hey i have noticed this for a while now and i still am unsure of how to clean my tach and speedo. Whenever the car the speedo and tach are revealed by sunlight there are swirl mark scratches all over them!! of course, this isnt that much of a problem because most of the time the instrument clusters and speedo are in the shade while driving... however, they have become really irritating when the ocassional sun does shine on the tach/speedo and it is totally and completely scratched!! how should i clean this to prevent future scratches?? anyway to remove or lessen the degree of visibility on the current scratches?? i used windex and a rag, seemed to worsen the situation....

what do u guys think?

anyone else experienced this problem??

 

There is a very cool product used to "wipe out" and polish scratches from plastic sunglasses and prescription glasses. I have seen it many times on TV infomercials, but didn't write down the name...perhaps someone knows what I am talking about.


If this product works as advertaised, it may buff out the scratches you have on the speedo and tach lenses


Do a Google.com search and see if you can come up with it.

 

Wow! I found it..here it is:

http://www.scratchpolish.com/plastic_restoration.htm


Good luck and let us know if it really works

 

sweet, ill see if i want to order it!

 

nacarcare.com sells plastic polish from Plexus on Meguiars

Link

 

Get thee to a auto parts store and buy a tube of Meguire's Scratch-X.

Worked for me!

 

sweet, i definately will do that!! so in the future how should i clean these areas?? and with the maguire's stuff or w/e its called, do i just rub it on w/ a rag??

 

>>sweet, i definately will do that!! so in the future how should i clean these areas?? and with the maguire's stuff or w/e its called, do i just rub it on w/ a rag??


I am not so sure if you will want to use Scratch-X product in your plastic lenses...although this product is supposed to be non-abbrasive or very mild (It is intended for fine scratches and swirl marks in painted sheetmetal surfaces) I would proceed cautiously and test on a small area of the lenses first.


To me the other product is not really that expensive and seems better suited for plastic surfaces than Scratch-X, but hey its your car and it is up to you.


For future don't use Windex and paper towels. Paper towels scratch because they are made of recycled fiber materials...suffice to say I don't even use them on my windows.


Get a small microfiber cloth specially made to clean sunglasses/ and plastic prescription glasses lenses. You can pick up one at any Optical store. To clean I also recommend using solution to clean plastic prescription glasses also available at chain optical stores.

If you are really picky about this, then be also picky about your cleaning materials...it's worth it!

 

scratchx does work. I need to do my side mirrors too as the porter at
the dealer put swirls on my mirror. un believable! :smile:

 

I had some scratches in my tach window and logo lens in the middle of the steering wheel. I wiped on some Scratch-X, let it set, then wiped it of. No need to rub really hard or grind it in - just let it set. It fills in the scratch so it's invisible.

 

I just bought some other stuff from eastwoodcompany.com, you might want to check what they offer.

 

Get a can of "Dust Off" from a photography shop. Always blast the surface with a coup[le of puffs of canned air BEFORE you wipe with any cloth... no matter how soft the cloth is, if you have sand, grit, dirt, hairs, whatever, between the cloth and soft plastic it will scratch. PUFF PUFF, then lightly wipe with the cloth designed for plastic...

 

hi! ScratchX is intended to be used on painted surfaces, instead i'd suggest using another Meguiar's stuff called PlastX Clear Plastic Cleaner & Polish i've used it and it is fantastic!

 

LEXOL cleaner and protector works good for me for maintainance.
And I use very soft "VIVA" or "VIVA Job Squad" towels. Most towels are like sandpaper.

Regards,
Red