I was trying to find the post about this, but I couldnt. I have a 03 Disco and the plastic trim around all of the wheel wells is faded and sun burnt. What type of paint do you use on this? I am planning on taping my truck off and just spraying them, but wanted to know what you guys have used in the past. Thanks much!

 

I would take the flares off, it's not that hard and you don't want to risk painting your truck. I have an '04 and mine are fading as well. I'm planning on pulling them, using a fine sandpaper to remove any debris and then wash them good. A coat of primer and then a few of semi-gloss black spraypaint should work nicely. I've done this for my jeep flares in the past.

 

You don't use paint, go experiment around with some of the tire black treatment, they darken the trim right back to a near new black look. Removing the trim makes most Disco's very cheap and incomplete.
Mike

 

I used jdhep’s method. Krylon, or one of the spray paint manufactures, makes a paint specifically for outdoor plastics (patio furniture, etc.). They’re supposedly formulated to reduce the need for excessive prepping of plastic (sanding, priming, etc.). It came in both gloss and flat black. I bought the flat black because I was afraid the gloss would be shinier than the OEM finish. The flat was similar in finish/feel to what the plastics were like before being painted.

Using tire-shine gels and sprays, as Mike suggested, will make them look better temporarily. However, in the long term, dressings and waxes can actually contribute to the discoloring/fading of plastics…..especially if the contain petroleum-based cleaning agents. Vinylex has a really good spray for plastic and vinyl.

 

To clarify, I did mean just to remove the flares to paint them. A disco or any truck w/out the flares on would look pretty stupid. Like Bogdenz said, the outdoor sprays work well. The tire shine thing does make them shiny, but doesn't last. One rain and you're back to faded trim.

 

There was this product that I used to use on my old YJs fenders, that was called back to black. I think it was made by turtle wax or something and would last much longer than the regular tire spray that gets washed away after the first rain. Water actually pearled on it. I do not know if it's still available or if the receipe has changed ( cause since it didn't wash out fast, a bottle would last a long time, which is not too good for sales), but now that I'm recalling it, I'll look it up.

 

Mother's makes Back to Black. It's a great product if you still have some "black" to go back to. My front finders are so warn they have a tan/yellowish tint to them. I've used the Back to Black on them hoping to bring it out, but it just makes mine look like a dark grey. I can also see the honey comb(-ish) structural supports in mine. I'm going to paint until I order new ones, shocks and springs are next on my list, not cosmetic.

-do they just pull off? And how many places on the flares are attached to the truck? Is it in RAVE, I haven't looked yet?

-Ugly

 

I was doing a search for Back to Black and found this:

http://www.autogeek.net/foblbutrcoqu.html

 

I used that on a Volvo I had. It is like shoe polish putting it on, but it didn't last a year. Krylon makes a plastic paint called Fusion. I painted my Trim on an Expedition with the satin, and it is going on 2 years with no fading.....

 

I actually had this replaced under warranty at about 40,000 miles and it's a great improvement, as I recall I tried to buy them through Atlantic British and they didn't have access to them. The part may have been revised, as I see no signs of wear after two years. Worth a try anyway.