic]

there black textured plastic and i can scrap off with my finger nail what ever is on them
i bought this stuff for them once i think its made by por 15 for plastic trim to restore it
so i tried it on one and it was like polyerthane so i took it off but it was only on one
everything else ive tried is listed i dont recall using degreaser or anything maybe some wax remover?

[Murr1525]

Well, the items listed, including the ASD I mentioned, are all dressing of one sort or another. None are going to actualy clean anything, at least not to my knowledge.

What you may actualy need to do is use a good cleaner, like the All Purpose Cleaner, or the Safe-Degreaser to give them a good cleaning, perhaps letting the cleaner sit, then agitating it some.

You can even clay the plastic afterwards.

Then go back and dress them.

[ramphonic]

Which kinda cleaner? brand? type?

[Murr1525]

Well, on the black plastic found on most cars, like in wheel wells/ arches espeacialy, and in engines, people around here have had great success using Meguiars All Purpose Cleaner or the Meguiars Safe-Degreaser.

There have been many bad experiences with Simple Green, including my own, so dont use that as a quick substitute.

Is there any chance of a pic of the problem?

All Purpose Cleaner



Safe D-Greaser



Your local Autozone type place probably wont carry them, so check this out:

How to locate Meguiar’s Professional & Detailer products in your hometown

[ramphonic]

well i put some back to black on them so once it wears off i can take a pick

[RZ Autodetailing]

i use asd on my nissian pickups flares and they stay black for about a month before i have to dress them again... i also use asd on all my customers black exterior trim and tires...and lasts the longest of any product i ever used.......

[ramphonic]

do you have to buy gallon containers of the dressing and apc or do they sell smaller amounts
like i went to the dressing on a website is the other product just the sprayer?

[Tecumseh TJ]

This may seem a bit extreme for a fix, But on my Wrangler I cleaned them using Windex and painted them using Krylon Fusion Gloss Black. They have lasted 2 years so far with no problems, and they look shiny all the time. Why am I keeping a Jeep shiny, even though I go wheelin' with it?...Because I can, thanks to Meguiar's.

[ramphonic]

do you have any close up pics of those painted jeep flares Tecumseh TJ
thanks

[Tecumseh TJ]

I don't at the moment. I'll try to get a few tomorrow if the rain lets up enough to get a good shot. They do have quite a few rock chips in them, but I 'm pretty sure that is due to the design of the Jeep (and the fact that I drive 60 miles each way to work). Your truck should be tons better.

[Brian Catalano]

The 2001-2004 unpainted Tacoma flares really do fade fast.

Here's *exactly* what you need to keep them looking top notch:



I recommend applying weekly with a microfiber for a month... then after every washing there-after.

My Tacoma didn't come with factory flares (they didn't exist in '97), but if I ever do get them, they'll be the ATS painted-to-match flares.

Of course, if you REALLY want your Tacoma to look nice, you'd take them to a good body shop to have them painted to match your body color. 8-)

Brian

[ramphonic]

ya ive been looking to get a price for that too