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Refinish Restorer Before/After pics

I just bought an 05 wbh.  Panels n sails faded pretty badly. I bought a 500 ml can of r&r from carworx after extensive reading here. All i can say is thanx everyone here. Follow the instructions andit is magic in a can. Been stopped twice already within a dayafter treatment asking how it looks so good.

Remember patience is key here- prep it well and do not rush the coats. Two very thin coats is all it takes. I used a throwaway foam stain brush. Worked great..


Ill postpics when i get them from my phone to laptop.

 
Over the weekend since my mom let me use her truck while they were out of town I grabbed up the R&R and got her lookin like new  (y) I forgot to get the whole truck before  (n)




 
rightcarstuff said:
Per CarWorx, the shelf life of RR is about 2 years in ideal conditions. After that, the resin begins to separate from the solvent and you may begin to see inconsistent applications and results.  If it was a few years old, I would say test it out.  Since it's about 5-6 years old (probably the 1L can), I would definitely say buy some new, fresh RR. If you do, remember to use referral code: CAFCNA at www.therightcarstuff.com for some % off of your order.
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I just did my 4th annual, Spring, RR application on my '08 Av. Can is about 4 1/2 years old. Stored properly and shaken well before use it's still good as of today. I'll replace it if and when it quits working. See no need to do it before then.
 
Just used r&r for the first time and man is this stuff great, beyond easy to use and looks awesome
 
Well I finally got around to re-doing the RR yesterday. First washed cladding by hand with dawn & water.

The area that I stripped with goof-off a few months back and re-coated was still looking great, so I decided to do a few tests before doing goof-off all-over. Seemed to go ok.

The Goof-Off worked fine on the sails and the bed panels and the storage box covers...however DO NOT USE IT ON THE TOP OF THE TAILGATE. - The Goof Off immediately smeared the plastic on the top surface of the truck piece, and it may be done - Strangly enough, it had no impact the the under-side of it, nor did the goof-off adversly impact any other pieces.

Other than that here are my findings...Much to My dismay: (I used the NEW can of RR and Microfiber)

1) The Good The Storage Box lids are looking pretty good...nice dark almost black. Most of the re-faded areas are faint and small.

2) The Bed Panels also took well. Will need a second thin coat.

3) The Not so good - The cladding up and over the rear of the cab also didnt take so well...it had actually re-faded to the point of being greyish.  Luckily most of it is too high to be seen.

4) The Bad - The Sails again didnt take the RR good. Im not sure what the deal is...one of the sails I used Goof off on 3 months ago, and had been exposed ever since. The other one I did goof-off on yesterday. Same results...its leaving streaks. Exactly what it did the first time I applied RR to them. Im now convinced the post 2006 models changed the plastic type/composition for the sails which is how they got rid of the zebra striping, however once faded, they dont "absorb" the RR the way the other pieces do.

In attempts to "smooth" out the streaking I rubbed over the areas several times (not applying more RR, just trying to work it it to the plastic)...This is how the storage box covers became looking pretty good, but it had very little impact how much or how hard I rubbed on the sails.

Im probably going to remove all the cladding and coat with something...the streaks are as bad as just having faded plastic. :-(

 
Rats... with spring coming I was hoping to hear how Goof Off was going to fix the problem.  My truck looks absolutely terrible.  I'm not sure what to do with it anymore.  Even at this obscure angle last night you can see the flaky panels.



 
I totally agree with the statement above.. After reading good off does the truck it just let me
Down... I washed the truck.. Then scrubbed the sail pannels with dawn soap and a heavy scrub brush.. Then took goof off to the pannels let her dry over night in the garage.. Applied one coat and then another lite one hours after and it looks the same... Blotches, streaks, faded corners.

Debating on plasti dip for a solid black just debating on how it will last under the Florida sun or my other option is krylon but I've heard horror stories of it pealing not sure if I wanna deal with all that
 
I wonder if the good off smeared just enough plastic to close off its "pores" I still think goof off is way too harsh of a chemical to put on the cladding
 
Only thing goof off did was take the shine off the cladding.. I used a white cloth and after extensive rubbing it was barely dirty.. I definitely wouldn't say it altered the plastic in even the tiniest way wyo
 
I did a test with and without using the goof off. No difference except the top of the tailgate (Dont use Goof Off on it).

My hope was that the goof off would actually dry out and open up the plastic.

I am coming to the conclusion that GM changed the plastic composition for the Sails and the Top piece over the rear window, and the vent pieces on the inside of the sails. There was Zero change in the plastic appearance using goof off or not...the RR did not get rid of the blotchyness and faded grey areas this time around.

However the RR did work on the bed panels, the storage box lids, the rear bumper steps and a few other odds and ends.

Im now seriously considering pulling the sails and top pieces off, stripping and applying a plasti-coat type mat finish paint to them...However I may attempt one more "stripping" of the cladding using a few more chems and then see if the RR will take hold...

wyotonka said:
I wonder if the good off smeared just enough plastic to close off its "pores" I still think goof off is way too harsh of a chemical to put on the cladding
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The pics you posted look exactly like how RR worked on the cladding of my 05 Avalanche...My 07 was a diff story from the start. I may go snap a few pics of it now, after the re-application.

One thing for certain: It cant be blamed on old vs new RR - as RCS sent me a new can to test (thank you again btw). And I also applied with microfiber this time. Im pretty sure its the plastic formulation...and since GM has parts made at different locations, it could even be that some are different than others on newer models.

Overall it doesnt look crappy like some of the AV's I see that are completely chaulked-greyed out...but its also not looking the best.


wyotonka said:
I do know that my moms h2 plastics took way different than my cladding but as far as I can tell it's holding up great  (y)
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Arizona Dave I must be having the exact same issues as you.. Idk how guys out there rock the chalked out cladding.. I have lil blotches of white and it drives me insane haha...
 
Here are the pics of re-done RR (after 1 year). Again - Note - The Storage Box lids look great, nice dark black, almost no blotches and no fading. I also got the rear piece on top  of the tailgate looking good again (goof off did NOT like it). But the top piece and the sails and vents are basically a lost-cause at this stage...Im debating removing the very top piece btwn the sails and experimenting with some different techniques...it looks so horrible cant really make it worse...there is always undercoating I can spray it with LOL!

Also wanted to note that where I originally thought the cladding faded due to sun/UV exposure, its obviously not the case. While the very top piece is really bad, the inside surface and under-side of the rear piece are worse than the outside of the sails (the inner "protected" sails are really blotched) just an FYI.
 

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Yup pretty much exactly the same.. The storage box lids and the piece over the tailgate don't fade and look fine but the upper are exactly like yours..
 
ltxi said:
I just did my 4th annual, Spring, RR application on my '08 Av. Can is about 4 1/2 years old. Stored properly and shaken well before use it's still good as of today. I'll replace it if and when it quits working. See no need to do it before then.
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Having said that, I just ordered a new can. Left the cap off for about a week after doing some touch-up and now it don't work real good no more... :E:
 
Has anyone tried Simple Green first? I agree it has to be residue in the plastic surface that prevent R/R from fully penetrating.

A strong mix of Dawn with a stiff brush still seems a better way to go as it should rinse off easier than Goof Off.
 
So after reapplication of mine using the same method as before my sails have started to fade after one month :/ looks like krylon is in my future
 
I posted the pics in a different thread...but here they are!

http://chevyavalanchefanclub.com/cafcna/index.php/topic,132978.msg2078527.html#msg2078527

Captn---
 
wyotonka said:
So after reapplication of mine using the same method as before my sails have started to fade after one month :/ looks like krylon is in my future
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Never heard of it fading that fast, must be something applied in the past that kept it form penetrating.
 
I've never had a problem using dawn ultra dish washing soap and a soft wash brush. No heavy scrubbing, just soap up the plastic. Rinse and dry thoroughly. I don't send my truck through car washes, I either wash in my driveway or use the do it yourself wash and only use soap and rinse settings, the wall of the stall gets sprayed for 30 seconds to make sure whatever was used last gets washed out if the line. No waxes, sealants from the washes.  I wax myself it using Mothers or Meguiars.
 
Has anyone tried Plasti-dip? I did the rear bumper on my Tacoma; seems to be holding up okay.

I did my Dad's Avy with Meguiers Nxt Trim Shine; had an old bottle of it in the garage and figured what the heck, can't do anymore damage than the way it looked. Definitely got rid of the zebra stripes and the washed out white chalky stuff. How long it will last before needing reapplication is unknown, but it's been about 2-3 weeks and several rain storms.
 
quite a few of us are having the problem :-(

I think its year-related...I think after the GatorBack debacle that GM knew the stripping of the cladding was not being tolerated, so they changed something (pigments/formula)...RR didnt aplpy to my 07 the same as my 05...I documented it over a year ago...got a new can of RR, tried it.

No good. I vehemently defended RR when I used it on my 05, and I still think its probably the best product out there, but for some of us...something has happened to the cladding that wont take the RR :-(

This last time I tried EVERYTHING...nothing worked. The faded parts are faded for good...whereas in my 05, I washed with Dawn, reapplied RR after 18 months, and 12 months later it was still nice and dark.

Im considering pulling all the cladding off my 07 and bead-blasting, or priming and putting a plastic rhino coat on it.

Something I noticed both times applying RR to my 07 - both times (18 months ago, and again 3 months ago) the RR left obvious streaks and seemed no not "soak" in. Going back over would simply move the swipe marks in the other direction...I tried terry cloth and microfiber...both same result. In addition to the swipe marks, the rags got PITCH BLACK very fast...as if the RR was taking off some of the plastic. Thats what makes it even more bothersome...if it was taking off a super thin layer Id think it would soak in and really darken...but whatever the fading is on my 07, its deep, and the RR just barely darkened it and make it shiny. Still shiny now...3 months later.

Heck...maybe I will try to apply in 110-deg direct sunlight on that top panel just to see what happens...who knows.

Z66Modder said:
Never heard of it fading that fast, must be something applied in the past that kept it form penetrating.
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arizona-dave said:
Im considering pulling all the cladding off my 07 and bead-blasting, or priming and putting a plastic rhino coat on it.
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Hey AZ Dave,

I had this in the back of my feeble mind a few weeks after I purchased my cladded 03 in the event it Tiger Striped. It did come close, but I stayed on it as best I could for 7 years.

We had a SoCal guy with a WBH that did the Rhino to his lower body area where cladding would be. It turned out great, but the chrome bumpers caused us all to scratch our heads for awhile.

What about doing a Rhino job to the dash?  :eek:
 
You musta read my posts on my dash repair...

Ive actually considered rhino or something on the dash, but i would only be happy with perfection :) Most paints have to be formulated to actually "bond" to a type of plastic, and being that the dash is brittle, I dont know what type of coating would really bond to it without peeling in 1 to ? years. Dash is a 4+ hour job and risks breaking all sorts of other very expensive interior trim parts...so dont want to re-remove if I dont have to.

For the cladding, Im gunna end up doing something, and Ive been thinking some type of rhino coating...but a lot of the people who got the factory-fix "Gatorback" coating had issues with peeling and flaking...so kinda at an inpass on what brand/type of primer/paint/coating to use on the cladding that will not peel or flake in under 5 years.

Cat Dancer said:
Hey AZ Dave,

I had this in the back of my feeble mind a few weeks after I purchased my cladded 03 in the event it Tiger Striped. It did come close, but I stayed on it as best I could for 7 years.

We had a SoCal guy with a WBH that did the Rhino to his lower body area where cladding would be. It turned out great, but the chrome bumpers caused us all to scratch our heads for awhile.

What about doing a Rhino job to the dash?  :eek:
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