I just ordered a bottle of plastic polish from Griots to tackle the minor swirl marks on my A and C pillars. Also the front bumper (F56s) and brake duct inserts. Anyone have any experience polishing plastic and if so, can it be waxed after?

 

The rear window on one of the Miatas that I bought was yellowed from age. I went to a motorcycle shop and bought two different Novus products, one a "rubbing" and the other a "polish" that was sold for helmet visors. They worked great. I do know that Mothers Chrome Polish also works well on plastic. I have used it on faded headlights and it worked well.

Pretty sure that most polishing compounds have some type of "grit" to do the cutting. With plastic the question is how deep/thick is the portion that is visible. Normally if you take a plastic trim piece and turn it over the back side is not always as slick looking as the front side. IMO its going to time and I would do a little rubbing and then clean the surface. I am thinking that too much and you may create a spot with a different "sheen" from the surrounding area.

 

I've been using Griot's products for several years. I've never directly polished any plastic so my suggestion is to go to their website and check out the 'how to' section. It's very helpful and if you have further question, their 'Ask a Question' function will get a quick and helpful response.
https://www.griotsgarage.com/categor...rim+plastic.do
Hope that helps. As for waxing, yes, I'd use their Best of Show, either liquid or paste.

 

I'm no detail expert, but I used normal compound and polish on my Pillars when I did mine. Larry from AMMO did a video on this exact topic that you might find helpful.

 

I also use normal paint polishing/finishing products on MINI pillar plastics. I finished mine off with Meguiar's M82 Mirror Glaze Swirl Free Polish this spring and they look awesome. I've done the same on past MINIs too.

--Matt

 

Same here. I haven't had an issue with standard polish giving me a great finish on the A and C pillars.

 

Lots of good techniques/tips from Larry/AMMO without buying high end stuff. I have some griots but mostly Adams polishes stuff. Let us know how you end up.

 

Thanks for all the feedback! You guys are awesome. I ended up spending most of the day yesterday detailing my mini. First I washed it with Meguires Gold class soap. After drying, I clayed the whole car, glass, pillars and paint. I had oxidation occurring on the small triangular pieces of plastic that connect the C pillars with the fairing. After reading the replies on this thread I decided to try Griots 3-in-1 polish/wax. It removed some minor scratches and got my trim nice and shiny again. The oxidation disappeared and it's looking new again. I gave it two coats of wax and couldn't be happier with the results. I still have to put dressing on the black trim. My order of black wow came in the mail today. Here's a picture of the car after I buffed off the first coat of wax, its dark but so shiny!

 

I don't find the plastic polishes to do much of anything but waste money. ..at least by hand.