Exterior Plastic - Southwest Owners

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2013 Mazda CX-5 GT
Could anyone chime in on what the status is of the exterior plastic? I live in the SouthEast and have always been hesitant of the exterior plastic due to how quickly its color deteriorates in hot climates. I had an F150 (97) where the rear window surround went from black to light grey in a matter of years...and it was kept in a garage!

Anyone from the southwest who's car sees sunlight most of the time?
 
I live in dry and sunny California, specifically the desert part of the state and I think the tick is to keep it clean and out of the sun for as much as possible. Hard to say if these will fade or not since this plastic might be different than what they used 10 years ago.
 
You could paint them when they discolor.
On my last car, I have painted those parts early in it's life.
 
It should be fine. Ford and GM of that era was terrible as far as quality of material goes. The plastics these days stand up a lot better. I would suggest wiping anything down with some protectant from time to time. And wash and wax the car at least once in a while.
 
I have been applying Armourall vinyl protectant in the past 1.5 years on my 2014 CX-5. Only time will tell if it helps. At least for the last 5 years as long as I own my other car Toyota Corolla the paint work on the plastic bumpers looks like new.
 
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ArmorAll doesn't help since it has little to no UV inhibitors. It just looks greasy (which attracts dirt) and runs with any touch of moisture.

You are better off with something that has real effective UV inhibitors like 303 plastic protectant. My CX-5 is parked outside 24/7 with direct sunlight from 7am-8pm. A year and 9 months, no issues with body plastic molding fading. I apply 303 every month. Unfortunately I forgot to apply 303 on the rear wiper arm and it has begun to fade. Since it is a small part, I can easily PlastiDip it (which I did). 303 goes on all plastic parts, inside and out. Same with my RX-8, which has retained factory black on its plastics for 10 years. Many parts that are known to fade to grey/white are still black.

Other options are BlackFire and Pinnacle protectants. I have used these in the past and they are all similarly good. Admittedly I have two bottles of ArmorAll in my stash. I use that crap for the tires as tire shine and the wheel well and undercarriage plastics for a cleaner black look. No where else would I ever use ArmorAll.
 
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ArmorAll doesn't help since it has little to no UV inhibitors. It just looks greasy (which attracts dirt) and runs with any touch of moisture.

You are better off with something that has real effective UV inhibitors like 303 plastic protectant. My CX-5 is parked outside 24/7 with direct sunlight from 7am-8pm. A year and 9 months, no issues with body plastic molding fading. I apply 303 every month. Unfortunately I forgot to apply 303 on the rear wiper arm and it has begun to fade. Since it is a small part, I can easily PlastiDip it (which I did). 303 goes on all plastic parts, inside and out. Same with my RX-8, which has retained factory black on its plastics for 10 years. Many parts that are known to fade to grey/white are still black.

Other options are BlackFire and Pinnacle protectants. I have used these in the past and they are all similarly good. Admittedly I have two bottles of ArmorAll in my stash. I use that crap for the tires as tire shine and the wheel well and undercarriage plastics for a cleaner black look. No where else would I ever use ArmorAll.

I too use 303 but I notice it runs with the first rainfall after application. Am I applying it wrong somehow? It actually looks pretty terrible after it rains..it has all streaks going down the plastic. Eventually it all washes off. I don't remember this happening when I used armorall.

I do prefer the look of 303 (not greasy)...but like I said, looks horrible after it rains.
 
Apply in light coats and buff with dry MF towel. When I go heavy without buffing, it does run in the rain. It is almost like applying sealant/wax without buffing it. The 303 that runs is excess. 303 shouldn't hinder the complexion of the plastic when applied with thin coverage.
 
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Wipe New is a great product to keep the black plastic trim nice and black and looking new. You can pick it up from Walmart for about $20
 
Apply in light coats and buff with dry MF towel. When I go heavy without buffing, it does run in the rain. It is almost like applying sealant/wax without buffing it. The 303 that runs is excess. 303 shouldn't hinder the complexion of the plastic when applied with thin coverage.

I guess it is possible I was putting too much or not buffing it. I would just give it a squirt onto the plastic and then wipe it to spread it around.

I will try using less and then really buff it in to see if that helps.
 
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