[FlashRedSLC]

I took the gauge cluster out of my car to do a little research and I noticed that those anoying smudges on the lense were not a smudges at all.

.
I hypothesize that when the guys at the body shop put that armorall crap on my dash they got some overspray on my gauge lense. It must have been there for over a year now (I'm embarased to say). I tried to remove it with some windex and a soft cloth in an attempt not to scratch the lense.
It looks as if Im going to have to polish this off. I'm very comfortable polishing metals but I've never polished plastics before. Does anyone have any advice. Has this happened to anyone else?


[Modified by FlashRedSLC, 9:02 PM 2-9-2002]

 

[96passatowner]

Re: Polishing Plastic (FlashRedSLC)

I wonder if Klasse All In One would work? Do'nt do it until others reply, but I might give it a shot if it were mine. Meguires (sp.) has some plastic polish that may do the trick. Let us know what you end up with.

 

[FlashRedSLC]

Re: Polishing Plastic (96passatowner)

Thank you for the info. Both of those products are in consideration. I was doing some searching last night an Eastwood has plastic polishing wheels on there website but they were $23. They didn't have any compunds listed either. It seems like a bit of an investment. Has anyone used a polishing wheel for plastic before? Am I going to be left with swirls after?

 

[JosephShaw]

Re: Polishing Plastic (FlashRedSLC)

I would not use a polishing wheel. My first step would be a good microfiber cloth and some Klass AIO.

 

[dubfreek]

Re: Polishing Plastic (FlashRedSLC)

Check out Novus Plastic Polish No. 2 "Fine Scratch Remover"-- removes fine scratches and haziness from plastic, lexan, plexiglass, fiberglass, etc. They also have a Plastic Clean and Shine (No. 1), which is an anti-fog, anti-static, dust repellant cleaner and a " Heavy Scratch Remover" (No. 3), self- explanatory.
I use these for scale modeling, but have also used it on a clear plastic picture frame. All of those tiny scratches, created by using a paper towel to clean it, disappeared. I have been thinking about using the Novus on my instrument cluster as well but will probably wait until I pull it to install my white gauge faces.
You can probably find Novus in a well stocked hobby store. Hope this helps.
P.S. A 2 oz bottle is around $3. Cheap investment.


[Modified by dubfreek, 3:04 AM 2-13-2002]

 

[forrest]

Re: Polishing Plastic (dubfreek)

There are several plastic polishes out there - Mothers has one (part # 06208), Mirror Glaze (#1008), Novus, and Plexus also.
Use a good microfiber - not a t-shirt or any other type of towel. The plastic is soft, so it needs light pressure and numerous repititions instead of heavy pressure and a few strokes.

 

[SlvrGTI]

Re: Polishing Plastic (forrest)

I have used 3M plastic cleaner, and polish on several of my cars. I polished up a set of 15yr old taillights and they looked like new. I have also polished gauge clusters, and many other shiny plastics with the pair. No buffing wheel, just a soft t-shirt. (Didn't know about microfiber at the time)