Bumper Trim/door Handle Painting (before/after/rehash)

[RedTurbo850]

So my bumpers were kind of faded, so I decided to paint them w/ Kiwi Leather Dye. It was $3.49 and I could only manage to find it at the local supermarket.

Before

During

After

On a 10 point scale w/ 10 being the hardest, I'd say it's about a 6-7.

-The prep work (taping) is not needed, since a wet towel can get the Kiwi Dye right off, but it makes the job somewhat easier since you don't need to continually rub off all the residue off your point.

-I'd say prepping the car, and doing the prep was a major PITA since you need to tape right on the edge of the bumper trim.

-Brushing it evenly is pretty hard too. It's hard to get the bumper looking like it came that way. Especially in the sunlight, you can really tell that someone painted over the bumper. Also, some spots for whatever reason don't seem to take to the dye very well and you need a couple coats for it to really stick.

-The Day was really really really really hot, and it sucked lol.

-It's very hard to get at the areas where the body panel meets the trim since the head that comes w/ the Kiwi Dye doesn't fit very well. Right now, I still need to touch those areas up. I tried using a Q-tip, but it didn't work great. You really only notice if you're upclose.

In the end, I would say it's a worthwhile job if you have the time since it's pretty cheap.

I'm kind of 60/40 about the job.

It looks a lot better than the faded bumper, and in the nighttime, it looks perfect, and is a flat black.

However, during the day, it looks somewhat sloppy up close (within 10 feet).

Hope this helps someone in the future, or at least gives them some confidence in doing such a job. Really, the toughest part is getting the dye to look like your bumper came black stock. Maybe someone else can jump in and give some tips.

[Jaxx]

yeah, prep isn't needed. As long as the car is clean and you simply apply it like theres no tomorrow it shouldn't be a problem.

[RedTurbo850]

^You're definetely right about that. I did all the prep before I applied a coat because I was unsure.

But you should've seen the looks I was getting w/ my car all prepped driving down the road. Most ppl didn't know why the hell I had so much tape. Hahahah.

[Owned]

Use your girlfriend's little triangle make-up sponges to get into the creases.

Also, if you don't do it in the sun it will come out less streaky.

[Aequitas_Veritas]

man, I dont know what you used, but thats not at all how mine looked. Mine is black, up front, from 10 feet, and I used kiwi, but there seems to be some confusion on dye/polish. Also, the stuff I used you DEF need to tape off cause it will stain you paint. Heres how mine looked after:

Two years later:

I know ones from the front, ones from the back, but it still looks even and perfect.

[4lifenotjustxmas]

man, I dont know what you used, but thats not at all how mine looked. Mine is black, up front, from 10 feet, and I used kiwi, but there seems to be some confusion on dye/polish. Also, the stuff I used you DEF need to tape off cause it will stain you paint.

What did you use?

RedTurbu850, looks good man! how many coats did you put on? the heat definitely can have an effect on how it turns out, just like spray painting weather is an important factor, but can also be a PITA when it doesnt cooperate.

[RedTurbo850]

man, I dont know what you used, but thats not at all how mine looked. Mine is black, up front, from 10 feet, and I used kiwi, but there seems to be some confusion on dye/polish. Also, the stuff I used you DEF need to tape off cause it will stain you paint. Heres how mine looked after:

So did you use Dye or Polish? Polish is EASY to find. But the Dye is pretty hard. I saw it at the supermarket the first time but it was $3.49 and some guy said his was only $2.49. At Walmart/Target, they both didn't have Leather Dye. In fact, I even checked Macys and they didn't have it.

For the Dye, it would dry on the paint, but once you use a wet rag, it comes right off. If it's wet, a rag will take it right off.

RedTurbu850, looks good man! how many coats did you put on? the heat definitely can have an effect on how it turns out, just like spray painting weather is an important factor, but can also be a PITA when it doesnt cooperate.

Honestly, there wasn't any "coats" because like I said, it wasn't always applying well. Really, all I did was apply the dye until the Bumper came out relatively flat.

If you look at one of the side after pics, the front bumper is a bit lighter because the dye wouldn't apply. I touched up on that a little bit after, and it's better now..

For me, the coats were tough. I just pushed once on the applicator tip, to get the foam tip wet, and I just brushed as far as I could so the bumper would come out more even. But if you look, the side trim came out pretty nice.

I think the biggest problem might've been I did this in the blaring sun. I might touch it up a little bit in the garage when it cools down.

Don't get me wrong, it's not bad and on a 10 pt scale, I'd say it's about a 7-8. Not bad, but could definitely be better.

[Aequitas_Veritas]

So did you use Dye or Polish? Polish is EASY to find. But the Dye is pretty hard. I saw it at the supermarket the first time but it was $3.49 and some guy said his was only $2.49. At Walmart/Target, they both didn't have Leather Dye. In fact, I even checked Macys and they didn't have it.

For the Dye, it would dry on the paint, but once you use a wet rag, it comes right off. If it's wet, a rag will take it right off.

Honestly, there wasn't any "coats" because like I said, it wasn't always applying well. Really, all I did was apply the dye until the Bumper came out relatively flat.

If you look at one of the side after pics, the front bumper is a bit lighter because the dye wouldn't apply. I touched up on that a little bit after, and it's better now..

I think I used the liquid polish, its in a triangle bottle. Looked like this, but in black.

And ive been washing my car for 2 years, and it definitly takes more then a wet rag to wipe it off. I dont scrub my bumpers. but I always wipe them down with a wet rag.

[4lifenotjustxmas]

hmmm what if one were to use dye, and THEN polish? that might be something for me to try, but it seems like the polish worked just fine... so i guess theres really no need to buy both...

[northmiler89]

i used the dye. if you catch it right away it wont hurt the paint. if you leave it, it is a major PIA to get off.

Mine has never faded, but I go over it once every few months when I am bored. ;)

[Gregg]

this is why I like the iPd bumper dye and just removing the door trim...taping around the bumpers and door handles is a good idea though (time consuming, but is a must if using the iPd bumper dye)

[RedTurbo850]

this is why I like the iPd bumper dye and just removing the door trim...taping around the bumpers and door handles is a good idea though (time consuming, but is a must if using the iPd bumper dye)

I actually thought about that...But for the side trim, I was afraid I would break something, and removing front/rear bumpers in general is just kind of a PITA. It's probably more work to tape everything up, but imo, its worth it incase a clip breaks and your trim starts rattling. Matter of fact, I've seen a couple Volvos on the road where one of the side door trims have fallen off...

As people noted, it comes off pretty easily, so taping everything up isn't a huge must, but it sure is nice when you don't have to continuously wipe the car down...

And as an update, this black is really growing on me. Before I was a 6/10, but I'd say now I'm a 8/9 out of 10.. I don't know if it is because of me touching up or because of the sun, but it seems that the blacks become a lot more smooth, and is blending a bit more nicely...

[MrTopher]

I used the polish and then applied Mothers Back to Black as kind of a sealant...keeps water off, acts like a wax, keeps a nice dull shine and protects it from scratching by rubbing up against it. I tried both the dye and the polish,

parts of the dye kept flaking off, even after a couple coats.

the polish seems to be sticking a whole lot better, also it's harder to get off your paint if you mess up