As most of you will know, corsa's are known for the arches,bumpers etc fading. There are many different ways to sort this out, heat guns, spraying them, back to black however i have recently found something that is readily available, dirt cheap and lasts for months and months...
Materials needed:
500ml bottle of boiled linseed oil - B&Q - £5 or less and is enough to do more corsa's than you could shake a stick at.
Pair of latex gloves - Marigolds will do, or just be careful
Small sponge cut in half
Old rag to wipe off any that you get on the paintwork/glass
First of all the arches need to be clean and bone dry, preferably wiped down with a decent tar and glue remover to ensure they are completely stripped. You also need to take into consideration that the linseed oil takes time to cure..1 hour and its touch dry, 4 hours to completely cure..So if you are going to do this outdoors its best to check the weather first, ideally this is best done in the garage or somewhere undercover and sheltered from the wind (as it will blow dust/leaves/whatever onto the fresh linseed oil and it will stick to it!)
Taking that you have cleaned all the bits you want to restore (this works on EVERYTHING plastic on the exterior of the car) put your gloves on and apply a tiny amount to the sponge and carefully work it into the plastic trim on the desired area of your car until you have a dark glossy finish, dry to get a even coating and avoid runs in the linseed oil as if left they will dry like that when it cures. Once you have done everything you want to on the car go round the car once more and go over any areas that require a little bit more if the plastic trim has absorbed more than you have put on. I find if you really take your time it is possible to do everything without getting it on the bodywork or windows in roughly half an hour..dependant on how badly faded your trim is. Once done the rest is just waiting for it to cure, after an hour you can add another coat if required or you want an extra glossy finish, if not it will be completely dry in four hours and be wash/rain/weatherproof and look as good as new and if done properly will last for at least 6 months.
Materials needed:
500ml bottle of boiled linseed oil - B&Q - £5 or less and is enough to do more corsa's than you could shake a stick at.
Pair of latex gloves - Marigolds will do, or just be careful
Small sponge cut in half
Old rag to wipe off any that you get on the paintwork/glass
First of all the arches need to be clean and bone dry, preferably wiped down with a decent tar and glue remover to ensure they are completely stripped. You also need to take into consideration that the linseed oil takes time to cure..1 hour and its touch dry, 4 hours to completely cure..So if you are going to do this outdoors its best to check the weather first, ideally this is best done in the garage or somewhere undercover and sheltered from the wind (as it will blow dust/leaves/whatever onto the fresh linseed oil and it will stick to it!)
Taking that you have cleaned all the bits you want to restore (this works on EVERYTHING plastic on the exterior of the car) put your gloves on and apply a tiny amount to the sponge and carefully work it into the plastic trim on the desired area of your car until you have a dark glossy finish, dry to get a even coating and avoid runs in the linseed oil as if left they will dry like that when it cures. Once you have done everything you want to on the car go round the car once more and go over any areas that require a little bit more if the plastic trim has absorbed more than you have put on. I find if you really take your time it is possible to do everything without getting it on the bodywork or windows in roughly half an hour..dependant on how badly faded your trim is. Once done the rest is just waiting for it to cure, after an hour you can add another coat if required or you want an extra glossy finish, if not it will be completely dry in four hours and be wash/rain/weatherproof and look as good as new and if done properly will last for at least 6 months.
