Do black fenders color fade with time?

[Vintage]

garage and covered parking makes a huge difference with minimum fading - if left outside during the day in Texas regularly you will have fading over time - that orange energy ball is brutal

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[Gus]

Fading is a function of location, if the Jeep is garaged and care of the vehicle. It's similar to a convertible top. I have a Boxster that I bought new in 2001 and the top is still almost perfect and the rear plastic window is very clear. The reason, the car has always been garaged, never driven in the winter and only has 39K miles on the clock, plus I live in New England. Everything fades in the sun given enough exposure. If your jeep is going to live out-of-doors in AZ or FL your going to need extra protection for the plastic and the paint.

Thanks for your feedback all, I live in Ontario Canada, would the winter salt accelerate the fading of black fenders in that case?

 

[jaldeborgh]

The short answer is yes, but the sun is the bigger contributor to fading. Heat, cold, dirt, salt will all contribute to fading so a regular application of some sort of protectant is a good idea.

 

[warc1]

Thanks for your feedback all, I live in Ontario Canada, would the winter salt accelerate the fading of black fenders in that case?

You live in the Toronto vicinity. You must see dozens of Wranglers every day. Have you noticed significant cosmetic issues with the black flares, because I haven't here in Winnipeg.

Salt has had no effect on my Rubi's plastic and our northern latitude means that we don't get the same UV conditions as the southern states. Therefore, environmental damage to plastic flares just isn't a significant issue. Especially considering that the alternative painted flares are certainly not immune to environmental damage.

Since you're buying a Rubicon, I hope you're planning to go wheeling. If so, the plastic flares are a godsend. They mask scratches from brush and tree branches, which in the fall can be like rubbing against barbed wire. You will get stone chips on rear painted flares since they are directly in line with rocks thrown by the front wheels. I've even accidentally brushed a column in a parkade with the plastic rear flare and it left no visible damage. Had it been painted, the paint would have been gone.

 

[jeppesen.io]

Since you're buying a Rubicon, I hope you're planning to go wheeling. If so, the plastic flares are a godsend.

Yes, yes and yes. Honestly, I'm a bit surprised painted fenders are offered on the Rubi. I'd expect they'd be Sahara only.

 

[Papuga]

I've got a 2000 TJ. The fenders faded to crap after about 10 years or so. All I did was spray them with a few coats of Krylon Fusion black spray paint (meant for plastic). Looked great for years - not 100% brand new, but still great (until my teenager decided he wanted to learn how to wax the Jeep). Now they don't look as great, but still look way better than they did when they were faded.

 

[liquids]

Salt does nothing to the plastic. Ultraviolet (UV) light in sunlight does. If you're going to leave yours out in the sun and you live south of the Mason Dixon line, put some product on it that protects against UV light. You do it for your skin and eyes, why not your plastic?

 

[Spank]

Hi all.
I am tying to make up my mind wether to go with body color JL fenders or Black for my rubicon. ? Any pros or cons? Does the black fender color fade with time ?
I like the rugged look of the black fender, I just don’t want to have them fade from the sun down the road.
Any Feedback is appreciated.

If you're gonna get the painted fenders on a Rubicon, I'd highly recommend getting some kind of protection for the rears. KO2s toss rocks and even on a simple trail run, you can kiss that paint goodbye.

That being said, it's much easier to apply your favorite plastic restorer product to the regular fenders than it will be to touch up or repair missing paint. My JK rear fenders have eaten a lot of rocks and have knicks and marks, but Back to Black still makes them look real good when I detail my Jeep.

 

[Gus]

Thank you all for your feedback much appreciated.
Looks like I will be going with the Black plastic Fender, so I dont have to worry about it being damaged when going off road.

Thanks again

 

[mlong003]

The JL seems to use a different plastic material? No? I wonder how this will hold up over time.

I have a 2016 JKU Sahara. My hood latches have gone first. They look shitty. Door handles and bumpers seem okay-minimal UV damage so far. I wanted black and didn't like the look of faded black plastic against black paint-so I went with the Sahara/painted fenders. I probably wouldn't mind the fade as much with any other contrasting body color though...

 

[domleeds1919]

You can apply a UV protectant spray that goes on clear. I did this when I restored the headlights on my current car after going over them with sand paper to get rid of the haziness on them. Creates a nice barrier and provides a slight shine as well.

 

[Scottroxxx]

Was looking at a jl with unpainted fenders and you can scratch them with your fingernail the plastic is so soft. Unpainted fenders is the one thing I didn’t like about my jk def got thenpainted ones on the jl

 

[jtp]

Well if the plastic fenders will fade over time does that mean the unpainted hard top will also fade or is that made of different material?

 

[FatBoy01]

Well if the plastic fenders will fade over time does that mean the unpainted hard top will also fade or is that made of different material?

Unpainted hard top?

 

[domleeds1919]

another option is to put line-x on them. would look good IMO and hold up well to weather/off-roading.

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