If you've ever owned a vehicle with piano black plastic, you probably know the frustrations it can bring. Piano plastic trim blemishes easily and is a pain to clean and polish
. All attempts to restore it to its former glory seem to be in vain. But not all hope is lost—with the right tools and techniques, you can make your piano black plastic trim sing. Here’s how to easily clean and polish the piano black plastic trim on your car, with a little help from car insurance
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. How to clean exterior piano black plastic
To clean the exterior black piano plastic trim on your car, you’ll need the items listed below.
Gentle to medium-strength all-purpose cleaner
Once you have all the materials you need, follow these simple steps:
1. Clean the piano black plastic
Start by pouring 4 cups of gentle to medium-strength cleaner into a bucket with 6 cups of cool water. Using a soft brush or sponge saturated with the cleaning solution, wipe down the piano black trim on your vehicle's exterior. Allow the trim to air dry before wiping it down with a soft, clean cloth.
2. Mask off the area
Next, line the exterior trim of your vehicle with long strips of painter’s tape. Make sure not to cover the surface of the trim.
3. Apply the wax
Apply three pea-sized drops of polish onto the surface of your trim, work it into the surface using the hand polisher and the wool pad. Apply light pressure as you work the polisher slowly up and down the trim's surface. Use a polishing cloth to remove excess polish.
4. Polish
Switch to a flat foam polishing pad and squeeze two pea-sized amounts of polish onto the pad. Buff the surface of the trim
. Using slow speed, move the polisher in a quick, vertical motion. Continue for one to two minutes until the surface is evenly polished. Peel away the tape and brush off any remaining polish using a clean buffing cloth. 5. Apply a cleaning spray
Lastly, apply a cleaning spray to the surface of the trim. Buff the cleaner into the trim using a microfiber cloth in long, vertical motions.
MORE: How to polish aluminum wheels
How to clean interior piano black plastic
Before cleaning and polishing the piano black trim inside your car
, you need to gather the right materials. The materials needed for this process include the following items. Cleaning spray (formulated for use with plastic trim)
Red and black foam polishing pad
Once you have all the materials you need, follow these simple steps:
1. Clean the piano black plastic
Start by cleaning the interior trim using a clean, circular brush. Wipe off any dirt or specks of dust on the surface of the trim. When removing the dust and dirt, use short motions while brushing lightly along the surface.
Spritz a cleaning spray designed for interior trim on the surface of the brush or a clean microfiber cloth. When wiping the spray off of the trim, use circular sweeping motions. Don’t forget to clean any buttons while you’re at it.
2. Mask off the area
Next, cut off strips of the painter’s tape. Secure the strips along the edges and sides of your piano black plastic trim, paying special attention to the corners. The tape is meant to protect the surrounding surfaces from the wax and polish.
3. Apply the wax
Once the surrounding surfaces are adequately protected, it’s time to apply the wax. Dip a microfiber applicator into the ceramic wax and apply it to the trim. Allow the wax to sit for three to five minutes before wiping away the excess using a clean microfiber cloth.
4. Polish
Apply a pea-sized amount of Meguiar’s M105 polish onto the surface of the trim using a hand polisher and a microfiber pad. Move the hand polisher back and forth to apply the polish evenly to the surface.
Next, switch to a new pad with a pea-sized amount of Meguiar’s M205 polish and apply it evenly across the trim’s surface.
5. Buff
Buff the trim by using a clean, red foam pad and a small amount of Meguiar’s M105 polish. Repeat this step.
Lastly, apply a small amount of Meguiar’s M205 polish to a black foam pad and buff the surface of the trim. Repeat this step once before removing the masking tape.
Once your car's piano black is all clean and polished, it's a good idea to protect your vehicle from future damages. That's where Jerry
comes in. After providing you with a comprehensive cross-analysis of the best policies across providers, Jerry will handle the phone calls, paperwork, and renewals for your top pick so that you don’t have to. They even help cancel your old policy! So why do all that extra work when Jerry can do it better?