Got me a bottle last night and i have to say the E looks like i just drove it off the lot.

Flash i was using Ice but went back to the black last longer..8)

Got me a bottle last night and i have to say the E looks like i just drove it off the lot.

PICTURES AS PROOF?

PICTURES AS PROOF?

I thought someone might ask:lol:... I will get some after work

Yes, I like the product. It's hard to find around here though. A little runny to work with but it makes my E look pretty. -g

I've used it on all my cars that have had black on them. It does an excellent job and continues to look good for quite some time. Better then any other product out there for that!!!! I've bought it at several places....Walmart, Pepboys, Autozone. Not hard to find around here.

My Wal-mart sells it, bought some this weekend--I really like it--just one more thing to do every weekend when I wash her.:-(

I've used it on all my cars that have had black on them. It does an excellent job and continues to look good for quite some time. Better then any other product out there for that!!!! I've bought it at several places....Walmart, Pepboys, Autozone. Not hard to find around here.

Mmm, never tried a Walmart. Pepboy, Advance Auto, Autozone, Target and others with car care products don't carry it. The College Park Honda carries it so I trek over there to get it :mad:

They all seem to carry some other product with Black in the name. Even when I asked about it in Advance Auto and AutoZone the clerks hadn't heard of Mother's-Back-to-Black. But some were carrying other Mother's products. :confused:

I've been spraying my panels with tire foam...........seems to be working well, not as runny as back to black

I love the tire foam, I use it on my sides steps as well, been thinking about the panels --I'll do a side by side comparison.

I have used MBtB, Turtlewax F21, and Meguire's "Natural Shine" vinyl and rubber protectant. The meguire's is very similar to MBtB, except it comes in a spray bottle. I spray it on lightly except near the painted areas or the glass.For those areas I just spray it on a terry cloth and rub it in. Can't tell the difference in any of them really.Turtle is easier to apply,Meguire's is tied with MBtB for appearance but easier to work with. I queried Turtlewax company about their product F21 being similar to ArmorAll and they did not reply.

F21 is what i use on my panels. makes them look like brand spankin new but the second water hits em... man... it leaves these oil marks that drip down everywhere.

I loved f21 until the e, then i hated it. I have used many. right now i used meguire protectant(man this stuff smells bad) on the door handle,mirror attachment point, wiper sill, bumper trim, and plastic between the rear door and window. the rest I use Ice. the trick is not to dry it after. put it on and leave it on. some how the different plastic material of the fore mention, ice just don't absorb into. the meguire was left over from another trial and error.


also, the meguire works great. it lasted pretty long and held up to rain. What I didn't like was it was very shiney(over shiney) so when it wears off, you can see a huge difference. the ice is shiney enough, and last long also, holds up to rain, but i didn't get botches of shiney, less shiney.

I use Meguiar products exclusively on my Element, as I did on my Mazda. Have all the exterior and interior product that they make, and I'm really satisfied with the quality of it. Have heard good things about ICE on here and come spring I think I'll try that out and see how it does. I use a 4 step method with polish, wax, and a finishing wax, so it's time consuming, but the E shines:Dwhen I'm done!!!!

I know that everyone has their favorite. I have used the Mothers B2B recently and like it. However, I swear by the Meguiars NXT Tech Protectant. Now being marketed for interior plastic finishes, however, I have not seen it in the auto parts stores recently. I may have to purchase a few bottles directly from Meguiars. I use a lot of Meguiars products on my E. Recently tried the Meguiars Ultimate Detailer and this is another good product.

My plastic panels are not black.....more of a gray. Is the BTB okay to use? Does it actually have black colorant in it, or does it just wet the surface like Armor-All?

My plastic panels are not black.....more of a gray. Is the BTB okay to use? Does it actually have black colorant in it, or does it just wet the surface like Armor-All?

You can use it on any color plastic body panels.:cool:

Finally tried the BTB a few days ago. Looked great initially, and now after two rainstorms still does! So far, no spots or streaking. Hope it lasts.

Sorry to report that after a couple of more rain showers I now have the same kind of streaking with BTB that I get with Armor All. Oh well....just another 5 bucks shot to hell.

besides the plastic, if you guys want some godly shine on your car, use turtle wax color shine. seriously, clay bar couldnt do a better job, your E will look more saturated than ever. er redder than ever if you use the red one on your red e.:D dunno about the other colors.

Finally tried the BTB a few days ago. Looked great initially, and now after two rainstorms still does! So far, no spots or streaking. Hope it lasts.

Mind streaked after 1 rainstorm.:sad:

Try 303 Aerospace Protectant. Originally bought it for the plastic windows in my Jeep soft-top, after seeing it used in the Army on everthing from Humvee windows to Chopper pelxiglass. Have used it for years on the black plastic fender and rocker panel trim on my MINI Cooper, and it seems to work better than most anything else I tried.

Once I track down my Kiwi Green AWD LX (hard to find right now), it's what I'll use on it.

http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=428&CFID=8185678&CFTOKEN=84116261

I get mine at Ace Hardware in the Auto care section.

Try 303 Aerospace Protectant. Originally bought it for the plastic windows in my Jeep soft-top, after seeing it used in the Army on everthing from Humvee windows to Chopper pelxiglass. Have used it for years on the black plastic fender and rocker panel trim on my MINI Cooper, and it seems to work better than most anything else I tried.

Once I track down my Kiwi Green AWD LX (hard to find right now), it's what I'll use on it.

http://www.303products.com/tech/index.cfm?fuseaction=product.display&Product_ID=428&CFID=8185678&CFTOKEN=84116261

I get mine at Ace Hardware in the Auto care section.

I'm tired of buying products that get glowing reports on internet forums but come up short in actual use. Are you saying that 303 does NOT streak the plastic panels when rained on?

I'm tired of buying products that get glowing reports on internet forums but come up short in actual use. Are you saying that 303 does NOT streak the plastic panels when rained on?

Yes, at least on my MINI Cooper's black plastic trim. Haven't tried it on as large a surface as the Element panels (and don't know if they are a totally different composition). Maybe someone else on the board has used it on those and can comment??

Just don't apply it when the surface is damp/wet (like just washed), or when water from a wash will drip on it when it is just applied/not dry yet, as that will streak. I usually wash my car, let it completely dry, then do the 303, sometimes even the next day. It is a cleaner as well as a protectant, so will take off minor surface dirt as well. I usually apply it, let it dry, then check for "light" spots that may need another pass. Once I get my Element, (hopefully next week) I'll do a treatment, let it dry, then take a hose to it and report back :D

Thanks. Appreciate the input.

I have used TW Ice on my panels and treated it just like wax.

Apply and buff off. I didnt have any streaking.

For those of you using Tire Foam:

Is this a good idea? Have you noticed any side effects of doing this?

Lets maybe list some Pros and Cons here.

MKH is CORRECT!!!!! 303 is usually only found at RV supply stores and it's the best product in the world for vinyl. It acts as "back to black", as 75SPF vinyl conditioner, and won't ever streak when applied properly. A little portion on a dry rag can be worked into the vinyl, almost enough to do the whole Element! It's a little pricey (13-16 bucks a bottle) but it shines like new even after multiple downpours.

If you complain of streaking with this product it usually means you applied to much or didn't vigorously buff the product into the vinyl. Google 303 for a website if you cannot find it locally.

Sorry to report that after a couple of more rain showers I now have the same kind of streaking with BTB that I get with Armor All. Oh well....just another 5 bucks shot to hell.

Check out "Forever Black" goes on with a liquid shoe polish type applicator
and last a long time. Find it with a Google Search, also try eBay.
I'm sure that you will be happy with the results.

I gave Sunny another quickie wash today, since she is still suffering from house paint measlesitus, and thought I'd do the comparison test for the plastic panels.
On the 1st 1/3 of the rear panel I used the Mothers Back to Black. -Middle, I used Armour All Tire Foam. Back 1/3 was the Ice Polish.
1st pic is before buffing--you can see where the MBB & Ice were shinier than the middle where I used the tire foam.
2nd pic is after buffing, it all looked pretty close.
Now for the run test.....I'll go out tomorrow and run a hose over it.
The rest of the car, I finished with
Right front --Tire Foam
Left front-- Mothers B to B
Left rear & back--Ice Polish
There isn't really a noticable difference walking around the car and looking at all the panels.
I'll give those some time and see the comparison.

Left front--

I picked by MB2B. I like the results so far. Abit runny but seems to work. Now I need some rain. :D

Well I didn't need to hose it down--had a rainstorm last night...figures:mad:
1st pic is of the back fender with all 3 products. It looked good.
Walking around again, I noticed the Ice polish had some streaking--pic of the rear...it is hard too see.
There was streaking all around the bottom panels above the side steps . I'm guessing this is just run off from the top of my E (I'm short and don't wash up there very good, but I'm sure to do better for now on).
Overall I like the Tire Foam and the MBB---Tire foam is easier and cheaper, may stick to that;-)

Looks very nice jojo! I cannot wait till the spring time! Ive already planned long evening with a co-worker. Were gonna spend hours washing and cleaning our cars making them look pretty! :)

I think I should grab one of this. The plastic panels on my E are turning into this
chalky color.

I have another car 07 Mazda3. I used the Meguiar's G-13616 Quick Interior Mist and Wipe Detailer. I used it on the Mazda3's black plastic trim. It works great. I put some on every month just to keep it protected from the sun and debris. However, since the E's plastic panels is too big, the Meguiar's interior detailer didn't help that much. It did made it shinier. Just wondering if anyone tried that before.