Exterior trim turning white / fading on Terramar MY25 – need advice

[Marck]

Hi everyone,

I’m having an issue with the exterior plastic trims on my Terramar mild‑hybrid (March 2025).
It started with white spots and fading on the trim near the windshield, but now I can see the same problem on all exterior plastic profiles, which are ligher than black, not just the front one.

The dealership inspected the car and told me they “don’t know what to do” about the stains.
Their only suggestion was to replace the trims at my expense, even though the car is still under warranty.
I’ve never used aggressive products, never used car wash rollers, and I always wash the car by hand with neutral shampoo.
So I’m sure this is not caused by bad maintenance.

To me it looks like a combination of: early oxidation, poor-quality rubber/plastic, or a missing/weak UV protective coating from factory.

I’ve seen similar issues on other VAG models from recent years, but this seems worse.
Before replacing anything, I’d like to ask the community:

What do you recommend?
Has anyone successfully restored these trims with a specific cleaner or plastic restorer?
Or should I push Cupra for a warranty replacement?

Any advice or experience would be really appreciated.

Thanks

 

[Bahnstormer_vRS]

Can't make out which part of the car you're showing in your second photo. :-k :-k

However, from your first photo of the windscreen surround, it looks more like a reaction to something that has been splashed on, than any form of inherent degradation.

You mention it's a wider problem with VAG cars. Have you any examples / information on this?


Guy

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[Marck]

on the secondo photo, this is the exact position, but it is the same on all other profiles

I have seen the same on a Audi Q3 2025 and the new Tiguan 2026, both my co workers at office, looking around on other forums, I have seen other similar posts for this behavior and NO it is nothing splashed on, believe me, it is a reaction to something that I did not
thanks for your help and suggestions

 

[Bahnstormer_vRS]

In the second photo it looks like the marks are also on the high gloss, painted(?), trim, or am I seeing it wrong.

If two work colleagues have the same issues, do you park your cars in the same open air car park? Maybe there's something in the air or rain? :-k :-k

Just trying to eliminate possible causes.


Guy

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[Marck]

oh well... that's dust, I'm asking suggestions on cleaning and solution, not investigating on the root cause, though...
thanks anyway...

 

[Bahnstormer_vRS]

Okay.

Simoniz, Back to Black

Autoglym, Black dye

KIWI Parade Gloss, Black shoe polish (seriously)


Guy




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[Marck]

oh, cool, the first one is for tyres but second one, can also protect, would be a good idea, thanks

shoe polish ? LOL I could bring the car to the cobbler

 

[Bahnstormer_vRS]

. . .but tyres are rubber too.

Shoe Polish? Yes, it can be used. Trust me, I know chaps who used it.

Guy

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[alanjs]

Unfortunately that looks like limescale water droplets that you get if you don't dry the car off after washing, which can be a right pain to remove.
I've used Aerospace 303 Protectant on all the black trim on my previous Golfs and it works really well to keep the trim black. It's available from Amazon and many of the Car Detailing web sites (CleanYourCar, PolishedBliss etc.).

 

[SRGTD]

@Marck - if you do push for replacement trim pieces under warranty, don’t be surprised if Cupra reject your warranty claim on the basis they consider the spots to have been caused by an ‘external influence’ rather than the trim pieces being defective.

Using an appropriate rubber and plastic trim dressing product should help to improve the appearance of the trim pieces but IMHO is unlikely to be a permanent cure. It will therefore be necessary to reapply whatever dressing product(s) you use on a regular basis.

As a matter of interest, do you use a pressure washer when cleaning your car? I’ve seen pictures on other forums in the past of similar spot marks on car window trims that have been caused by ‘over enthusiastic use’ of a pressure washer, especially on rubber trims if the pressure washer lance is held too close - and / or at the wrong angle - to area being pressure washed.

 

[Rob66]

I thought the same as Bahnstormer initially if it effects colleagues cars maybe its something where you work but I think it's would clean the surface with a mild APC solution, perhaps Bilt Hamber Surfex at 20:1 in the first instant, some of the ones you buy off the shelf like Meguires are way to strong neat (don't ask). If this removes the marks protect with something like Gtechniq C4 or the improved Autoglym Trim and Bumper. If not and you need a product with dye try Solution Finish. The other option which you could do first is visit a local car Detailer and see what they suggest.

Good luck with it.

 

[Marck]

Hey guys, this afternoon I washed the two windshield trims using cold water and a neutral‑pH car shampoo.
The white stains disappeared after the wash as expected, but the car is still inside the garage and I’m pretty sure that once it goes back under direct sunlight the stains will come back.

I took photos under two different light sources: neon garage lighting and a portable LED light

With both lights you can clearly see that the plastic reacts and shows a much lighter, faded tone, even though the stains are gone.
At the moment I haven’t applied any product, so what you see is the plastic completely “bare”.

I also checked the other exterior trims: they don’t have stains, but under neon + LED they show the same fading, which means the issue is not limited to the windshield area.

To me it looks like the plastic has no UV protection at all or it is already gone, or the material quality is simply not great.

Just to clarify: I’ve always washed the car by hand, never used high‑pressure washing, never used rollers, only sponge + water + proper neutral‑pH shampoo.

So this fading is definitely not caused by bad maintenance.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

I’ll keep an eye on the trims over the next few days under direct sunlight, with these high temperatures it’s a real stress test.
Honestly, even if I accept the fading, I’m 99% sure the stains will come back, and at that point I’ll have to apply something because they really look bad.

I don’t want to bash the brand, but lately the material quality seems to be declining.

thanks!!