Black Trim Fading

[Doug183]

I bought my Maverick May 2023, and it only has 9000 miles on it. Its parked mostly outside in Southern California. The black trim with "Lariat" embossed on it both ob the driver and passenger side front fenders has already faded. Also the black trim on the keypad on the driver side door and the black paint on the door posts both door posts are faded. See the pictures. I have never used the keypad, didn't do any special detail work, or upgrades to the car. I think its a manufacturing defect because look at the Keypad, its completely faded but the post around is hardly faded. I took it to one dealer and they refused to repair it under warranty. Anybody see anything like this or know how to get Ford to fix it under warranty?

Sponsored

 

[icegradner]

Interesting, over 1 1/2 years in an no sign of any fading of the plastic.

How do you wash your truck? Car wash? You might want to use a good quality car wash with wax or coatings to protect it.

 

[Exranger]

Try some back to black or armor all.

 

[AzureBlueBill]

Has it been run thru a car wash a lot? Looks like some very harsh chemicals were used to clean it. I think you may have luck with any number of protectants to bring back the original look. But it's hard to say. I like Turtle Wax Hybrid Solutions Ceramic Spray Coating.

Probably not defective parts. What are the odds that all those dissimilar parts/materials are defective? And there are swirl marks, somehow mechaically generated, on the passenger door frame. I think those areas are decals.

 

[MavDan]

Chemicals for sure. APC or something else pulling the oils out of the plastic. Someone did it. I wouldn't think that is normal.

 

[Ren E Gade]

Looks like high ph chemical damage... possibly a wax/ sealant residue, but really appears to be to harsh of chemicals.

 

[OleFordGuy]

Yep i would agree. That looks like someone or some facility like a car wash has caused that. Not defective parts IMO

 

[greenlight]

Looks like a bad wax job... I can see wax or something in between the lariat logo and the body of the truck...

 

[MightyMaverick]

It's definitely not normal wear. Like most others mentioned, it's possibly a result of harsh chemical damage from a car wash. It's funny because I do run mine through a car wash every so often and have had no issues with faded plastic. I will say that the tailgate railing and rear bumper are showing their age and I'm having to use the Garage Bulls trim restorer that I've featured on another thread of mine. Other than that, the rest of the trim is holding up very well after almost two years. The side skirts, front bumper, window trim, front quarter badge, roof moldings, and bed-side railings all look fairly new still.

 

[MavDan]

 

[MaveRunner2024]

Interested to hear if you do go through a car wash regularly. And the people who don't go through car washes, how do you wash it during the cold winter months? Or in nice weather for that matter?

I unfortunately just received mine in late November and live in the midwest. Already falling into the convenience trap that is Crew Carwash. But I'd rather that then have salt from the snow/streets sitting on my car.

 

[BILLNOROVILLE]

My 2 cents. take it or leave it. it's cheap.

I'm 75, my last truck before my 22 Mav I got used and kept it 12 years. 2002 silver Ford SportsTrac. It was never garaged and parked on the street. 110 degree summers up here. Can't blame the sun.


About once a month it went through a do it yourself spay wash where I then dried it by hand. The black trim/tires got amoral about every 2 months, truck waxed about twice a year. Original paint when I sold it and like always, I get top dollar because I learned at 16 if you put time into keeping your vehicle clean it lasts longer, always looks nice and gets top dollar when I move one.

Now after 2 years with my 22 Mav Hybrid, it looks new but has already been waxed twice and live in a garage when I don't drive it.

This OP vehicle could use some elbow grease, wax and black treatment on a regular basis in my estimation or just keep up like now and watch it get worse. It's just a work truck is all anybody will think.

It's Not Ford's fault.

 

[Bob The Builder]

Cerakote to the rescue. Do it now!! I did all my plastic first week I owned my truck and it is stored in a garage and lives in a state that takes 3 months to get as much sunshine as you guys in SoCal get in one day.

That is not black paint on the door posts but vinyl tape like most every car made today. Some here have removed that tape. It is painted underneath and I gotta say these trucks look good with that tape removed. A more traditional truck look IMHO.

 

[notfast]

Anybody see anything like this or know how to get Ford to fix it under warranty?

Former professional auto detailer here. That to me looks like polish or wax residue or high-PH cleaning products. You can even see what appears to be dual-action polisher marks on the B-pillar. If that's the case, it's not a warranty repair but a job for a detailer (or yourself if you're willing).

If you called me, I'd probably start by trying some Optimum Power Clean on a 3" wool pad on a DA polisher. I'm sure you could get similar results (albeit with more time and/or elbow grease) using something like the Meguiar's DA Power System or just going at it by hand with a microfiber towel. Bottom line is, you want to remove the residue before putting something on top, otherwise the results will be lackluster.

Cerakote is a great product but you need to take the time to apply it properly and give it the time to properly cure. Cerakote is more akin to applying a very thin layer of epoxy resin than it is applying any sort of traditional detailing product.

The material doesn't self-level pretty much at all. That is, if you have streaks or high-and-low spots when you're applying it, that's how it will look when it's cured. I found a good technique is to start with broad strokes with one wipe. Don't worry too much about getting all the nooks and crannies right away; the working time is at least 30 minutes and was still tacky after 60 minutes. Once the first wipe is almost dry, start using a second one but keep the first one. The first one is great for leveling those high and low spots without adding more material. Treat it like paint; you want to mask off any parts you don't want the material on.

I use Cerakote on my personal vehicles with excellent results that last for months and for dozens of gas station car washes.

I learned at 16 if you put time into keeping your vehicle clean it lasts longer, always looks nice and gets top dollar when I move one.

You must have better luck than me. I used to keep my vehicles showroom clean, but come to realize that I don't get a whole lot more at resale for all that time and effort, and the only person I was stressing out was myself. I might get the "Excellent" condition price, but that is maybe 20% more money. Now 20% is nothing to scoff at, but it's an extra $800 on an otherwise $4,000 car. Was that $800 worth all the time and effort? Only you can decide for yourself.

Now what I do for myself and recommend to others is to wash the car once a week, wax it once a month, and clay bar it twice a year. Doing that will keep your car looking better than 90% of the cars on the road. Don't believe me? Then I suggest perusing your local CarMax and seeing the condition of typical late-model used cars.

No need for polishing because waxing will fill in the scratches and swirls; when they reappear is when you know you went too long between wax jobs. Don't even need fancy products either. The Meguiar's cleaner wax in the maroon bottle with some applicator pads from Harbor Freight is more than enough. Kick it up a notch and you can get the Meguiar's DA Power System or the Harbor Freight DA polisher when it goes on sale for $50.

As for trim, if you go with the "once a week" wash method, I'd just use a simple spray-and-walk-away product like Stoner's Trim Shine (get the aerosol can; the spray bottle doesn't spray nearly as fine of a mist). There are longer-lasting products, but it only has to last a week, maybe a month at most. Or you can use Cerakote and be good for half a year or more.

As for car washes, I prefer my local gas station's car wash. It's definitely NOT a zero-touch. In fact, it shakes the crap out of the truck. But to heck with it; it's a truck and not a Maserati. A couple scratches and swirls are A-OK, and at $7 for the ultimate-everything wash with machine dry, it hardly makes it worth it to break out the pressure washer and two buckets and spend an hour washing and drying the truck in the driveway.

In fact, when it comes time to wax, I just hit up that $7 car wash then drive home, give it a spray with some Optimum No Rinse diluted 4:1, and wax the truck.

Sponsored