OE Fender Restoration

Eugene the Jeep

Eugene the Jeep

New member
So I have tried all the usual fender products from tire foam to back to black and wipe new. The tire foams and back to black worked well for a while but recently they weren't working well on the white streaks on the fenders. I did try wipe new as well which did work well on the black parts of the fender but turned the white streaks to gray. I did try a couple of coats of the wipe new and it still didn't work.
I found on an other forum that KIWI black leather dye on the fenders. I already had some in the garage so I tried it and it worked really well. My fenders and back to black and look like new.


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Got it from Walmart for about $4.00


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Fender before leather dye


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Front fender half dye

If you do try to use the dye on your fender I found that its best to work the dye in parallel to the body of the jeep in straight lines and keep the applicator wet. The applicator has a tendency to leave a little bit of foam on the fender as you are applying the dye. make sure that you use the applicator to remove the foam from the fender before it dry's. If you apply to much dye you can use a cotton towel or old t shirt to remove the excess dye before it dry's, it will leave streaks if you put to much dye on the fenders.

I applied two or three coats on each fender until the coverage looked right.

I'm hoping that the dye will last longer then the other products that I have been using. It definitely made difference on my fenders.

I will post more pic's in a month and see what they look like.
 
Just use Aerospace 303. My fear with the dye is that if it rained it would just run down the body and leave staining on paint or wheels.
 
TrainWreck618 said:
Seems like a lot of work I don't want to.. I wonder how this compares to using a heat gun
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It only took about a hour and half to do all four fenders with two or three coats on each, the dye goes on really quick. I don't know about the heat gun, I watch a video on youtube and I didn't want to take a chance and damage the fenders.

swampdog said:
Just use Aerospace 303. My fear with the dye is that if it rained it would just run down the body and leave staining on paint or wheels.
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I use 303 on the inside plastics and it works great, it does come off after a heavy rain. I've had the dye on the fenders for about two weeks and we've had a couple of rain showers and I've washed it once and there hasn't been any dye come of when I washed it or that I could see after the rain.

justin mazzon said:
I've used 303 a couple of times. After it rains it's kaput. Called jeep dealers and jeep HQ they don't even offer a product?:crazyeyes:

Has anyone tried spray paint?
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I looked at the spray on products but then you have to mask of the areas you don't want to have painted and there are more expensive. If you dye on the paint you can take it off with a damp cloth after it dries.
 
Eugene the Jeep said:
It only took about a hour and half to do all four fenders with two or three coats on each, the dye goes on really quick. I don't know about the heat gun, I watch a video on youtube and I didn't want to take a chance and damage the fenders.



I use 303 on the inside plastics and it works great, it does come off after a heavy rain. I've had the dye on the fenders for about two weeks and we've had a couple of rain showers and I've washed it once and there hasn't been any dye come of when I washed it or that I could see after the rain.



I looked at the spray on products but then you have to mask of the areas you don't want to have painted and there are more expensive. If you dye on the paint you can take it off with a damp cloth after it dries.
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Best and longest solution is to reglaze with heat. I don't use a heat gun, I actually use MAPP gas torch. Sounds crazy but just pass it back and forth over the fender and watch them look new again. Keep it moving so no real heat builds up. Don't even need to remove them from the jeep. Your moving it fast enough that the paint and metal will barely be warm. I picked up some severely cooked bushwackers off craigslist for $150 now they look brand new outside the scratches I've added. 5 minute total job for all 4 fenders.
 
I repainted mine with rustoleum trim and bumper paint. It's finicky to spray without runs or weird gobs but it's been a year and looking good still. I will probably true a semi gloss krylon plastic next
 
I also use 303 protectant. It leaves a clean look finish and has UV blockers that protect fenders, trims, and rubbers from fading quickly.
 
I also use 303 on the soft top, makes it look like new. Agreed about once a month application, but not a difficult one. I'm going to try the Carworx Refinish Restorer on the bumpers of my 08.
 
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