Dash: Polish/Buffing or Clear Coat?

miniola · #1 10-10-2009, 01:13 PM

Hi. I just bought a second hand OEM 3 piece wood dash kit. I noticed that it has some minor scuffing on parts. What would be the best way to deal with this? Should I use some kind of polish/buffing or should I just spray with a layer of clear coat? I have no idea how thick the "wood" finish is so I am a little concerned with accidentally removing some of the pattern if I use the polish/buffing technique. And if I use clear coat and it looks like crap I'm pretty sure I can't remove it without wrecking the whole thing. Anyone done this before?

I've been looking through post after post about how to remove and install. A bit confusing... some think it's really easy... others not so much. This is for R52 (1st Gen Cabrio) 2008.

miniola · #2 10-11-2009, 08:47 AM

Anyone?

Yo'sDad · #3 10-11-2009, 10:35 AM

Perhaps if you post this in the correct section "Detailing 101" you may get a better response. Just a friendly suggestion.

YD

miniola · #4 10-11-2009, 11:18 AM

Sorry. I thought since the dash trim was a "mod" that I put it in the right place. Would clear coat be considered "detailing"?

**OctaneGuy** · #5 10-12-2009, 01:17 AM

Do you have any pictures? Is the wood surface glossy? Do you feel any "wood grain" texture? Where are the scuffs?

I'm thinking if you can see scuffs, the surface is probably glossy. Is the wood grain painted on?

I'm really not familiar with the OEM wood dash.

Richard

miniola · #6 10-12-2009, 08:58 AM

Here are a couple of pics. It's harder to see the scuffs with a camera. The surface is totally shiny... no wood grain at all... I think it's just a painted surface (or some other kind of process).

**OctaneGuy** · #7 10-12-2009, 09:24 AM

Thats pretty neglected dash pieces there. Makes you wonder why the previous owner was touching/rubbing the pieces so much. Personally I'd take a PC to it with a white foam pad and Swirl and see what kind of improvement there is. So yes, I'd polish it a little bit to see if it helped or not.

Richard

miniola · #8 10-12-2009, 09:40 AM

A "PC"? You're talking to a detailing novice here.

Yeah, I'm a little bummed. I asked if there were any scratches on it or anything before I bought it.

Oh well... I got it for a good price (in comparison to new) and I think I can work with it.

**OctaneGuy** · #9 10-12-2009, 09:49 AM

Haha sorry, Porter Cable Dual Action orbital polisher. A local club member should have one. I wouldn't buy one to fix this problem, but I'm sure you can find someone that could loan one to you or help you.

While it's true there aren't any "scratches" in the parts...swirls are microscratches that happen because of poor maintenance, poor quality towels, etc... Most people don't see them, or see them and think they are normal because "all" cars have them. In reality, most cars have them because people use car washes and don't have any idea how to prevent them in the first place.

So these could have been wiped down with paper towels or rough towels or even wiped down without a cleaner/lubricant frequently. Hard to know for sure.

Richard

Quote:

Originally Posted by miniola

A "PC"? You're talking to a detailing novice here.

Yeah, I'm a little bummed. I asked if there were any scratches on it or anything before I bought it.

Oh well... I got it for a good price (in comparison to new) and I think I can work with it.

miniola · #10 10-12-2009, 10:22 AM

Thanks for the info.

Glad I asked about "PC"... I never would have guessed.