I have an 04 F150. The plastic mirrors and rear bumper cover look fine, but the bed caps are faded BAD! Any way to reverse mother nature? I just detailed my truck this weekend. Looked AMAZING. Best job I've ever done on it, but the faded bed rails are killing me.

If nothing will fix them, I guess I'm gonna have to replace them.. I certainly cant live with em.

Anybody know a fix for the fade?

thanks

 

There is a product called "303", i would try that on the rails. may help restore the color at least temporarily.

 

Some have had good luck with a product called 'Back to Black' but, I haven't. For me (after using it probably a half-dozen times on different vehicles), it always runs in the rain and causes a much bigger mess than it solves.

Your best bet is new rails. You still in warranty? It might be worth a try.

RP

 

I had the same problem with my 04, the bed caps actually faded and had a green tint.

 

Same problem here. The back to black stuff has never worked for me either.

 

When I tried Back to Black on 6 month old rails just to keep them looking good, it actually turned they gray after about a week. The stuff dried in th ewrinkle finish and turned white. I helped them tremendously by going to a self service car wash and going up and down the rails holding the wand very close. It forced the dried stuff out.

 

I think I have the same problem with that, but mine aren't really faded, they have a residue on them which gave them the appearance to looked kind of faded. I'm sure Meguiars #39 w/ this honeycomb bug sponge I have will do. Then #38 to dress them

 

I had the same problem and I try a ton of products to try and fix it :
Meguiars’ Natural Shine Vinyl & Rubber Protectant
Meguiars’ #40 Vinyl & Rubber Cleaner / Conditioner
Meguiars’ Quik Mist & Wiper Detail
303 Aerospace Protectant
Mothers Back to Black
Black Magic

All with very limited or no lasting results

Do yourself a favor, if it bothers you enough, go buy new ones. I did and they look great. This type of "normal" wear is not covered by your warranty as I found out, I just consider it the price of driving a very good looking truck

Sorry I could not be more help at least I can tell you which products did not work for me

 

Mine look kinda haggard too. The Georgia sun and humidity aren't being nice to 'em. I'll consider replacing them when I can see the paint under the rail covers.

 

Take 'em off, clean them really well, and use about 2 cans of the Krylon Fusion spray paint (with even and light coats). After the proper drying time between coats and in the end, use a couple of cans of clear coat. This produces amazing results, but I would do this to all of the plastic trim, since some will be amazingly beautiful and some will be Ford Gray. Search the forums, as there was a guy who did this to his valance, and he had tremendous results.

 

It's time to trade when it's fade......