i have a problem with the rear bumper plastic piece on my jeep, it just wont stay black! everytime i wash my jeep i use some kind of conditioner, either formula 2001 or royal purple, the shine only lasts a day or 2. maybe its the texas sun, the thing just keeps fading. anyone else have this problem? what kind of conditioners are yall using?

http://i228.photobucket.com/albums/ee14/mista_g713/1276736653.jpg

Try, Tire Wet?

yea the royal purple stuff i use is similar to tire wet, its clear oily stuff.......... i gotta find kind of some super heavy duty everlasting plastic trim conditioner

This is a very common occurrence with the type of plastic used in the bumpers. None of the conditioners will help- the black will still fade out- it is just what is going to happen.

There are some products with a dye in them (Mothers back to black comes to mind) that can make the bumper black again. Do understand that eventually the product will wear off the the faded bumper will appear again.

I don't recall if this piece is independent of the bumper cover, but if mine ever goes bad I'll probably consider covering it with Herculiner.

This is a very common occurrence with the type of plastic used in the bumpers. None of the conditioners will help- the black will still fade out- it is just what is going to happen.

There are some products with a dye in them (Mothers back to black comes to mind) that can make the bumper black again. Do understand that eventually the product will wear off the the faded bumper will appear again.

that sucks, think they wouldve used some better material for exterior plastic, guess ill be getting some mothers back to black soon.

If it truely is a piece of vinyl, test a portion by painting on Wesley's Bleach-White and try to keep it off the paint. Maybe I'll test mine the next time I wash. That stuff gets rubber and vinyl back to its base color, but may remove wax from paint also. Good stuff!

. . . and Don't Mess With Texas!

Mine looks identical in fading, and I'm up in Pennsylvania, so it's not just the Texas sun. I gave up trying to keep it black (though Back-to-Black worked well on it). It's just too much hassle and I don't see the back end often enough. :p

I use the black tire spray on mine, but I do it fairly often. I wonder if you can still buy Black Vinyl Roof Wax? We used to use that on our tires in the time before those tire shines came out (yes I'm that old, lmao) and it worked well. Not many black vinyl roofs anymore, but someone might have that around. It kept the roof looking good and black for a long time, should work on the back bumper too as it was made to last in the sun.

ok, maybe this:
http://www.autogeek.net/convertible-top-dye.html

or maybe
http://www.autogeek.net/griots-vinyl-top-reconditioner.html

or
http://www.properautocare.com/foblblvitopd.html

.. I gave up trying to keep it black (though Back-to-Black worked well on it). It's just too much hassle and I don't see the back end often enough. :p


:smiley_thumbs_up: Same here- I took one look at the type of plastic before I purchased and said "Well that won't stay black for long".

The faded plastic really does not bother me- now where someone backed into the right rear corner and marred the paint is another matter:mad:.

And while we are talking about the plastic- to keep it looking better while waxing use some of the blue painters tape to tape off the black plastic trim and door handles to keep from getting wax onto the textured plastic surface. Once wax gets into the texture it is very hard to remove.

Man, I thought mine wasn't faded but it was soap or wax residue from washing.
I can't belive that Chrysler has a sub-standard component on this vehicle.:icon_rolleyes:

I can't stand it looking faded. I'll clean it everyday if I have to!
Herculiner will be perfect, I'll have to see if I can easily, remove the piece

Not just Chrysler either, that same type material is on a lot of vehicles these days. More a govt mandate for MPG than anything else has increased plastic material use on vehicles.

So they want to reduce use of so called fossil fuels (they might just be naturally occurring in the earth and not from dinosaurs rotting) for vehicle fuels, but they will still be used in the manufacture of vehicles. And used in many other things, there's just no getting away from oil IMHO.

I can't stand it looking faded. I'll clean it everyday if I have to!
Herculiner will be perfect, I'll have to see if I can easily, remove the piece


It it just an unpainted area of the rear bumper cover- not a separate piece. No matter what you do nothing will adhere well to the bumper cover after all the "protectants" have been used on it.

Certainly not a "Chrysler Only" issue. I could go in the parking lot at my office and notice a dozen different makes with the same issues. As a matter of fact, the greying of bumpers on our fleet of Ford Explorers out in the field is the first that comes to mind.

This is why I want all plastic painted body color. If I scratch some of the paint so be it, but at least the whole thing won't start changing colors on me due to quality of the plastic mix or any stress discoloration.

I really don't know if my bumper is discolored.... I haven't washed the Jeep in over a year.

This is why I want all plastic painted body color. If I scratch some of the paint so be it, but at least the whole thing won't start changing colors on me due to quality of the plastic mix or any stress discoloration.

I really don't know if my bumper is discolored.... I haven't washed the Jeep in over a year.

Ha yeah my plastic pieces are all turning white.

Oh, and I washed mine a week after I bought it, and not once since. That was March of 2008. :doh:

wow thats crazy, i cant go more than 3 weeks without washing it, used to wash it every week, but with school and work i dont get as much time right now.

wow thats crazy, i cant go more than 3 weeks without washing it, used to wash it every week, but with school and work i dont get as much time right now.

Okay, here's the deal (at least on a 2010 Patriot Sport with a May 2010 build date). The bumper step clips on my rear bumper cover. I started removing the first two clips just to see. I didn't go any further because, 1) I didn't need to yet, 2) there may be a couple of screws accessible only from inside the bumper cover. I've had my cover off for the hitch install but didn't note the step at the time. The removal should be a 5 minute task next time though. So if the step is detachable, all is well as far as cleaning, painting, or Herculinering (is that a word?). I suppose a guy could even fabricate a replacement out of aluminum Diamond Brite?

And if you remove your step before I do, please post some pics of the attachment points.

BTW, if you find gallon Herculiner kits for less than $79 delivered, including tax and shipping, please post.

And if you remove your step before I do, please post some pics of the attachment points.

.


As I stated earlier the bumper cover is all one piece. The black section is simply a textured plastic portion of the bumper cover that is left unpainted and not a separate piece. Good luck with trying to get paint or
Herculiner to adhere to the textured plastic.

As I stated earlier the bumper cover is all one piece. The black section is simply a textured plastic portion of the bumper cover that is left unpainted and not a separate piece. Good luck with trying to get paint or
Herculiner to adhere to the textured plastic.

Negative.
It may be one piece on Patriot 4x4 Sports before May 2010, but not on mine. It is detachable so I guess I'll post pics when I remove it.

Negative.
It may be one piece on Patriot 4x4 Sports before May 2010, but not on mine. It is detachable so I guess I'll post pics when I remove it.

Mine is a separate piece as well. :smiley_thumbs_up:

MiniCooper, where are you located? Sounds like you do the Herculiner stuff often.

As I stated earlier the bumper cover is all one piece. The black section is simply a textured plastic portion of the bumper cover that is left unpainted and not a separate piece. Good luck with trying to get paint or
Herculiner to adhere to the textured plastic.

Yeah you are all right :notworthy: Just ignore me- my piece just fits tight:doh:

I wonder what it would cost to have the outside sprayed with some kind of a bedliner?

when some coats thiers in herculiner please let me know, ill send you mine! :)

My black section is like new but I keep it covered most of the time when it's at home. After reading all the comments, I might take someones idea and put Diamond Plate on there.

(mother's) back to black ,try it , it really works.

MiniCooper, where are you located? Sounds like you do the Herculiner stuff often.

No I haven't done any Herculiner, yet, but after viewing the install videos and seeing Jeeps that have the entire interior done, it looks like a good product for my application. Honda had the right idea in making the Pilot floor where you could flush the interior with a garden hose. I don't like all the carpet in the Patriot when it's being used as a utility vehicle.

u shudnt use tire wet on plastics becuase its like an oil, and with the sun, its just heats up, making it fade even faster i think.

you can try this tho
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lk8U5tKQXQw&feature=related

its not my video nor am i responisble if it does or doesnt work lol

Use one of these and you'll never have soap residue anywhere on your Patriot because it will clean it without soap. And talk about blasting brake dust!

http://www.pressurewashersdirect.com/manuals/G3050OH_2.pdf

http://www.costco.ca/Browse/Product.aspx?Prodid=10301609&whse=BCCA&Ne=4000000&eCat=BCCA|20483|20744&N=4010968&Mo=1&No=0&Nr=P_CatalogName:BCCA&cat=3800&Ns=P_Price|1||P_SignDesc1&lang=en-CA&Sp=C&topnav=

when some coats thiers in herculiner please let me know, ill send you mine! :)

I sprayed the rocker panels of mine white to match the rest of the vehicle.

Thread (http://www.jeeppatriot.com/forum/showthread.php?t=20026&highlight=Speedliner)

i use herculiner, which u can get online if need be

I use Back to Black on the rear bumper, window seals, door handles and mirrors but it lasts only for a week or so. Bah! Sooo annoying!

Try using 303 protectant. It provides shield against UV rays. I've tried it,and I'm very satisfied.

So they want to reduce use of so called fossil fuels (they might just be naturally occurring in the earth and not from dinosaurs rotting) for vehicle fuels, but they will still be used in the manufacture of vehicles. And used in many other things, there's just no getting away from oil IMHO.

A little off-topic, but the idea of massive abiotic oil generation is wishful thinking and the overwhelming majority of geologists agree. By the way, dinosaurs are not the source either.

I used a silicone spray on my black bumper trim and while it looked okay for a week, it soon reverted back to the faded appearance.