Just curious what to use to prevent drying/fading/cracking.

I tried 303 Aerospace Protectant, as it was recommended at another site. It is GREAT if you bike (or whatever) is garage kept, and you just keep it there & just admire it. But if not so much, it is not so great.

If your vehicle is left outside overnight, dew causes streaks in the finish, whereby where the dew ran off, are dull streaks, as it washes away the protectant. Plus, the protectant make your vehicle a magnet for particulates; both in the air when parked, and road particulates. So what good is the protectant??? Seems like the cure is worse than the disease.

Update: Now that we had a good rain last night, the bike looks great with all the UGLY streaks from previous morning dew gone.

The real question is: Is there any actual protectant left actually still protecting the plastic? or is it ALL completely washed/rinsed away?

The add'l question is: is it a catch-22, in that if your machine is garaged kept, the protectant will stay on, but you don't need it, as it is kept out of the elements, but if kept out in the elements, you need protectant, but it will wash/rinse right off with rain or even just morning dew?

I never leave my bike outside nor do I ride in the rain so this might work for me

KC61 wrote: ↑

Sun May 12, 2019 7:35 am

I never leave my bike outside nor do I ride in the rain so this might work for me

But one still has the problem of the stuff being a magnet for dirt/dust/particulates.

I’ve heard from a buddy that SC1 works good!

iGene_Jr wrote: ↑

Fri May 17, 2019 4:14 am

I’ve heard from a buddy that SC1 works good!

But does rain rinse it right off? If not, can you be more specific?

Aufgeblssen47 wrote: ↑

Fri May 17, 2019 4:54 am

iGene_Jr wrote: ↑

Fri May 17, 2019 4:14 am

I’ve heard from a buddy that SC1 works good!

But does rain rinse it right off? If not, can you be more specific?

It is water resistant! https://www.maximausa.com/product/sc1/

I use Turtle Wax Black. It comes in a three stage kit: cleaner, spray detailer, carnuba wax. I haven't used the carnuba wax portion yet but the cleaner ( which is really a mild rubbing compound, I think ) and then an application of the spray detailer really worked well. I had some bad heel scuffs on the rear fender and it really did a number on them. Also, I can't see any difference in the appearance of the fender compared to untreated areas. I'm sure it will work great on water spots and scratches too.

Rydernow wrote: ↑

Fri Oct 11, 2019 7:47 pm

I use Turtle Wax Black. It comes in a three stage kit: cleaner, spray detailer, carnuba wax. I haven't used the carnuba wax portion yet but the cleaner ( which is really a mild rubbing compound, I think ) and then an application of the spray detailer really worked well. I had some bad heel scuffs on the rear fender and it really did a number on them. Also, I can't see any difference in the appearance of the fender compared to untreated areas. I'm sure it will work great on water spots and scratches too.

But does it rinse right of with water like the 303 does? Even worse, with light amount of water, 303 partially rinses off, and leaves behind horrible streaks.