GTI plastic side skirts wear too quickly

[marvr]

With just a few weeks of salted and sanded roads here I find that the black plastic side skirts are already showing noticeable wear. It looks kind "ragged" and rough looking underneath. At first I thought it was dirt but it doesn't wash off.

Maybe I need to get splash guards but I'm not sure if like the looks of them. People with painted side skirts how do you find paint holding up?

 

[slickvic]

Try using "Back to black" or one of those other products for keeping unpainted plastic black. Did you just go through a touchless car wash? The skirting is tougher than you think and it does wash off with a little manual labor.

 

[my07blkgti]

Try using "Back to black" or one of those other products for keeping unpainted plastic black. Did you just go through a touchless car wash? The skirting is tougher than you think and it does wash off with a little manual labor.

that is a great product the "back to black" thing

 

[RoccoRed]

that is a great product the "back to black" thing

amen

 

[bennylenny88]

go for it! black to back = the sex

 

[Slipstream]

It's true. I spent a few hours peeling the used tape off the ones I bought, and I accidentally let the skirts touch the ground while I was working on it. Light contact with the concrete caused noticeable scratching.

 

[heftylefty]

crap i better check my sideskirts and rear bumper out then...weve had 2 horrible snow storms and there is a shitload of salt and sand on the road because of it...maybe this could be an excuse to get some new clothes for my car

 

[marvr]

Try using "Back to black" or one of those other products for keeping unpainted plastic black. Did you just go through a touchless car wash? The skirting is tougher than you think and it does wash off with a little manual labor.

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to try it out. I'm still thinking about getting splash guards to minimize the wear.

 

[marvr]

I just tried doing a more thorough cleaning and can confirm it is definitely wear on the lower skirt. Where skirt lines up with the grooves on the tires it sort of "masks" off any wear so it's looks like a black (clean) stripe between the grey wear.

I tried the "Back to Black" and it didn't really make it look any better. Anyways it's on the lower portion of the skirt so it's usually too low to be noticed. If VW used a more a rubber like material it probably would be more durable than the vinyl (or whatever plastic) they are using now.

 

[oatmeals]

Could you post some pics of the wear?

 

[mouch]

Dammit!
With Montreal's winters and crappy debris-ridden roads, mine will probably be disgusting by the end of winter. Going to check it out after the car-wash today.

 

[ddriver3487]

Thanks for the tip. I'll have to try it out. I'm still thinking about getting splash guards to minimize the wear.

Splash guards do work. My rabbit has the textured skirts and dirt sticks like crazy to them. I got front and rear splashguards and they help keep dirt and debree off. Almost a 80% diffrence in the amount of dirt on the car now.

 

[marvr]

Splash guards do work. My rabbit has the textured skirts and dirt sticks like crazy to them. I got front and rear splashguards and they help keep dirt and debree off. Almost a 80% diffrence in the amount of dirt on the car now.

Yes I ended up getting the splash guards. Like you said it definitely reduces the dirt build up.

 

[ddriver3487]

did you install your self?, those things took me a good 3 to 4 hrs. the front end was crazy hard for some reason.

 

[marvr]

did you install your self?, those things took me a good 3 to 4 hrs. the front end was crazy hard for some reason.

I got the dealer to install them.

Did your front splash guards come with the clamps that clip on the bottom rear of the splash guards? Also did your rear splash guards come with the nut and bolt for the bottom of the guard? Mine didn't have these parts that are shown in the instructions. I just wondering if the installer forgot to use these parts or the kit just doesn't come with them.