Revitalizing rub rails

[Jparadise81]

The rub rails on my 96 xp are more of an off black now from fading and I was wondering what veryone has done to bring them back to life. Im tossing the idea in my head of hitting them with some bedliner material but not sure how that will look. I aldo remember seeing some black bumper type paint sold at auto parts stores...like below:

http://shop.advanceautoparts.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/product_x_7140909-P_x_x?cm_mmc=ACQ-_-Google-_-enhancedRM-_-7140909&ci_src=17588969&ci_sku=7140909&ci_gpa=pla&ci_kw={keyword}&gclid=CN2jzvyR5LUCFYxDMgod7T8AnQ#utm_source=acq&utm_medium=google&utm_campaign=enhancedrm&utm_content=7140909

Also saw in another thread where a member wrapped them in turf material. Looks nice, but Id rather not spend that kind of money on them.

So any ideas or experiences??

 

[Minnetonka4me]

Black trim restorer works good, I like Maxima SC2 clear coat detailer spray too.

 

[lamajama]

One poster said peanut butter...!

Another possibility is using a heat gun but you have to be very careful and very patient as you move along.

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

I actually just used some low grit compound and a buffer. Seems to clean them up

By low grit I mean high. As in not very abrasive

 

[Jparadise81]

I actually just used some low grit compound and a buffer. Seems to clean them up

By low grit I mean high. As in not very abrasive

Thats a good idea. I'll probably give that a shot.

 

[suke]

I used a heat gun, then my favorite vinyl trim treatment. I detail cars and I am a big fan of Adams polishes. So I used Adams SVRT( super vinyl, rubber and tire). Contains no silicones!

 

[Opformark]

Kiwi black shoe polish in the bottle with the foam applicator. Even if it last half a season takes 10 minutes to apply and looks great once dry. Less than $3 a bottle. 2 coats if it's really faded.

 

[manolocross]

Kiwi black shoe polish in the bottle with the foam applicator. Even if it last half a season takes 10 minutes to apply and looks great once dry. Less than $3 a bottle. 2 coats if it's really faded.

Does it wash off in water??? What about salt water??? If it runs that would be nasty!

 

[SabrToothSqrl]

Just like gel-coat, the rub rail is colored plastic all the way through, if you remove the top .0001" of it, it should come back to looking good.

 

[Opformark]

Does it wash off in water??? What about salt water??? If it runs that would be nasty!

It's more of a dye than anything else. After it dries it's pretty tough stuff. It's meant to live on a shoe and to not be water soluble. I took a wet towel to my test area and it didn't budge with a good scrub. I have a friend that entails cars and he recommended it to me. They use it on black faded exterior trim with good results. Do whatever you'd like, just letting you know what I tried and am happy with.

 

[andrewterri]

I just started a post about bringing back old plastic. I use turtle wax trim restore, it works great and is easy to use. You can also use it on the rub rails. I have pictures post that you can look at. I have not done my rub rails, but you can see how it worked on the hood.

 

[RFoster130]

Meguiars back to black works good too.