Please Help with Trim/molding

Hey TW, I need a solution to my nasty looking molding that goes around my windows and doors. As you can see it looks like it is getting Moldy. I have no idea what causes this but I welcome any solution. I've tried the back to black stuff and new shine and it does nothing at all. Please help.

 

If it is mold bleach should work to kill it. Now I have never used bleach to do this, never actually had this problem but have used bleach to remove mold before. You may want to research the effects of that on your vehicle first.

 

I would be very careful of bleach and be absolutely sure none got behind the moulding if you decide to use it. The chlorine in bleach is corrosive and would do a job on the metal behind the moulding.

Perhaps if you saturated a small towel with bleach and squeezed out the excess and gently rubbed the rubber moulding you got remove the growth. I would be sure to flush the entire area with water after the bleach was on for a few minutes to dilute any which may have gotten behind the moulding.

I have cleaned boat upholstery with Bleche Wite to remove mildew and it worked really well. Afterwards I wiped the upholstery with water the dried with a towel. Finally I treated it with vinyl/leather treatment which seemed to prevent the drying/cracking of the upholstery.

Good luck and let us know how you resolve this.

P.S. I would use the same precaution when applying Bleche Wite as with household bleach. It also works great on tires and for brake dust and grime on wheels.

 

Well I don't think it's actually mold I think it's just the finish in the trim deteriorating. Bad use of words but I don't really see how mold could even live on the outside of a truck that's is used daily. But I was thinking about sanding it. Or plasti dipping it although that would be a lot of taping

 

Am I the only one who has had this happen to his molding?

 

Mine is doing it as well. It is not as bad as yours but I do have a few spots. Haven't figured out how to get it off yet.

 

i would start with a good buff and wax

 

no idea if this would work but maybe try taking a magic eraser to it rather than sand it. And then use some 303 Protectant on it each time you wash it. I always use the 303 on all of my trim every time I wash.

 

This sounds like a much safer solution than my idea.

 

I like the magic eraser idea thanks I'll let you guys know how it works

 

This is due to UV damage + rain. I'm guessing you keep your truck outdoors?

It's too late now, but if you keep the truck outdoors, you need to be on top of washing and waxing. There are spray waxes that you can use on literally every surface that won't leave behind a white residue. The idea is that over time you build up a layer of wax on everything that repels UV damage and helps bead water and tree sap off. Anything that shouldn't be on your trim, that stays on the trim, will cause damage.

Your best bet at this point is to live with it or find a donor truck and replace all that trim (and take better care of it).