There is a product available to reblacken plastic bits like that which I used on the plastic trim of my old 85 Jetta and 94 Golf back in the mid 90's in Louisiana for the same reasons. It worked pretty well - its a cleaner and then a re-colorizing agent... I think it was "Forever Black" ( http://www.amazon.com/Forever-Black-.../dp/B000FOIJXQ )

 

I just saw this Black Wow stuff - seems to have good reviews on Amazon.

 

Probably it had been "detailed" right before you bought it. Mine happened likewise. I use a Meguairs product on it and it blackens up nicely. The problem with all the detailing/UV-protectants I've tried (including 303) is when it rains the stuff bleeds onto the nearby paint or glass.

My frunk-release catch is also fading to pink. I has to be from the sun, because the part closest to the gap is faded and the part shaded isn't. Dealership service advisor said it isn't covered under CPO because it's a cosmetic issue. Then again when the tether on my gas cap broke they denied CPO coverage on that too. I thought the current CPO covered everything the original warranty does

BTW my rear-deck carpet (sand beige) and the top edge of the carpet on the back of the rear seats is faded almost to white too. One day I'll have to take it to the local trim restorer to have it re-dyed. Same time will have all the peeling soft-touch paint in the interior touched-up. Along with the outside edge of the driver's seat which has worn through the color along the piping. 30K miles/ '05 BTW.

The trim on modern Porsches is really poor. Porsche should be very embarrassed. But I suppose they're in business to sell new ones to guys rich enough to buy one every couple years no matter how much they depreciate. The days of "built like a tank" are over.

 

A bit overstated, IMHO.

Except for bare metals UV will kill anything.

In terms of protecting your car's paint and bits and pieces? In the world of polymers acrylics are the last to go in UV. That's why I'd use Klasse products if I parked outside in AZ or similar. Klasse products are acrylic-based.

 

Except for bare metals UV will kill anything.

+1

 

Really, have you compared the interior of a 997 or 996 with one from a 993 or 964? A 20-25 yr old Porsche interior will typically look no worse for wear than a 5-10 yr old. And there's more to it than UV. I won't delve into the chemistry of it because from your comment I suspect you don't have the background to fully understand it. However "soft touch" paint deteriorates even if not exposed to UV. It is, to put it as simplistically as possible, chemically unstable. Most German cars of the last decade have used it, unfortunately. As to the leather wear, it too is unrelated to UV. Modern Porsche leather, especially the "supple" variety my car is unfortunate to contain, is finished with a very thin superficial dye and glaze.

Additionally, there are treatments which can be applied at the factory to carpets and interior fabrics which resist UV. And finally, FYI even un-tinted pane glass attenuates almost 90% of both UVa and UVb...and Porsche glass is safety glass with additional tinting. It allows an insignificant amount of UV to pass.

 

Please go into the Chemistry! Being that I have spent 30 yrs in the manufacturing world design everything from F16's to Cosmetic enclosures... I would like to hear your evaluation of the chemical make up of even "UV resistant" materials.

 

I painted my cowl (and wiper arms and fender vents) with black plastic paint. I think it looks good. I went with glossy - you may want flat to match the factory look.

repels water like crazy now. It's a lot cheaper than buying new plastic.

My red latch lever is faded whitish now too. Drives me nuts. I sanded it a bit and that helped, I haven't fixed this part yet...I bet if you started with low grit and then moved to high grit/wet sanding - you may get it to look brand new again. Lots of plastic to work with and the fading seems to be on the surface.

Also Black Wow is supposed to do the trick, I found a post several months back that showed the interior handle of an old Nissan - originally blue now that powdery white. Couple of drops and let it absorb. Repeated one time and it looked new. Amazing...but expensive.
http://www.autogeek.net/black-wow-trim-restorer.html

 

Me too.

 

Perhaps. But your Porsche dismay seems based on the assumption Porsche seeks out the cheapest possible materials to be used in their parts' fabrication.

I think it's more likely Porsche specs materials of the same quality as other premium car manufacturers. The formulas of those materials have changed over time to meet other requirements. It would follow that no premium car's interior lasts as long as it used to. So? Got any objective data on Porsche vs. MB vs. BMW vs. ?

Leather: AFAIK 'painted' or pigmented leather is common on premium cars; it can be found as a high quality material. Dyed stuff doesn't wear very well.

No big deal. Just talking.

 

Quick note. You sure there's no SILICONE in that stuff. Silicone is bad. Just asking.

 

I have not used it. But from what I have seen and read it is the best option out there. The inventor's name is Richard and operates his own website.

Here is the post that shows how powerful it is. Also commentary by the inventor that goes by the handle OctaneGuy. I may buy some since there is so much plastic that I will not be able to remove in order to paint. The other black dressings are temporary at best and can run.

http://www.showcardetailing.com/foru...ead.php?t=1636

 

I wouldn't disagree on either point, but we're talking about Porsches here. If you are asserting that the fact other manufacturers are guilty of the same thing mitigates Porsche's culpability, then I would definitely disagree with that.

The only "requirement" met by those changes is the augmentation of their bottom-line quarter by quarter.

Again, the topic here is Porsche, and other manufacturers' performance is irrelevant. But just for anecdotal evidence, my '03 E-Class with ~70K miles shows virtually no wear to the leather (and yes, I'm positive it's full leather, not MB-Tex vinyl) aside from a few wrinkles in the bolsters. My '05 Porsche with ~30K miles the finish is cracking on the bolsters and the piping along the outside edge of the seat back is worn completely through the finish. The "soft-touch" paint in the MB is definitely softened to the point where the slightest scrape of a fingernail will peel it off...however there are far less surfaces on which that paint is applied than in the Porsche, and those areas in the MB are not areas of major exposure to wear compared to the Porsche (eg, the entire console and the window-switch surrounds).

And for yours and the other gent's edification, the chemistry I was speaking of is the chemistry of the breakdown of the soft-touch paint, not UV resistance. It is a breakdown (decay) in the polymer linking and happens irrespective of UV exposure. It was a case of manufacturers (particularly German, you rarely see it on Japanese cars) relying on extrapolation to assess the long-term durability of a material. These days manufacturers are concerned only that materials stand up for the length of the factory warranty, which itself isn't a lofty goal; however in the case of soft-touch paint it seems often to not even last that long. I wonder how many ashtray covers and headlight/ignition surrounds Porsche has replaced under warranty

 

Maybe you could cover it in leather like others do with their worn keyhole insert region? Just make one for the latch you're talking about.

 

I did not realize that you considered yourself a Polymer Chemist! Maybe you should educate us all with your vast wisdom... Or did you just finish reading
The Effect of UV Light and Weather on Plastics and Elastomers?