How do you remove Swirls on plastic gauges (in dash)

[ph16]

I feel bad already that this is most likely a duplicate thread but I can't seem to find what I'm looking for on the AG forum. Perhaps my search words are poor.

But, what is recommended for removing swirls from the gauge cluster (which is plastic)? And secondly, what is the recommended cleaning product(s) and technique to keep them clean and not swirl them again?

Thanks for the responses and again I apologize if this is already a thread somewhere.

Paul

[Showroom Shine]

I'm not sure about the swirl removal on the plastic gauge area. But when cleaning I use glass specific rags or new micro fibers. I spray Invisable Glass Cleaner on the rag,and wipe. I was also wondering if you had a small rotating wheel and a product like Megs Plastic X,or some type of headlight restoring product. Could some of the scratches be removed without more damage,or product run!

[ICEMAN]

If PlastX with a 3" pad doesnt work, go out and any buy, or off this forum, the 3M Headlight Lens Restoration System, headlight polishing kit, restore yellow headlights, 3M plastic polish (http://www.autogeek.net/3m-headlight-kit.html). Use the 3000 grit and see if that enough, if it works, then use the polish it comes with, with the 3" orange pad it comes with, and you should be good!! If it needs a lil more agressive paper, use the 800 grit (comes in kit), then 3000, then polish!

The kit comes with 500, 800, and 3000 grit paper, and a 3" Pad with a drill adapter and polish.

the only problem would be getting to the plastic would be a b!tch with the drill, maybe a 90 degree swivel head (small) drill could get there!! i have one of those, i should try it!!

i have polished gauges before with 3000 grit wetsand, but they were out of the car, so that helped!

[ph16]

Thanks guys, I do have the plastic X but haven't used it until I got some recommendations from AG. I'll try this by hand as I don't have a small enough wheel or enough room to get in there with a drill/polisher.

[sullysdetailing]

I would try Plasitc X first by hand. Make sure to really work it into the plastic. Use hard fast strokes. To prevent the swirls from coming back use a soft microfiber rag. For cleaning use DP Plex-All.

[Bunky]

I have used two products by an instrument cluster: Plastx and Mothers Plastic Polish. The Meg's seems to be more aggressive but the Mothers product seems to finish better.

I practiced on a scratched up CD jewel case to get technique down since finish is critical if you have problems with reflections.

[ph16]

I have used two products by an instrument cluster: Plastx and Mothers Plastic Polish. The Meg's seems to be more aggressive but the Mothers product seems to finish better.

I practiced on a scratched up CD jewel case to get technique down since finish is critical if you have problems with reflections.
Good tip, thanks Al.

[Frank787]

I have been using Novus Plastic Polish for years and really like it.

[ScottB]

Novus polishes (3 steps) rock .... Megs does make a similar two step plexiglass system too. I have used both on interior plastic with some success.

[christian900se]

I have been using Menzerna 203ss on the gauge clusters in customer cars for a while now and it is absolutely great. As long as you break it down enough, it fully corrects and leaves a better result than Plastx. When I did it on my car, I used 203 followed by PO87mc which made the plastic look nearly invisible.

[Mike Phillips]

I've read hundreds of posts by people that have tried to remove swirls and scratches from dash gauges and have had difficult times getting a 100% crystal finish.

Part of the problem is most gauge clusters are harder to work on because they're small and in an awkward place to get to and this just physically makes it harder to move your hand in a way to polish the plastic.

Remember, in order to remove a scratch out of anything, you have to abrade the surface and level the upper most portion of the surface with the lowest depth of the defects, (scratches/swirls), you're trying to remove.

If you have an awkward time moving your hand inside a small area of the dash this is going to make abrading and then polishing clear the clear lens of the gauge. I'm typing this because most people have incredibly high expectations of perfection from their handi-work but don't realize how difficult the job might be if the plastic turns out to be hard to polish in the first place.

Lots of modern plastics are not very polishable, not by hand or machine.

The best thing to do is to test in a small area of the gauge before working on the entire face of the gauge. This is hard to do also, so I don't really have any great tips for this. For myself, I removed my dash and replaced the clear plastic portion of my truck's gauges and it was fairly easy to do. When I bought my truck the plastic over the gauges had turned yellow throughout the matrix of the plastic so no amount of polishing was going to fix it.


Test first... (if you can)


:)

[ph16]

Thanks everyone ~ very good advice. I will try a small area first perhaps on the lower portion of the rpm gauge where I don't look too often.

[christian900se]

I think its more of a time commitment than anything else. You will have to use a polish, which needs to be broken down completely in order to achieve the best clarity possible. The small area you are working in limits movement so you simply have to spend more time to break down the polish.

[ndrom]

I have used MG80 with great success on cluster covers, radio faces, and other shiny plastics.

[hdez]

Reviving this thread to see if anyone has a solution for something like this:

http://i.imgur.com/NcY8rRU.jpg

Those scratches only appear on LED lights or sunlight.

I tried this in one small spot, but seems like it didn't remove anything and just haze a little the plastic:
MEGUIARS #17 & #10 Auto Plastic Cleaner & Plastic Polish: Clean and clarify clear plastic automotive surfaces with meguiars plastic care detailing (http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars1017.html)

At first I went gentle with a Buttersoft Suede and then with a MF towel, but no success. Then a pushed a little pressure and was when I got the small haze result.

Then I tried:
Meguiars Plastx Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish - clean & polish all clear plastic panels and convertible top windows. (http://www.autogeek.net/meplclplclpo.html)

But also didn't get results.