Corvette Glass Top Scratches

[swanicyouth]

Lexan is just one company's trade name for polycarbonate. You're correct in your thinking.

Lexan=polycarbonate

Well, Mike says Lexan is hard and very hard to polish. This is the type of plastic I was thinking it was:





Whatever material that is, it's easy to polish. If Lexan is very "hard", maybe CeriGlass with rayon glass pads would work well??

[FUNX650]

Hey Ken,

I have people contact me about removing scratches out of Lexan all the time and now more than ever because I do boat detailing and work in the boat detailing world and a lot of boats have Lexan windows.

Here's the deal and this is just my own experience and in my life I've buffed out TONS of plastic.

I've never been able to remove scratches out of Lexan and leave a factory new, factory clear results.


To add to this...


The EXPECTATIONS most people have when trying to remove scratches, swirls or scuffs out of any plastic window and including Lexan is after the process they EXPECT the window to look FLAWLESS. Like brand new. Like nothing has ever happened to it.

That's nice.


I've never seen it done before, at least on the true Lexan plastic I've worked on.


The reason why it's difficult if not impossible to remove defects 100% and leave a clear window that looks like nothing ever happened is because Lexan is very hard, not soft.

Plexiglass is soft. Plexiglass is EASY to buff out. Lexan is hard.


I'd also say most people don't know how to tell the difference between Lexan, Plexiglas, Polycarbonate or Acrylic plastic windows.

So if someone were to chime in and say they can buff out "LEXAN" , I guess I would want to see this documented so we can all know it wasn't some other plastic but was in fact Lexan.

I have taken scratched up Lexan and buffed it and improved it but never to the point of restoring the type of results that people expect, that is so that it looks like nothing ever happened to it.


It's easy to have high expectations. It's hard to buff out Lexan.


For every Corvette owner that will ever read this into the future... be careful with your Lexan transparent tops.

Thus my reasoning for the earlier posting of the below...
especially to be aware of the tinted UV coating on many Corvette "removable panel tops":

Re: "Glass Top" Scratches

My 2007 has a removable Tinted Lexan Roof Panel.
Is yours actually glass...or also Lexan?

If it's like mine:
It does have a special ($$) protective UV-coating.

-When you try to polish out the scratch(es), you're likely to remove some of the tinted coat:
resulting in having even more obvious defect(s).

-Refinishing usually involves sanding the coating off the entire top; polishing the Lexan;
and then having the top re-cleared/re-tinted.
That's the only way I've ever seen them successfully repaired.



Bob

If Lexan is very "hard", maybe CeriGlass with rayon glass pads would work well??

Using CeriGlass and rayon pads may start removing the tinted UV coating on these types of panels.
Then you're stuck with doing the refinishing method listed above.

Just something to keep in mind.

[Mike Phillips]

I've buffed out a lot of wind deflector in my life, some I've been able to perfect others just get very good.

I'm going to guess there are different types of "lexan" or polycarbonate plastics.

I would also guess that it's possible for any windows used for a car, that this type of Lexan or plastic could be different, possibly even coated than the plastic/lexan used for a wind deflector or boat window.

I have buffed a ton of plastic in my life, one such adventure led me to being hired to buff out the scratches in a half round or half bubble sky light on the roof of a 2-story Victorian era home in Portland, Oregon and I'm probably the worst candidate to climb a ladder that high and then crawl across a steep roof and machine buff out a 2" diameter sky light window.

I've also buffed out helicopter windows for KOMO News 4 in Seattle, Washington and as well as for a logging company that used helicopters in their operation.

Original side wing windows on original A.C. Cobras. Tons of watch faces, plastic on the dashes of 1960's and 1970's instruments, you now after someone takes a rag and wipes it in a circle to clean the dust of the Tach or Speedometer gauges on a 1969 Chevelle. Motorcycle windshields, flexible back windows in sports cars and Jeep tops, Van side windows, etc.


Being eternally hopeful, I hope someone can chime in on this thread that has more experience than I've had with working on Lexan windows and knows which products will in fact remove 100% of all defects to restore Lexan just like we can all restore clear coats paints.


Here's to hoping...

[tuscarora dave]

Well, Mike says Lexan is hard and very hard to polish. This is the type of plastic I was thinking it was:

Here's some interesting reading on acrylic vs. polycarbonate, I think one of the two are often times mistaken for the other.

How Are Polycarbonate & Acrylic Different | The Plastic People : : Blog

[swanicyouth]

^ Easy way to tell the difference - light it on fire.

[Mike Phillips]

Here's some interesting reading on acrylic vs. polycarbonate, I think one of the two are often times mistaken for the other.

How Are Polycarbonate & Acrylic Different | The Plastic People : : Blog

Lots of interesting information...

Like this not that I would say this is the final word...

Polishing
The edges of acrylic can be polished smooth if necessary; polycarbonate cannot be polished.

One thing for sure, for anyone reading this that is going to do any type of polishing on any type of plastic... start by doing a test spot.

Make sure you can fix and make one small area look GREAT before sanding, compounding or polishing the entire component.

[FUNX650]

Here's some interesting reading on acrylic vs. polycarbonate, I think the two are often times mistaken for the other.

How Are Polycarbonate & Acrylic Different | The Plastic People : : Blog

Thanks for the post Dave.


-That's just a few examples of the reasons the engineers over at Chevrolet/Corvette
chose the polycarbonate features of Lexan for the removable tops.

-They also chose to coat the majority of them with a high dollar tinted UV-coating because of the cabin area now being exposed to a higher % of:
square feet "under glass"; which would introduce, (if not so protected), more radiation, in the forms of heat, UV-a/b rays.

-Also more square feet of "glassy area", if not UV-coating protected, would force the HVAC unit to work harder on occasions.


I sure wouldn't want to start a polishing-process and see that UV-coating starting to be removed.
That's just my personal feelings.


-Just a couple more of my thoughts about Lexan...
Lexan on the OP's (as well as others, of course) C6 Corvettes in particular.




Bob

[tuscarora dave]

^ Easy way to tell the difference - light it on fire.

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XchwE9zVdnw]Beavis and Butthead - FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! - YouTube[/video]

[swanicyouth]

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XchwE9zVdnw]Beavis and Butthead - FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! FIRE! - YouTube[/video]

So funny. I was thinking of B&B this morning. I was sitting here listening to some music on my computer, when some of my GF's music came on after the album ended (on same computer). I was thinking "what is this, this SUCKS". All I could think of was B&B watching MTV when like Sinead O'conner or someone would come on and them saying: "this sucks more than anything has ever sucked before".

http://youtu.be/jyF-VleZXJQ

[KenVette57]

Re: "Glass Top" Scratches

My 2007 has a removable Tinted Lexan Roof Panel.
Is yours actually glass...or also Lexan?

If it's like mine:
It does have a special ($$) protective UV-coating.

-When you try to polish out the scratch(es), you're likely to remove some of the tinted coat:
resulting in having even more obvious defect(s).

-Refinishing usually involves sanding the coating off the entire top; polishing the Lexan;
and then having the top re-cleared/re-tinted.
That's the only way I've ever seen them successfully repaired.

If you insist on polishing it...
-Use a plastic polish like Novus; and a very soft microfiber towel.
-Stay away from harsh abrasives!


However:
If it's really an honest to goodness glass-panel...
Then disregard this post of mine.



Bob

Hey Bob, Yep, That puppy is Lexon and coated..... I've checked out a thread on Corvette Forum that goes thru the steps to bring it back to perfect. But, I'm not too confident about taking on the process, pretty intimidating. Like you said, it calls for sanding down to the Lexon and then shooting clear coat. The top isn't a really bad and the scratches are limited to small area on the driver side. It bugs me BIG TIME and was probably done when I cleaned the windshield. I'm going to try some Plexus and hope it hides them a little.

Thanks for your help. I hope Plexus helps.....