The door handles seems to fade to a unsightly gray colour on the W124. I believe I read somewhere that they are made with some sort of fiberglass resin. What product or technique can I use to refresh them? Most vinyl treatment products that I've used have done nothing other than shine them up for a couple of days.

__________________
1989 300CE

Remove, respray, replace.

Very seldom can one mask and spray without some overspray hitting something unintended.

I use peanut butter.Rub in well,then clean excess off.Veggie oil works too.

__________________
1999 w140, quit voting to old, and to old to fight, a god damned veteran

I just came across a combination that worked surprisingly well.

I was wiping some overspray off one of the handles with POR-15's solvent and it kind of melted away the surface crust. I wiped it smooth and let it dry and then wiped it with 303 and let it sit for a few minutes before I buffed it with a microfiber cloth.

This worked amazing on the black part of the drip rail along the roof line and on the side trim/mouldings too.

I only did it a few days ago, but I've never seen the handles and black trim as black as it is now and I've tried a bunch of stuff.

Up until now I always used Back to Black.

__________________
Chad
2006 Nissan Pathfinder LE
1998 Acura 3.0 CL
OBK#44
"Pleasure in the job puts perfection in the work." - Aristotle (384-322 B.C.)

SOLD
1985 300TD - Red Dragon
1986 300SDL - Coda
1991 - 300TE
1995 - E320
1985 300CD - Gladys

They're glass-filled nylon. The nylon is degrading and exposing the glass fibers beneath. Paint will solve it, so will buying a fresh set from the junkyard, especially a '90-up set with the stainless strip.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

I bought a Back-to-Black kit from Bondo for $20. It comes with a bottle of the chemical and a foam pad with a handle. I put two coats and it lasts about 4 to 5 months in the ATL weather, my car is parked outside.

__________________
2006 BMW M5 "Heidi" @ 109,000 miles
2005 MBZ C55 AMG "Lorelai" @ 165,000 miles
1991 MBZ 300E "Benzachino II" @ 165,000 miles
1990 MBZ 500SL "Shoshanna" @ 118,000 miles

(On the hunt for a good used M103 engine as of 6/10/23, PM me if you have one to sell!)

For thermal set plastic like what's used on the bumpers a heat gun works good:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Q-dtbBzky-s

-Jason

__________________
1991 350SDL. 230,000 miles (new motor @ 150,000). Blown head gasket

Tesla Model 3. 205,000 miles. Been to 48 states!
Past: A fleet of VW TDIs.... including a V10,a Dieselgate Passat, and 2 ECOdiesels.
2014 Cadillac ELR
2013 Fiat 500E.

Those Jetta parts are PPO, not PA.

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff

It's called Forever Black. It comes with a cleaner and reconditioner...works great...less than $20, and it'll work on all kinds of other things as well.....try it

Swissvax Seal Feed is another great choice. It will give the faded surface a much richer and even look without leaving behind any greasy residue. The added benefit of using Seal Feed is that it can be used on all the exterior black rubber and plastic trim.

__________________
colour forecasting

+1 you need brand new door handles if you want door handles that look like brand new. It's not a question of renewing the surfaces. The surfaces are gone. Professionally paint with a tough semigloss black w/ clear topcoat or get new ones. Nothing else will work. Even handles from a junkyard will be degraded.

__________________
'02 BMW 325i
'85 300D 450k
'93 190E 2.6 170k(killed by tree)
'08 Ducati Hypermotard 1100S 6k
'06 Ducati S2R800 14k(sold)

I'm going to try and find a nice used set then. I can't imagine they are cheap if I had to buy new ones from the dealer. How hard are they to remove and replace?

__________________
1989 300CE

Very easy in the rear, fronts take a key to remove unless you have the door panel out and latch loose

__________________

Gone to the dark side

- Jeff