ryanc Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 I just painted my 91 and was thinking about trying to restore my fender flares. They are in decent shape, but are lighter in color than they once were. Has anyone had any luck restoring them with any products? I was hoping to avoid painting them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
adamzan Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 (edited) If you can, try and find some 93-95 flares. They seem to be made differently and don't fade as much if at all. My 94s flares look new. My friend uses back to black on his vw trim. But I don't know how long it lasts. Edited November 16, 2014 by adamzan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerhurst Posted November 16, 2014 Share Posted November 16, 2014 Mine were like that for my hardbody. Old, faded in places and scratched from storage. I went ahead an plastidipped them black. Turned out really well on a red/silver rig. 5-10 layers on each and they hold up well. One even decided to bail on the highway. Only skuffed the plastidip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fman Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 i used a 50/50 mix mineral turps/ boiled linseed oil mix... works great it forms a hard shell after a few coats, heeeeeaps cheaper the painting and probably will last longer also great on older metal and paint i used to splash it on old utes tractors etc, one advantage is it keeps the grain look of the plastic it will turn whites dull brown though no issues on black one big caveat though dont leave oiled rags brushes etc in piles or you will have a fire it puts out a lot of chemical heat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Slartibartfast Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Flares are not interchangeable between the early and late Pathfinders. I picked up a rear flare off a square-dash '93 and it would not bolt up to my '95. Different attachment style, different mounting tabs on the fender. IIRC I used some of that back to black stuff on mine, and they seem to be holding up pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Couple coats of Armor all and they look like this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stabworthy Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 the detailing guy i used to work for swore by that wipe-new crap, but i have seen people use a heat gun to good results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nunya Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 As long as you armor all the every other day. Short term, some silicone based products are great for just that short term. Only lasting affect I've ever had was the good Ol krylon touch Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahardb0dy Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 (edited) used to last me about a week if it didn't rain, On surfaces that are smooth (like the black mirrors) plastic polish works real good, makes it look like Armorall but no greasy residue and lasts longer. Not good on non smooth surfaces, it still works, but is harder to get all the polish out of the little pits ( I did the top of my bed liner once and had to use a toothbrush to get all the polish off, it looked real god though !) Edited November 17, 2014 by ahardb0dy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deerhurst Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 I use Black Chrome. Its a wax for black stuff. Lasts my flares until they get covered with crap then fash and good to go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pav Posted November 17, 2014 Share Posted November 17, 2014 Wipe New is the best I've ever used. You just need to do a lot of prep work to get the best results. First use some dish soap to make sure all the grease and debris has been removed. Then make sure the surface is clean and dry. You can leave them on when you use the stuff...just make sure to slip some cardboard or plastic between the flair and the body. You do not want to get Wipe New on your paint or you will have to wet sand it to get it off. I did a bunch of parts on my truck earlier this spring and was shocked by the results. It really brings them back to showroom condition. The trick to applying it is to lay it down in one swipe. It is still staying on perfectly...I'm very impressed with the results...you can occasionally find it on sale at Walmart. If you want to do smaller areas I use a small paintbrush. A dollar store kit works well since you won't be able to reuse the brush. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ryanc Posted November 18, 2014 Author Share Posted November 18, 2014 Thanks for all the replies guys, a lot of interesting options. I was considering Plasti Dip since I have a few cans at the house already. I wondered if that Wipe New actually worked or if it was just a gimmick. Thanks everyone who chimed in! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stormtrooper Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 Heat gun would probably be the longest lasting. I came across this technique on Youtube. Was doing a search for restoring a console and they did it to all the plastic pieces in the interior, even the dash. Gets the whiteness out of the plastic too. Guessing it brings the chemicals in the plastic back to the surface. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hawairish Posted January 12, 2015 Share Posted January 12, 2015 My Wrangler had the same fading issues....very common on the flares and bumpers (and soft top). A lot of Jeepers recommended Back to Black. I used it and Armor All, and wasn't terribly impressed by either. The B2B worked best, but required a few coats and didn't last nearly as long as expected (probably because of the AZ sun/heat). I was tempted to try the heat gun, but applying heat to plastic didn't seem appealing enough, though the Youtube videos were pretty convincing. I gave up on keeping up in the end. Wipe New is the best I've ever used. You just need to do a lot of prep work to get the best results. First use some dish soap to make sure all the grease and debris has been removed. Then make sure the surface is clean and dry. You can leave them on when you use the stuff...just make sure to slip some cardboard or plastic between the flair and the body. You do not want to get Wipe New on your paint or you will have to wet sand it to get it off. So Pav, does WN leave some sort of residue or shell over the plastic or something? This is the stuff that works on headlights, too? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toughroad Posted January 13, 2015 Share Posted January 13, 2015 If the flares are still in prefect shape it can be painted easily. You just need to prep it same as a body panels or yes you can just use plasti dip. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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