Exterior Plastic Trim

[GMC]

Hi

For those of you who have trouble with the black plastic trim, keeping it black and protected.

I use boiled linseed oil, applying with a paint brush sparingly!!! working back and fourth into the trim evenly. If you apply to much then drag to the next piece of trim or rub/dab with a lint free cloth to take off excess. Try to avoid getting linseed oil on the paintwork, if you do wipe off straight away. It takes about 2 hours to dry in hot weather or longer if over applied. Try not to use the car as dust/grit will stick to the trim before it has dried

One application should last you a good three to four months, does not wash off everytime you wash you pride and joy, like most products on the market today!

I have used this method on all my cars Astra,Cavalier,Ford Transit and my current beast the Carlton.

This information was given to me by an old car enthusiast, he stated to use a fifty fifty mix of boiled linseed oil and white spirit. I now use 100% boiled linseed oil which gives in my opinion the same finish to the black plastic trim.

I have not used this method on any other models other than Vauxhall and a Ford Transit, so please if you do use on any other model cars, test a small section of plastic first! The plastic on other models may have been manufactured differently to Vauxhall?

PS make sure the trim has been cleaned and oil free before applying the linseed oil.

[Dave the Builder]

Sounds like a good idea to me, but then I've got all plastic bumpers (not colour coded ones) as mine is pre-facelift.
I get through loads of cans of silicone and it don't last a week.
 good tip 

[jonnybear]

i use boot polish ! LOL i like the matted effect, but if you put your back in to it it will shine 

Jonny

[HMK]

I decided to try the linseed oil trick today

I had remembered that it had been talked about sometime in the past, but hadn't actually looked for this FAQ thread until just now.

I've got some linseed oil that's been kicking around for years. Now I don't know if linseed oil is boiled already or if it needs boiling, so I put some into an old tin & put it on a medium gas on the kitchen gas cooker. It really stinks - like cod-liver-oil I heated it up to nearly boiling - I decided NOT to try & actually boil it as the kitchen was by now filling with smoke, rather like when a chip pan or a frying pan over heats I thought it might be an idea to apply it while it's still boiling hot, so I dipped a clean paint brush into the hot oil & there was a 'fizz' & the end of the brush disintegrated in the hot oil . I cleaned up what was left of the brush & tried again after a couple of minutes. This time, as the oil had cooled slightly, the remaining bristles stayed in tact

I decided to try it on the sill covers first - as I can cope with ruining these rather than some of the more important parts, such as the bumpers I brushed it on & then rubbed it in & wiped off any surplus with a rag (one of my old socks, actually ).

I went outside a while ago to check it & found it to have dried to a hard black finish

It's a job to tell in the pix below (I should have done a 'half & half' shot), but I wanted to get it all on before it cooled down A success, I think





So what are the views on whether the linseed oil needs to be boiled first - or is it already boiled?

What about applying it very hot like I just did, or is it as good cold?

& I've just read about a 50/50 mix with white spirit - what about that? (although you wouldn't want to try boiling it up with that ).

[3000gsijim]

Mr HMK

Well, Well, the linseed oil doesn't need heating up so apply from the bottle with some white spirit mixed. A small amount on a brush or cloth and work in sparingly. Don't leave the cloths lying around when you have finshed, as per safety data on the bottle states cloths can self ignite

petroleum jelly works the same and is waterproof, you can also use it on your interior trim.noticed how i avoided using the word vaseline............bugga

[defold-git]

Mr HMK

Well, Well, the linseed oil doesn't need heating up so apply from the bottle with some white spirit mixed. A small amount on a brush or cloth and work in sparingly. Don't leave the cloths lying around when you have finshed, as per safety data on the bottle states cloths can self ignite

petroleum jelly works the same and is waterproof, you can also use it on your interior trim.noticed how i avoided using the word vaseline............bugga

yes but it picks up the road dust and is a bugger to get off. linseed oil with white spirit evaporates so non stick surface.

[HMK]

Ah, GMC, you are right..........but there is a BUT

Not all linseed oil is BOILED linseed oil - & it HAS to be boiled linseed oil as the non-boiled type is for wood treatment & won't dry properly

I've been looking into it today

Linseed oil has a boiling point of 343 C (degrees centigrade). When you consider that water boils at 100 C, that is a VERY high boiling point So I probably had mine at over 100 C without realizing it (no wonder it burnt the end off the brush)

It has a flash point of 222 C & an auto-ignition point the same as the boiling point at 343 C..........good job it didn't boil then

My linseed oil is just labeled 'Linseed Oil' so that would be the non-boiled type, so it had to be heated otherwise it would have just ended up making a horrible sticky mess on the sill covers

The other thing I learned today is that boiled linseed oil isn't actually boiled - it's just heated by passing very hot air through it

What I did obviously works (I've checked the sill covers again & they certainly do have a good hard coat on them), but it could be very dangerous to try it yourself, so my advice is DON'T!!.........It's a case of "do as I say - & NOT as I do"

I did take one or two precautions - I had a fire extinguisher at the ready. I had a good pair of tongs & a metal tray to carry it outside on. During the heating process, I removed it from the gas a couple of times & took it outside & put a lighted splint on a long stick into the liquid to test if it was reaching its flash point (I didn't have much linseed oil in the tin, so there wouldn't have been too much to burn if the worst had happened). I wore safety goggles & gloves & stopped the heating when the smoke got too much If I do it again, I may do it on a stove outside & use a thermometer or temperature probe capable of reading well over 100 C to monitor the temperature............or I may just go & buy some ready boiled linseed oil from the DIY store

You're right about the used rags too, GMC They can spontaneously combust due to oxidation etc. with air.........So that's the end of my old sock then (I wondered why I've had a 'hot foot' all day)

[Pedro]

Peanut oil.

Tastes like peanut butter, doesn't need boiling, and you can lick it off - if you're that way inclined!

Apparently.

[HMK]

I like it .......... Well I don't know if I do - I haven't tried it

I shouldn't mind trying your 'heating the trim with a heat gun' method, but i haven't got a heat gun & I would think you'd have to be careful not to blister the surrounding paint

What about using a blow lamp? - I've got one of those......only joking

[Dave the Builder]

Peanut oil may well be labelled "ground nut oil" in shops,used alot in african cooking,you aint missing much taste wise   
 i need a 45 gallon drum of linseed oil cus one of mine is pre facelift 

[blackfinger]

I heard peanut butter is quite good, got some in the cupboard so will try it.  Not crunchy luckily...

[tbirdbooboo]

hot air gun , not too close as it will melt the plastic but when done right will return all plastics to the original colour. use it on my old mk2 golf gti and it worked a dream. stayed correct for ages and ages