Simple DIY rubber restoration

E9Wayne

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I've owned my Coupe since 2007 and the one area I've neglected up until now is the rubber trim on my front and rear bumpers. The rear trim was especially bad with blotching and varying discoloration from the oxidized rubber at the surface. Adding layers of protectants and similar rubber products made the problem less apparent for car shows and judging events, but the underlying problem would always resurface (pun intended) after a good hand car wash.

I came across this Mercedes restoration guy video a few weeks ago and thought I should give it a try.


The results were simply amazing. After two treatments of light sanding with maroon Scotch Brite and Dawn Professional Degreaser, the underlying rubber looked brand new to me and much smoother too. The shot here is after one application of Gummi Pflege and microcloth buffing after some soaking in time. I'll eventually apply a good satin protectant to keep the rubber looking this way but some more research on that first.

Wayne
 

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I actually use 0000 steel wool and WD-40, rub then wipe with a paper towel and all that oxidized stuff comes right off.

I used Gummi Pflege on my E3 rear bumper, went away for a week and came home to find something had gnawed through the car cover and chewed on the nice smelling rubber from my rear bumper. I don't use it anymore!
 
I actually use 0000 steel wool and WD-40, rub then wipe with a paper towel and all that oxidized stuff comes right off.

I used Gummi Pflege on my E3 rear bumper, went away for a week and came home to find something had gnawed through the car cover and chewed on the nice smelling rubber from my rear bumper. I don't use it anymore!
yikes, thanks! I will get to sealing this sooner with something rodents will hopefully not enjoy dining on!
 
I've used the Cerekote trim restoration kit to restore the black color on a couple of my cars and it works well.
 
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