[Shortgamer]

For lack of a better term on explaining this. I've had the car maybe a month and didn't notice so much at first because of the rain and going to work in the dark and coming home in the dark but yesterday it warmed up so I got my first hand wash in. (when you really get to know your car. Lol) So anyway all the rubber and plastic just seem dried out with a white coating. Even the wipers and bottom of the windshield seem to almost have hard water marks on them. The car came from California originally, I know it's dry out there but never really heard of that being a problem on a car. Anyway, how do I restore this? Hate to try lime-away but didn't know if that would work? I figured there was something available that wasn't so abrasive, plus that's not practical on the grill and such.

[JDTX]

I wonder if it spent a lot of time at the beach? For all the rubber and black plastic, what tends to work really well is Gummi Pflege, I get it from Amazon.

[John in VA]

Originally Posted by JDTX

I wonder if it spent a lot of time at the beach? For all the rubber and black plastic, what tends to work really well is Gummi Pflege, I get it from Amazon.

Looks like it could be sun &/or hard water (sprinkler) damage. While Gummipflege is great to keep seals supple & protected, this may be a job for a trim restore product, like 303/TriNova Plastic & Trim Restorer or Forever Black Bumper & Trim Dye Kit. Some owners ($ Consumer reports) have had good results with the as-seen-on-TV Wipe New, but I've not tried it.

https://www.autogeek.net/303-trim-restorer.html
https://www.autogeek.net/forblacbumtr.html
https://www.consumerreports.org/cro/...ners/index.htm

[eleven11]

Hard water, salt, and some sun.

Good recommendations have been given. I'd also recommended deep cleaning what you can before applying the products mentioned.

[Billfitz]

Originally Posted by John in VA

this may be a job for a trim restore product, like ...TriNova Plastic & Trim Restorer

I use this stuff everywhere, including the entire interior. It makes everything plastic look like new, and it stays that way for months.

[Shortgamer]

Thx guys, I ended up picking up some 303 product that really helped on the rubber window trim and lower grill but still need to find something for the hard water residue. I'll keep searching for that.

[John in VA]

The paint would benefit from a clay bar treatment or paint cleaner to remove surface contaminants & reduce water-spotting, followed by a polish & sealant or wax protectant. Here's a link to some paint cleaners. I've used the P21S and Sonax cleaners.
https://www.autogeek.net/prewaxpolishes.html