Forever Black Bumper & Trim Kit (NEW Improved Formula & Larger Size)

I recently purchased a used 2003 Saab 9-3 Arc that is in excellent condition except for a couple of minor cosmetic defects. In particular it suffered from faded door handles. This is not surprising because that year of that model was known to have a problem with the paint used on the handles and Saab actually issued a service notice on them and was replacing them for free. Unfortunately, this particular car is past warranty and I don't think Saab is still replacing them (I'll look into it when I get a chance). At any rate, the handles were in bad shape. Not only were they faded to almost grey, much of the paint was worn off, especially on the driver's handle - which was actually down to bare metal! I had browsed the web and others had suggested using Forever Black to restore parts painted with flat/satin black (such as wipers) so I thought this was worth a shot before any more drastic measures (new handles cost $80 and are quite a bit of labor to install) or spray paint (labor). Based on a tip, I picked up a couple of foam paint trim brushes to use for detail work rather than try to use the push-pin foam applicator on the bottle. I squeezed a little of the black liquid at a time into a plastic cup and then used the foam 'brush' to apply it. This gave me more control and kept runny drips to a minimum. I still found it necessary to carry a barely damp microfiber cloth while working. I used this to wipe up splotches and drips as needed. An alternative would be to mask everything off with tape, but it comes off pretty easily with a firm wipe of a damp cloth so unless you know you are particularly clumsy and messy, you don't need to mask for most uses. Note - if you decide to use this product for interior surfaces I would definitely mask off there because there are absorbent surfaces inside a car that would definitely be permanently stained by FB instantly! I ended up giving the handles 3 coats. I focused on making each coat as smooth as possible and not trying to put it on too thickly. After three coats, they now look brand new. A beautiful smooth black satin finish. You can't even tell where the paint had flaked away to bare metal!!!! Encouraged, I then went crazy and treated every bit of external black trim on the car. Amazing results. It took years off the car. The plastic bulkhead in front of the windshield from which the wipers come out was also practically light grey. Now it is a beautiful rich black like it was originally supposed to be. Same with the collars around the side mirrors. I was able to do the entire car with a little more than half a bottle. I don't have large black trim areas like say, all black bumpers - if you do, that could take a lot more. Probably a full bottle or more. When all was done and dry I sealed up everything with a coat of Meguiar's Ultimate Liquid Wax to protect from the evil sun and the elements! We'll have to see how long the deep black color lasts. But for right now, my 'old' car looks brand new! Some black recovery treatments work by abraiding away faded surfaces to show fresh black surface from underneath and others restore oils to revive pigments. Still other's just gloss up the surface giving it a 'wet look'. Forever Black seems to work both as a dye and a paint - if anything it is reminiscent of a 'stain'. It is much thinner than a conventional paint so it absorbs deep into surfaces. Yet unlike a pure dye it seems to have a strong binder that allows it to fill in minor scratches and voids, smoothing rough, cracked surfaces. That is just my take on it from watching it work.

The product is amazing, but let's be honest folks. A $20.00 bottle of repair isn't going to fix 13 years of neglect easily or quickly. I took a lot of time and effort to get it to this. First. I must be Clean, Clean Clean. I used Bug and Tar Remover as suggested by another review. Then I used a Super Heavy Duty Industrial Degreaser, also suggested by another review. Then I used 1/2 the bottle of the cleaner provided and washed and rinsed TWICE. The water was DISGUSTING, so I knew it was working. Second. The more damaged and more smooth the surface, the more coats you need. It's like painting a room Red or Black. Sometimes it takes 3-4 coats no matter what kind of paint you're using. My Grille was so faded I actually looked up the original Manufacturer photos from 2008 to be sure it was even supposed to be black. Third. Take your time and do what you need to do. I put 4 coats on the grille and 3 on the bumper. The Running boards are a rougher surface and only required two. Let it dry between coats. I still have about 1/4 of the bottle left, so the people saying it's not enough to do a bumper aren't doing something right. The applicator enclosed was fine, but I might use a better on on the next round. Next round? YES! Wheel wells and tires are next. I can't wait!! I took the car to the wash this morning and gave it the super duper max wash. I was worried to see what would happen based on the some of the reviews. There are a couple of areas that will need to be hit again, but definitely not chipping. Just a little noticeable and I'm a freak about my car. Next time I'll let it cure for 5 days before hitting the car wash. This time I only waited 10 hours because I wanted to give it a test run. I'm a real estate broker and my car is important. I don't invest in depreciating assets, so what I drive has to look nice. And this one now looks amazing! I live in Arizona, so time will tell, but to get it to this with so little dollar investment was well worth it. I highly recommend this product IF you have the time to do it right and the patience to follow the steps and then some. Otherwise, pay the hundreds to have the areas dipped or replaced, but to me, this was an amazing investment - small amount of money, good amount of time, but hey ... it was worth it to me. I love a sense of accomplishment.

This product works very well if you use it correctly and use a better applicator. I have used it on several auto black plastic surfaces with fantastic results. Here are the steps based on my experience and some wise reviews on Amazon. 1- Prepare the surface: the first key is to clean the plastic surface you are going to be staining. You cannot clean the surface too much. Use these three steps: a- Use a general surface cleaner and a stiff scrub brush. Some recommend Dawn dish washing liquid. I chose a bit stronger cleaner by using Simple Green. Either product would be adequate for this stage. Mix in water and scrub the surfaces well. Rinse with clear water and let the surface dry. b- Remove.ALL residue from the plastic by using a cloth and Goof-Off. Goof-Off is very strong, so be careful not to apply to painted surfaces. Squirt it onto a cloth and rub the plastic well with it to remove all oils, surface residues and black coloring that is just barely hanging onto the plastic. This will turn some of the plastic almost grey. Don't worry about that. The dye will return it to black. No need to rinse. c- Lastly, prepare the surface by using the cleaner that comes with the Forever Black kit. This is used last, before applying the dye, because I assume the dye manufacturer has tested it and knows what chemicals will work best with and not interfere with the dye itself. Then let the plastic dry overnight, or 6 to 8 hours depending on your humidity level. 2- Apply the dye with a DENSE foam roller. One of the biggest complaints about applying this dye is that it will leave bubbles or brush streaks when it is applied. To avoid those, use the proper applicator: a- Streaks are caused by using a paint brush. I had that problem, so tossed the paint brush. b- Bubbles were caused by using the foam brush that came with the kit, or similar types available at the hardware store. These foam brushes have larger sized holes in them that hold air which can more easily leave bubbles and such when applying the dye. So I only used the brush that came with the kit for thin strokes in tight corners to apply the dye. A lot of reviews here have complained about the streaks or bubbles. To avoid that, follow the next step. c- Purchase a HIGH-DENSITY foam brush or narrow, high-density foam paint roller. That is the secret to good application that I found! The high density foam has very small holes in it and thus tends to not leave bubbles and other marks on the plastic as the dye is applied. I used a high density foam paint ROLLER from Home Depot that was about 3 to 4 inches wide and came with its own small tray into which I poured the black dye. The dye went on wonderfully. 3- Remember to apply it like a dye or stain, not like a paint. This is a dye and so it dyes or stains the plastic. And as with applying dyes and stains, you generally get a better look if you do not apply it too thick. I rolled the dye onto the surface in multiple coats, making sure NOT to apply a thick coat like you might with paint. Think of your plastic as wood that you are staining and you want to work the black "stain" into the "grain" of the plastic so it sinks into the grain. Then apply another thin coat or two until you are satisfied that you have the look you want for the plastic. Using this approach, I am very satisfied with the end product and recommend it highly.

UPDATE 02/03/16: The stuff still looks great. I initially put this stuff on in the Summer of 2015. It is now Feb. 2016, around 9 months later. The car has been outdoors 24/7 and exposed to the elements (including some snow falls) and the trim is still a nice black. Perhaps the slightest fading in parts where I only did one coat. Would still recommend this product. Alright so I bought this to re-darken the trim on my 2000 Volvo S80. I applied it about 6 months ago and for the most part it still looks great. On the bumper I applied two coats and that seems to be lasting. But in a couple of small places in the front where I only applied one coat it appears to be fading (ever so slightly, still looks light years better than before!). The car is kept outside almost 100% of the time and is exposed to the sun/rain/snow. With that in mind, I suppose it held up really well. Overall the application process is simple but not easy. I made to sure to clean the trim VERY thoroughly beforehand. I used the supplied cleaner as well as some dish soap with warm water and a scrubbing brush. Once cleaned, I let it try and taped off the areas I wanted to cover. You don't have to tape off the area but make sure you have a wet towel with you to wipe off anything you may get on the paint. The application itself can be a bit tricky as you need to make sure you apply it evenly to avoid streaks (though I never had much of a problem with streaks, a few minor ones). Overall I spent a solid Saturday afternoon doing all this. The stuff itself goes a long way. Applying on all the trim on my 2000 S80 used barely half of the bottle (with two coats on the bumper and thick coats). I suspect that doing at least two coats should ensure that this will last quite a long time (in excess of a year). I plan on purchasing more and applying a couple more coats. Overall I recommend this product. At any rate, I am confident that this lasts longer than 90% of the other solutions out there. And for the price, it is a steal. Pros: -Excellent price -Appears to last long -Looks great after applying, rich dark color Cons: -Application process is a bit tedious/long -May not exactly be a "permanent" solution and will eventually fade

Updated: After two years I decided to redo trim on 99 Jeep Cherokee. The product finally had worn off due to desert trips (I abuse this truck), sun, multiple washes. It held up great. Redid using the leftover product from first application and using foam 1" brush redid entire trim plus other parts. This stuff is great and will make your tired, ugly trim look new again. Used on 1999 Jeep Cherokee. Live in southern Cal desert. Sun bakes things bad here. My Jeeps trim was ugly grey and almost white especially on bumpers. Tried the stuff from WM "Black Magic" and believe me there is no magic. So I ordered this product after reading reviews. In Feb. 2011 I applied product per manufactures instructions cleaned trim with cleaner applied in shade. Applied one coat on bumpers, door handles, roof rack, everything. I did not use the applicator but a 1 inch foam brush. One coat did fair job, after letting dry applied second coat and most all trim turned black. Then on some areas a third coat and WOW! DEEP BLACK!! It made trim look almost factory new. Now it is Sept 2011 and the finish has held up with only minor flaking off in couple area. Took to carwash and after multiple passes of the spinning brushes it was 95% still intact and looked great. People who knew my vehicle prior to the application couldn't believe the improvement. Follow directions, use foam brush and apply several coats. BE CAREFUL to not get on painted surface. It will come off but have to rub out quickly. The pre wash liquid seemed to give out quickly but maybe I used up too quickly. Do yourself a favor and get this stuff. I submitted pics don't know if they posted.

Used this product to restore the trim on my 2015 Pathfinder. Takes a bit of care to apply but gives a professional appearance. It is perfect restoration for matte finish trim. Would not recommend on hard/shiny plastic trim as the brish strokes are visible. Not sure how long the renewed appearance will last so I ordered a second bottle.

I purchased this product to darken some fading plastic on my Chrysler 300C. As most people looking at this product probably know; black plastic molding fades and on a black car can stand out. The strips of plastic on either side of my windshield were faded and the rough surface of these pieces held the color from this product very well. The product worked exactly as described in this area and I was very pleased. I decided to use the product on the plastic panels that fall between the front and rear windows (look up a picture of a Chrysler 300C to know what I am talking about). The product claims it works great on all forms of plastic, however on this smooth plastic the results were terrible! It took many careful applications to reduce the streaking caused by this product. Also, it should be noted that the product works by putting pressure on an attached sponge to release it and this creates tons of tiny bubbles which show up and must be carefully smoothed out. Although time consuming, I was able to eventually get it to look pretty good and was happy with the results. Not one day later the product began to peel in this area and the result was worse than the faded plastic I began with by far. Not wanting to mess anything up further, I contacted the company and was told that they are aware of the problem but continue to market the product as suitable for all types of plastic. The representative's suggestion was to clean the area with Simple Green and reapply. If the problem persisted, I could attempt to remove it with rubbing alcohol, but making sure not to get the rubbing alcohol on the car's paint as it could damage the paint. My advice: Be careful with this product as it only works well in certain situations... 3/13/2012 Update: I reapplied the product after writing the intitial review. After several months, the second application has held up and I am satisfied with the results.

This stuff is awesome. My car has black plastic bumper trim and with 60,000 miles, it was looking faded and more of a dark gray than black. I removed the trim (simple for me, your car may vary), washed it with dish soap and water, then used the included cleaner. After it dried I carefully applied one even coat, let it sit for 20 minutes, then another coat. The results are really really nice, with a deep black luster that doesn't coat the plastic surface like a paint but instead looks factory fresh. The instructions say to not apply in direct sunlight, but I did and it didn't burst into flames or anything. Also, I spilled some on my wife's red car (crap!) but it wiped up immediately and left no marks. It did stain the concrete garage floor that I dripped on. The applicator is tricky but not that hard to figure out, and after doing 3 coats on every plastic part on the whole car, I didn't use even a quarter of the bottle. This stuff is a great product and I recommend it. Buy one for yourself, one for your father-in-law and one for the mailman too.

Aun que sea algo caro es lo mejor de todos los restoradores de plastico de coche que ha usado. Dejo el plastico de mi Saab que estoy restorando como nuevo de la fabrica. Facil to aplicar tan bien.

I use this stuff every season on my golf cart - renews the look and makes the cart look like new. The first time I used it, I was amazed at how well it worked. I have also used it on my truck's soft tonneau cover - 6 years old and looks like new. Awesome product and works like a charm.

An meinem Fahrzeug sind die Stossfänger leider sehr grau geworden. Das Produkt hat in seiner Beschreibung einiges versprochen, was solls, einfach ausprobieren. Zuerst wie beschrieben mit dem mitgelieferten Reinigungsmittel gründlich waschen, trocknen und danach mit dem mitgelieferten Pad das Mittel auftragen. Lt. Beschreibung soll man es 2 mal auftragen falls der gewünschte Effekt nach dem ersten mal nicht eintritt. Ich habe meine Stossfänger 4 mal damit eingelassen, danach war ich zufrieden. Der Inhalt reicht auf alle fälle nochmal für 4 Auffrischungen, es ist sehr ergiebig.

Very easy to apply, did add about 4 coats all round due to it being grey and still have over a 1/4 bottle left so more than enough in thr bottle. Quality results. Brush did snap as its held on by a thin metal piece. No streaks and has a good shine to it.

Most excellent product. It transformed my 2001 Volvo V70 sunburnt, almost bleached, trim.