Hi everyone, I just bought a new truck, picked it up on Tuesday. That night I realized there was a small scratch in the clear plastic of the instrument cluster. I've attached a pic, it's near the 20 mph reading. I called the dealer who said they would probably replace the cluster but I asked if there was any other alternative and he said he'd get back to me tomorrow.
I'm just not a fan of replacing an otherwise functional cluster on a brand new truck, so if they say that's the only option, is this something I can fix in my own? Maybe with PlastX or something similar? It's not very deep, probably caused by cleaning it. Sorry the picture isn't the best. Thanks in advance.
I had some minor scratches in mine as well. I went with Novus. It worked really good. They have a fine scratch remover and one for deeper scratches and a cleaner.
If it's brand new and absolutely defect free other than one bad scratch-- you'll probably end up making the whole thing worse attempting to correct in place (micro-marring). I do understand the apprehension and possible squeaks that might come with replacement/disassembly of a brand new dash. Tough spot you're in.
My philosophy- if you have a clear plastic panel in bad shape already, you can probably improve it in place with some polishing. But if it's pristine, for the most part, except for a couple little defects, you may be better off living with the defects. Wish I had better news for you. I should also add, I don't always follow my own advice (and usually wish I had).
If it's brand new and absolutely defect free other than one bad scratch-- you'll probably end up making the whole thing worse attempting to correct in place (micro-marring). I do understand the apprehension and possible squeaks that might come with replacement/disassembly of a brand new dash. Tough spot you're in.
My philosophy- if you have a clear plastic panel in bad shape already, you can probably improve it in place with some polishing. But if it's pristine, for the most part, except for a couple little defects, you may be better off living with the defects. Wish I had better news for you. I should also add, I don't always follow my own advice (and usually wish I had).
I respectively disagree. It's a brand new truck (2 days), let the dealer try to correct it to his satisfaction.
It's not the fault of the OP that someone other then he scratched the gauge.
I have polished out etching from my gauge plastic of my 2016 Camaro. Spilled milk etched the plastic. I tried Plastx without much luck. Polished with an orange hand pad and some Meguiar's ScratchX, followed by white pad and Meguiar's Ultimate Polish. It is no longer noticeable.
Just keep in mind how many people get the shaft by the dealership in similar situations... Here we have the dealer who plain and simply said "eh we'll probably just replace it with a new 1 for you"... And OP is against going through all that.
Well since you're against them replacing it for free, you run a good chance of having to live with that same scratch that bothered you enough to post about...
If it was me, I'd say thank you very much and let them replace it with a new 1.
Thanks for the help everyone. I decided to just leave it be. My dad is a mechanic and he warned me about the lack of knowledge of many dealer mechanics today. He said you risk one of them screwing something up upon repair. I'll just pretend it's not there.
As a technician by trade, and being really picky about things you pay good money for, I would have them replace it.
An instrument cluster is generally a very simple thing to replace, and I think any manufacturer is keen on helping fix any squeaks and rattles early on in the warranty period (on the off chance you should end up with any from someone going in there). Also, as others have said that plastic can be tricky to try and fix yourself. Hate to end up with it in worse shape and not be able to get help with it.
What kind of truck is it? I can poke around and see what the repair procedure is to confirm it's not some over complicated repair you have to worry about.
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Originally Posted by Harpolith
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