Cleaning the plastic covering the instrument panel

[Zorren]

I don't want to scratch the plastic so what is best? I want thinking diluted simple green and a spray bottle.

[Whelan]

Are you talking about the clear plastc over the gauges or the plastic bezel around them?Either way, DO NOT Simple Green. Simple Green is a degreaser cleaner made for wheel wells, inside of dirty alloys, engine bays, etc. If your clear plastic covering is slightly hazed or dull, get this stuff. It is a good general cleaner for clear plastics such as radio displays, gauge coverings, heads and tails, inbetween details that is. The air force uses this on their canopies You can find it online or at a marine/boating store. If you have heavier scratching on the clear plastic with more haze, go for Meguiar's PlastX plastic polish. Best stuff to use by far. Get a foam applicator pad and really work it in the area, may be easier to pop them out and do it too. For the interior plastic as in the dash itself and bezel, even the faux chrome, get one of two things. For a mid range shiny cleaner that does a good job inbetween get some Meguiar's Shine (first pic). For something that may be a bit more faded or that needs a deep clean get Meguiar's #40 Professional Vinyl/Plastic cleaner polish.On a side note, always use microfiber towels with these products, do not use paper towels or terry/cotton. They will leave lint, towel dust, and the paper towel coul scratch up your clear plastics more.

[GMJAP]

Quote, originally posted by Zorren »I don't want to scratch the plastic so what is best? I want thinking diluted simple green and a spray bottle. Do not use anything that is paper based to clean with. This includes nearly all "wipes" products. Best is a microfiber cloth with no water or sprays of any kind. Next is a very mild spray with a soft 100% cotton cloth.

[Mase]

eyeglass cleaning kit with microfiber cloth. that cover is very easy to scratch even with a terry cloth.

[Vibr8tr]

I know I will get yelled at, but the wife's lancer had a BUNCH of scratches and a haze over hers, so I used some regulat car wax, and now it's clear as a bell. Just wiped off the dust with a cloth, then put on some wax, let dry and buffed.... am I wrong Whelan?

[Whelan]

Quote, originally posted by Vibr8tr »I know I will get yelled at, but the wife's lancer had a BUNCH of scratches and a haze over hers, so I used some regulat car wax, and now it's clear as a bell. Just wiped off the dust with a cloth, then put on some wax, let dry and buffed.... am I wrong Whelan?Are you worried about me yelling at you? LOLDepending on the type of wax you use and the severity of the scratches, regular wax will make a difference. Typicall cleaner waxes have that effect. Wax is not a bad idea if its what you have and it works. But depending on the angling of the covers (not an issue in the trix/vibe you can get some serious glaring and refraction of light with wax. The wax puts a coating onto the lens and makes it highly reflective. The cleaners mentioned such as Plexus and PlastX, clean and remove scratches and swirls and little lines w/o polishing or waxing.Like I said, waxing is fine if your gauges are fairly deep set, but glare can become an issue. Sounds like you found a good way, so keep doin it.

[Vibr8tr]

LOL, not worried about being yelled at... you are just our resident car care guy, and normally have the best ways. I just know that's what I use, and in the right light there are still some very small swirl scratches... but in a whole it looks worlds better than before. As for the vibe, I haven't done it on there yet cause it's not bad.

[Whelan]

Resident Car Care Guy, I like the sound of that. Kinda like Mayor Goldy Wilson, (removed).

[nygiantzz1]

Whelan, Thanks for recommending PlastX, it works great. See before/after shots below: Before-After-

[kevera]

Wow,that's a huge difference.Mine is starting to look like your 1st pic.Glad to see those great results.

[02csnow]

.............I think I am about to head to the auto parts store. Gotta get me some of that stuff.

[nygiantzz1]

It worked great on the headlights too, but they weren't too scratched, just some embedded bug guts and road dirt.