Wipe New Vinyl and headlight lens treatment

[TopCatGr58]

Hey there Folks,

Okay, just wanted to post my findings and experience with the nifty new product out there called Wipe New. My SUV is a 2004 Xterra, and all of the vinyl bumper and such was quite faded and aged looking! I had tried using ArmorAll, but it would only last a few weeks or so! Then I saw the advert on TV about WipeNew. I waited until it was actually available in the STORE, and picked up a ~$20.00 package at Walmart.

Aside from my vinyl bumpers and trim, the Swmbo's 2003 Hyundai SanteFe's headlight lenses had gotten rather aged also. I had taken my drill and round sanding adapter with some multigrade sheets of sandpaper and had cleaned them up a bit, along with rubbing compound to try to polish them as clear as possible, and then applied Turtle Wax to try to keep them from oxidizing again. However they were starting to fog over already.

SO....The Wipe New kit also comes with a small headlight lens scrubbing/sanding pad that's to remove the old yellow oxidized plastic first, but it also makes the lens quite foggy looking due to the scratches it creates while removing the oxidized plastic. But then I applied the Wipe New and I was amazed at how well it fills in the microscratches and clears the lenses right up. This stuff is supposed to last about 2 years, which will be great if it does. So...I'm posting these photos of my immediate results, and I'll post back in a year and 2 to show how it holds up, but so far it's THUMBS UP!

T.C.

[Tat2demon]

Wow nice results. Curious to see if it lasts.

[MarkD]

Looks like great stuff!

[donebysunday]

Hi T.C. !

So you did 2 cars lights and the outside trim as well, not any interior right ?

How much is left ?

Thanks for sharing ! Done };~)

[Cobia]

Wipe New

I also saw the product advertised on TV and wondered about its effectiveness.
Did it require a lot of elbow grease? I see it was dailight when you started and dusk when you finished...hehehe
Thanks for clarifying that for me. The results a very impressive.
Guess who's going to Wallyworld after work today?
If it lasts even a couple of months I'm happy.

[xsilerating]

Great results, TC. It'll be interesting to see how long the treatment lasts and, equally interesting, to see if it is/will be available up here.

Thanks for the 'show and tell'.


.

[Rasputin]

Great results, TC. It'll be interesting to see how long the treatment lasts and, equally interesting, to see if it is/will be available up here.

Thanks for the 'show and tell'.


.

Googled it and Canadian Tire apparently carries it!

[dpotter58]

I tried similar products but ended up changing the lights out. The first step removes the UV protection and they yellowed back up in less than 6 months.

[natemoen]

I tried similar products but ended up changing the lights out. The first step removes the UV protection and they yellowed back up in less than 6 months.

Some products include a final coating that replaces that UV layer.

[jetmechmarty]

Some products include a final coating that replaces that UV layer.

I don't remember what I used, but that coating was included. I'm sure it's necessary.

[trbig]

LOL.. Looks like each car took you daylight to dark, TC.

[TopCatGr58]

The kit only has a small bottle, I'm not at home right now so I can't quote it exactly, but only like 1-2 ounces. It's got a very pungent aroma when first applied. The elbow grease was in the Cleaning/Washing of the car and the vinyl pieces with a green scrubby dishwashsponge, to degrease and such. The headlight lenses required just a little to gently scrub with the provided scrubber pad with repeated rinsing to remove the oxidation, once that's done, just dry it thoroughly.

Then as the NAME implies....you put several applications of the stuff onto the provided fancy wipe cloths....they say to SOAK them, but I did it more like you would moisten a cloth with a bottle of alcohol....just putting the cloth over the bottle top, and flipping, then moved the cloth a little, repeated, to get a few places moistened with the "stuff", and then just gently wipe it on.

For large areas that are smooth, as well as the headlight lenses, they suggest wiping in 1 direction, and then moving down and repeating like a printer head. This helps the final results to appear smoother. It's like applying PAINT or clear coat with a washcloth! I still have about 1/3 of the bottle left. I may need to repeat the rear step surface, it was quite rough and aged, and they say for badly worn/aged areas a repeat application may be needed.

Yeah, I got home around 5 pm, did the prep on the headlights first, and then started applying it to the Vinyl on the SUV, and then both vehicles headlights, but yes, the sun went down before I came back out after dinner!

And yes, they state that this has a UV protectant in the formulation, that's part of what's supposed to help it last for 2 years. We'll see?

T.C.

[donebysunday]

Thank You !
Will see when needed, can't wait to hear your long term results !

[TopCatGr58]

1+ Year report

Hey folks,

I saw a recent reply/comment on this product in another thread, and so I thought I'd resurrect this one for the comparison photos. Finding this one refreshed my memory on how long ago I had done this, 9/2013 and it's now 11/2014.

The product/treatment still looks acceptable, but moreso on the more vertically positioned surfaces....ie. the fender mudguards, the door trims, mirrors, door handles, bumpers. The top luggage rack, the wiper hood drain, and the back bumper top surface shows some of the aging again, and will require an additional treatment. SO.....IF the vehicle had been garage kept, then I would be more willing to say that the treatment would last the 2 years they say it will, but with constant sun exposure, looks like about 1 year, but that's still quite a bit longer than what I had experienced with the Armor All stuff!!

Here are the recent(today) photos for a compare with the Previous OLD Pretreatment images above.







My Xterra headlights also are still fairly clear as well. The Hyundai's is a bit hazy, but it now belongs to my grandson, so it's his responsibility now.

T.C.

[Gmac]

Still looks very passable in that its held up well.