Faded molding and bumpers on my H2?

[Wilstruck]

My black molding is badly faded along with black bumper covers. Does anyone have this problem? Mother's back to black works well until it rains then dull gray color returns. Any suggested cures for this problem is greatly appreciated.

Wil

[H Duece]

I have the same problem with my rear bumper. My way of fixing this (along with fixing the 2 dents) is to buy an aftermarket H2O rear bumper for $1,500.

The H2O bumper is tough, has a long built in step, and doesn't have any crappy plastic stuff surrounding it like the OEM bumper does.

[mdoyle]

I have the same problem with the rear bumper on my H2. The funny thing is exposure-wise the front receives much more sun than the rear bumper and it looks fine.

I also tried Mother's Back to Black and was less than pleased. Usually Mother's is excellent but that stuff doesn't live up to the claims on the bottle or their standards.

The official GM response is to use a product called Armordillo with one application allowed under warranty. Others on here swear by peanut oil (really) but I have yet to try that.

Sucks to have bad plastic fade on an H2 when you consider the sticker price, trim holds up better on Kia Sorento's better than this crap.

[JetEyeNite]

I agree... I have the same problem.
Not to change the subject, but the rear license plate holder assembly is also being held by double sided tape + a few screw I think. For the price we paid, GM should have done a better job than this.

[Big Z]

DIRT! ..IT works the best!...A Dirty Hummer is a Happy Hummer!...Although, I just spent 50 Bucks for a Hand Wash & Wax! (Appt. Only) .....We're Sad But It needs done Once or Twice a Year----CLEAN Hummers Get NO Recpect!

[OrangeCrush]

If you guys want to clean up your flares and rear bumper, my suggestion is to do what I did about 3 months ago. Wipe the bumpers down with a degreaser, mask off as necc and get yourself a can of satin black vinyl bumper paint.

You don't want to PAINT it, you just want to dust a light couple of coats. Out of all the materials we use in the bodyshop, the cheapest, simplest thing works the best.

I do that about once every year or so, it washes up nice and stays black for a long enough time.

HTH's,

Mark

[EricH3]

Been using Mother's Back-To-Black as well on the H2 bumpers / trim and, like you said, it doesn't last that long.

Was using the product again the other day, but only had enough left in the bottle for one coat. So I dug through the cleaning supplies and found a full bottle of Meguiar's Gold Class Vinyl/Rubber Protectant that I'd forgot about. Squirted it on and wiped it down and the bumpers still look fresh over a week later...even after several days of rain. Will be using this product now and monitor how it works in the long run. Here's a link:

http://www.meguiars.com/?vinyl-rubbe...ber-Protectant

BTW, for a more permanent solution, you could use something like Griot's Bumper & Trim Reconditioning Dye -- http://www.griotsgarage.com/search.jsp?searchtext=11183. It works great, restores to like new, leaves a satin finish, and lasts a very long time -- may take a couple of applications though depending on how "dry" the bumpers are. I'd recommend using a larger round hand-held sponge applicator though, as the one on the bottle is a bit small. Might need more than one bottle too, just to be safe. I actually used this product to recondition the targa top on a Ferrari 308 QV that I had, and it turned out perfect.

A little off topic, but I also sprayed some citrus-type degreaser from WalMart on the underside of the H2 (sway bar, bellhousing, suspension, etc.) and let it soak in for a few minutes and rinsed. Then, after everything was dry, I sprayed on Griot's Undercarriage Spray on those areas and let it drip dry. It looks like a brand new vehicle now. (see http://www.griotsgarage.com/search.jsp?searchtext=11138 ).

BTW, I have no affiliation with any of the aforementioned companies, blah, blah...

[Ed G.]

Phil,
where can I pick-up the bondo stuff?

Thanks, Ed

[Wilstruck]

Has anyone tried the griots garage dye? I was also looking into product s from www.seeitshine.com
but the dye souds like the way to go.

Wil

[Ed G.]

Great! Thanks Phil.

[Wilstruck]

yes thanks Phil I'll be riding out today to try and find it.

Wil