Cleaning Mud off of plastic trim

[fireroasted]

There are some other threads here on this also, but looking for more input. I am disappointed that such a out doors marketed brand has such poor plastics for cleaning off mud and dirt.

This is only the second real dirt our R1S has seen. Soccer tournament which is always ot these huge facilities that are essentially farms (Del Mar, CA). With all the rain it was a mud bath for two days, and more weekends to come. When I got home I rinsed the whole thing, knowing this stuff is kind of clay based and sticky. The rinse didn't do anything, Then I hand soap washed with some force. Everything came off the body panels with that. I have then clay bar'd and waxed. However the plastics did not clean up.

The plastics seem to be very porous. Now our previous SUV, X5, all of the plastics would wash off with microfiber and soap. Like new, and for me the european plastics are usually total junk, because they are supposed to landfill degrade within 50 years on their own, but on the X5 I could just wash everything off. We know this because we have gone to this same facility for years so I have an actual comparison.

Now I need the safe and appropriate chems to get them clean, and then what to use to protect them for future easier cleaning.

Is Rivian aware of this, and have they had a response to this?

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[Si.LE.R1S]

I do off-reading in Vegas and the gravel and fine dust gets everywhere. It also has a clay consistency when it gets wet. This gunk has been building up for months despite some elbow grease.

I had great results with this:

CERAKOTE® Ceramic Trim Coat Kit -... https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07SHJVK4G?ref=ppx_pop_mob_ap_share

Attached are before and after pics. I used 3 sheets to do the entire plastic trim including the fender flares and rear number fascia. I did take some care not to coat the sensors/cameras.

As a follow up after the application, here are some before and after pics after a snow run (yes in Vegas!). The mud came off completely.

Hope this helps!

 

[fireroasted]

THose before and after are impressive. Thanks for sharing that. I have some detailing background as a hobbyist, so i am familiar with plastics fading. Did you do anything particualr to prep the plastics besides just washing them?

 

[Si.LE.R1S]

THose before and after are impressive. Thanks for sharing that. I have some detailing background as a hobbyist, so i am familiar with plastics fading. Did you do anything particualr to prep the plastics besides just washing them?

Nothing special. Just a wash. I’m new to detailing - I tried the Cerakote after I read about it on some off road forums. still happy after a few (touchless) washes.

 

[elektrode]

Cerakote makes a HUGE difference. It’s kept me from going insane over the plastic.

Mr Clean magic erasers was the only thing I found that worked for cleaning prior to Cerakote application. Now just hand mit or towel with soap does the job and looks great.

I went through a 3 week period with multiple visits to the hand spraying car wash and spent 2-3x the cost of Cerakote trying to grind off dirt with a high pressure wand. Completely futile.

 

[d15b7]

I also applied the Ceracoat plastics treatment to my R1T. I don’t off road it but I do often drive it on dirty muddy roads. It made it MUCH easier to clean (plus makes the trim look like new). I plan on re-applying about once every year (I did mine late fall last year)

 

[Erikbecker]

I had a similar thing happen with my R1S. What worked for me was Meguiar's PlastX. It's a dedicated plastic cleaner, and I've found it effective on various types. After the cleanup, I applied 303 Aerospace Protectant. It's like a shield against mud and dirt buildup. And I’m quite satisfied with these products.

 

[wolfsbane]

can anyone confirm whether the plastic trim lightens over time?

Midnight Rivians look fantastic brand new, on the website, or in the right lighting, but I don't know how good it's going to look when it becomes a black & gray two-tone vehicle

kinda like what happened to all those old Chevy Avalanches back in the day- people would have to put baby oil on the plastic trim before they took the photos to sell them.

(maybe a solid reason to put the matte stealth PPF on my truck when I get it)

 

[fireroasted]

I am not an expert, but a lot of what you see in that pic and plastics is actually UV damage, so if the truck is outside, then PPF is needed. I
f most of the time its in the garage, then it shoudn't get that way. Sun is the killer of all plastics.

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