making hazed plastic clear again (for an instrument cluster)

[Shifty]

wonder what would happen if you tried toothpaste on the rear taillight assemblies... anyone given that a go?

As long as the damage is only superficial (light scratches or marks) then toothpaste will work a treat. I used to work for a company building touch screens, and our back room operations involved all sorts of high-tech gadgetry like the Colgate trick!

It's a similar idea to a super-fine cut & polish.

[brett_celicacoupe]

wonder what would happen if you tried toothpaste on the rear taillight assemblies... anyone given that a go?

yeh works okay if the outside only is hazed. if the entire thickness of plastic is UV affected then you got no hope, the outer layer might be clear but inner layers will still make it look hazed

[Alchemist]

Andrew, PlastX works on any plastics, it fixed my headlights so I reckon it would work well on taillights....

[Kirsty2520]

Try Gumpson and a very fine steel wool.
Thats how I clean all Rods lights
Seems to work ok.

[deviant]

I used a fine polishing paste on some 30+ year old plastic tail-light covers which were in good condition but hazed and they came up looking like new, toothpaste just seemed to be a bit too fine for the cutting action required. Something in new condition might come up well with it though?

Toothpaste is also good for removing the watermarks on glass.

So toothpaste would be ok to use over my entire windscreen and side windows? Is there any preferred brand...stripy..baking soda?

[YLD-16L]

So toothpaste would be ok to use over my entire windscreen and side windows?

I did all the windows on my old wagon, did the sides and windscreen with toothpaste (just the good old fashioned colgate cheap stuff) and had to do the rear window with a light cutting compound as it was worse than the others and the toothpaste was taking too long to polish it.

[turmite]

Dude, I had the same prob with my dash. I went to bearfast and got some spray on crap they sell for saftey glasses and plastic lens... it aint cheap $12 for a tiny can but it did the job. I think ill probably have to do it every so often (like armour all) but cheaper and eaier than pulling the dash on an RA60, Hope this helps.

[STR8 2.8]

you can buy stuff in a tube for tail lights,
they sell it at just jap, prolly do the same for clusters i reckon
http://www.justjap.com/parts_naccessories.htm

[EldarO]

if you need to polish plastic, probably your best bet is to buy a plastic polish, as alchemist keeps suggesting.

its only logical isnt it?

Eldar.O.

[ENKI]

HAHAHAHA the best and i mean the best stuff is metal polish i used this purple looking stuff on my one headlight which you could hardly see out of at night and it came up brand new.

Nick

[brett_celicacoupe]

HAHAHAHA the best and i mean the best stuff is metal polish i used this purple looking stuff on my one headlight which you could hardly see out of at night and it came up brand new.

Nick

metal polish is too coarse, tried it already.

i solved the issue with toothpaste, a much more finer cutting compound

[Andrew162]

ok kiddies, experiment time! let's see if there really is proof in this pudding...


the toothpaste used...


left side before


left side after


right side before


right side after

in the indicators is where the big difference is, the dull surface taken out and looking at the indicators themselves you can see individual reflectors in the lens now.


right side indicator before


right side indicator after.

I hadn't washed my car for over a month, so I first gave it a wash then tried the toothpaste trick on the tails. before the taillights (especially the indicators) felt really scratchy and worn, but after the toothpaste it's looking and feeling smooth again. I won't go so far as to say "like new", because it's far off it, but this is just as a general comparo of how toothpaste cuts into surfaces like this and brings out a better finish. use an old terry towel to apply and flip it over to remove.

so, with these results (stop/parking lights weren't too bad, but the rear and front indicators were looking and feeling like shite), I'm guessing that a similar toothpaste or cutting compound will do a great job with clear plastic.

[ENKI]

Fair enough metal polish worked on my headlights a treat but for $1 id easly go the toothpast

Nick