I've got a 04 Screw.... The Black Trim that goes across the tops of the doors where the side windows are located at... are looking pretty rough.. everytime I wipe them off after I wash the truck, they smear, and leave black residue on the towel.... After completely drying them I take another rag, and spray silicone on it and wipe them down.... they look great for a few hours... but it soaks up the silicone pretty quick and they kind of look bad after that......I Was just wondering if there's a fix for this.. anything better I can try other than Silicone.... any other techniques to try.... THanks!

 

You can try Adam's VRT.

There are actually tons of products for rubber and vinyl care.

 

Have had the same problem. Try Meguier's NXT Protectant. Pretty good for this sort of thing.

 

My hunch is that the straight silicone is probably causing more 'black' (that being rubber) to rub off on your towel. Straight silicone isn't really that good of a protectant and, according to some, will accelerate the deterioration of some rubber and vinyl based products.

Sure, just about every 'protectant' on the market contains some silicones (unless you're using Silicone-Free products and work in a body shop where they simply can not be present because of paint adhesion) but, those products also contain stabilizers and, typically, sunscreens and such that make the product more beneficial than detrimental.

My suggestion -- cull using straight silicone spray. Move to a good protectant spray like Vinylex, Meguiar's #40, or Adam's VRT.