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Faded cladding

02BLACKZ714X4

Full Member
Joined
Dec 15, 2005
Messages
186
Location
Pittsburg, CA
My apologies to the moderators if I should have posted this within another thread, I felt that it would be better noticed as a new topic.

I have an 02 AV with faded cladding and decided to buy the gatorback dye but then I read that several people had theirs re-done by dealerships under some sort of warranty.  I bought my AV used and I know I don't have a warranty of any kind but I'm wondering if I went back to the original dealer where it was first purchased and talked to them if I would have any luck.  I read that someone paid $900 for a dealer to recondition their cladding, that wouldn't be worth it to me.  I'd rather buy it myself for $160 and do it myself.  What are the chances that a dealership would work with me if I quoted a TSB to them?

Thanks.
 
Send email to Gatorback....

They would be your best bet for getting it done under warranty.
 
You could try going with Gatorback (If anyone could help Robert could)but since you bought a used 02 IMO I wouldnt think Chevy would step up unless you had a huge history with the dealer..  Sometimes if you are a frequent customer things get done much easier to say the least.. 
Good luck, also the do it yourself route is very time consuming to say the least..  90% of the work is in the prep,,  Take your time, and be sure everytihgn has been cleaned throughly..!!
 
I thought I'd do my homework and rather than create duplicate threads, resurrect some old ones. 

Would good ol' Armour All or something equivalent help restore faded cladding?
 
Have you even tried searching your subject (faded panels, faded cladding etc)  I think you'll see the general consesus is "refinish restorer" is the best product out there, however if I'm not mistaken the 02 AV's were gray, light and dark I think. so you might want to consider the Krylon job if you want black!

Didit
 
The RR was working OK for pre07 trucks, but there was a lot of people that had problems with the product making the cladding worse!


http://www.chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,101061.msg2064643.html#msg2064643
 
07 LTZ, Bevo Orange  :D

Ok,  not sure it was a good idea or not, I giving Wipe New a shot for my cladding. It's a nano-polymer not a WAX.  There alot of steps to prep but it's been a week and it's Still Black. it does state might need a 2nd coat after drying but not looking like that so far.  it took the bottle back 1/2 so if you need a 2nd or want to do running boards or other areas will need to get two. about 20 $ each. 

Now i just need to get up the courage to tackle the dash replacement. I seen it done on You tube video, not sure want to once you start there no going back
 
I need to do something with my cladding, it is an 02 and i live in Central Washington, very dry, windy and Hot.  my cladding is very faded.  i replaced the bezel around the tailgate handle and now it really stands out. Anyone have a good experience with a particular product.
 
There is a mountain of threads about faded cladding and the various methods to renew the color and finish. One that seems the site favorite is Refinish Restorer and the owner of this link used to give AV owners in this site a discount too:

http://www.therightcarstuff.com/
 
Also, understand the cladding on the 2002 Avalanches is a light grey in color from the factory.

No other year was that light a shade.

Years of fading will most likely make it even lighter.

If you are thinking you are wanting a darker color, paint may be your best option.
 
My apologies to the moderators if I should have posted this within another thread, I felt that it would be better noticed as a new topic.

I have an 02 AV with faded cladding and decided to buy the gatorback dye but then I read that several people had theirs re-done by dealerships under some sort of warranty. I bought my AV used and I know I don't have a warranty of any kind but I'm wondering if I went back to the original dealer where it was first purchased and talked to them if I would have any luck. I read that someone paid $900 for a dealer to recondition their cladding, that wouldn't be worth it to me. I'd rather buy it myself for $160 and do it myself. What are the chances that a dealership would work with me if I quoted a TSB to them?

Thanks.
I wanna prevent the plastic parts of the bed from fading they are still black. Need some advice to help with that
 
NOthing prevents for ever except for maybe PAINT or LINEX type product but then those can be damaged

GO to the detailing section under maintenance..

Read some threads there.....PLenty about what people have tried and used.

All comes down to how often you are willing to apply a product as some last days, weeks, months and expensive ones year
 
Have to toss my two cents in the ring.
My Av had all sorts of colors when I bought it from the light gray on the bottom to multi color black up top and I found refinish restorer to work the best at revitalizing and unifying the color somewhat but still wasn't happy with the mishmash of colors so I painted it with bed liner.
Took the cheap way out using rust-oleum rattle cans, 14-15 total but an really satisfied with the results. It's textured and emphasizes the texture of the cladding.
No, it won't last more than a couple years and already has some chips from the road debris but it looks good and is a bit more durable than paint. Plus I don't mind the prep work to do it again.
 

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I wanna prevent the bed pieces from fading. The are nicely black and wanna keep then that way. Please help
 
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I have long since been a fan of Refinish Restorer.

However, last year I started using this product:

CERAKOTE Ceramic Trim Coat - Guaranteed Restoration to Last Over 200 Washes - A Ceramic Coating Not a Dressing - Quick and Easy to Apply

The finished results are outstanding and the staying power appears to be quite good.

I would still use the Refinish Restorer if the CERAKOTE were not available, but as long as it is, that will be my go-to product.

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I did not think to take any "before" pictures, when I bought the truck back in 2020, even though it was well cared for, the previous owner had never had any plastic dressing applied since the truck was purchased new back in 2003.

As you might imagine, the plastics were in dire need of some attention.

I think the CERAKOTE did the trick nicely.

:) (y)
 
I have long since been a fan of Refinish Restorer.

However, last year I started using this product:

CERAKOTE Ceramic Trim Coat - Guaranteed Restoration to Last Over 200 Washes - A Ceramic Coating Not a Dressing - Quick and Easy to Apply

The finished results are outstanding and the staying power appears to be quite good.

I would still use the Refinish Restorer if the CERAKOTE were not available, but as long as it is, that will be my go-to product.

View attachment 232275

View attachment 232276

I did not think to take any "before" pictures, when I bought the truck back in 2020, even though it was well cared for, the previous owner had never had any plastic dressing applied since the truck was purchased new back in 2003.

As you might imagine, the plastics were in dire need of some attention.

I think the CERAKOTE did the trick nicely.

:) (y)
I forgot to ask, how many kits did you buy to do that great of a job. Or did you get the $235 with spray gun kit? I am seriously thinking of doing that too. Really impressed with the shine.
 
I forgot to ask, how many kits did you buy to do that great of a job. Or did you get the $235 with spray gun kit? I am seriously thinking of doing that too. Really impressed with the shine.

I bought the two vehicle kit off of Amazon for my 2003 cladded Avalanche and I had a couple of the inner packets left over.

I seem to remember there are 10 individual application packets inside each kit and also some gloves to wear during the application.

CERAKOTE Ceramic Trim Coat - Guaranteed Restoration to Last Over 200 Washes - A Ceramic Coating Not a Dressing - Quick and Easy to Apply

No need to buy any spray guns.

The inner application packets contain what looks like a sanitized hand wipe towel you might get at a BBQ rib restaurant to clean the BBQ sauce off of your fingers at the table.

You open the packet, remove the product infused wipe and start wiping down your plastics.

Use the wipe until no more product is being applied and then open the next packet.

They actually go quite a ways.

Follow the instructions to the letter.

Especially concerning making sure the surfaces are bone dry and the wearing of the gloves.

The application is very precise and I did not feel the need for any taping on the truck.

An EXT or an Avalanche with the painted upper cladding will be able to get by with only one package of the product with several inner packets left over for any touchups later.

One package kit will not be enough for a fully cladded Avalanche.

My Avalanche sits out on the driveway in the weather year round and the majority of the cladding still looks great.

The lower on the truck the cladding is, the better.

As usual, the upper sails and bed panels always seem to take the brunt of the sun damage.

They still look OK, but I plan to retreat them, and maybe the entire truck again, sometime this summer.

Just to keep things looking new.

So far, this product has out performed my old favorite, Refinish Restorer.
 
Howdy all! Not much action on this subject for a while, so thought I'd give an update. About a year ago, before I started my underneath rustoration project, I did my cladding on my 05 with the latest version of Wipe New. I had used it about 3 or 4 years ago and it worked pretty darn good. Unfortunately, the new stuff came in wipes rather than a bottle, and you had to use some "prep" wipes first. This turned out horribly! The prep left all kinds of nasty streaky stuff that the top coating would not cover.
I spent a couple of nights looking at options, and decided to give the Solution Finish a shot. I can still see the Wipe New crap on top of the cladding, so I wasn't sure how the SF was going to work. There is NO WAY to get the WN off that you can find, other than to sand or maybe burn it off. So I was skeptical. I'm pleased to report that the SF covers it very well and looks great. Yesterday, I did the 3 cargo cover panels, the sails and top panel, cargo box covers, and the tailgate top trim piece. I'm very pleased. For prep, I used my small electric pressure washer to blast as much embedded stuff out the texture as I could, then wiped well with a towel and 91 isopropyl alcohol. The SF goes on smooth with a microfiber applicator, let it sit a few minutes, and then wipe the excess off with old microfiber. It then cures hard and even.
Since I know it's going to work OK, I just ordered some of their "over the top" top coat which gives additional depth to the color, a little bit of gloss, and protects the SF from UV rays. Supposed to extend the period between having to recoat it. Will let you know and get some pics when I get done with it.
 
Finished up the other day and took some pics. Like the Solution Finish. This is 2 coats of that, and then top coated with their “Over the Top” sealant. It was very easy to do. Plenty left over for future applications. I sold my BMW Z3, so was able to get Ava back in the garage after several years of sitting outside. Love my truck!
D77A6073-1B92-485D-88AB-57DB658FEF51.jpeg83944E18-8C79-490E-9879-380F9DD8CD8E.jpegABAECA17-F4B2-4447-B87C-E011888D9481.jpeg92E907D2-32BF-433A-81F0-98B5B47E46B0.jpeg
 
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Finished up the other day and took some pics. Like the Solution Finish. This is 2 coats of that, and then top coated with their “Over the Top” sealant. It was very easy to do. Plenty left over for future applications. I sold my BMW Z3, so was able to get Ava back in the garage after several years of sitting outside. Love my truck!
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Looks great. If you remember, let us know how long it lasts on the sails and the bed panels.
 
let us know what happens after a rain too
 
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