Simulated Woodgrain Panels On Harley Trike

M

Mikeman

New member
I'll be detailing a Harley trike in a few days. The biggest problem I'm going to have is the dozen or so plastic woodgrain pieces all over the thing. Almost all of them are faded and cloudy. They appear to have a "clearcoat" on them. This is what is faded out. Can I safely polish these pieces with a heavy swirl remover? Can I treat the coating like paint? I'm sure they are too far gone for Plexus or AIO. Thanks!!



Mikeman out.
 
Be VERY careful with those plastic pieces. I don't remember his name, but there was a member that posted a while back saying that he attempted polishing some interior pieces like that and ended up with more problems than when he started.



Using a heavy swirl remover will probably just creat more scratches. I'd look for a plastic specific polish like Novus or something along those lines, and then finish up with Plexus.
 
LightngSVT said:
Ive used the Novus plastic polishes and have had great results from them. Definitly the way to go.
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Yeah, I used to own an indoor tanning salon and we used Novus on all of the acrylics. This stuff was worth it's weight in gold. Each acrylic costs anywhere from $100 - $300, and there are two on each bed, one of which always gets scratched up from jewelry and such.
 
I just did a little reading on Novus polish. The #2 and #3 are not recommended for coated plastics. I really think these simulated woodgrain pieces are coated/sealed with something. It would make sense because they are exterior trim. BTW, they are not scratched. They are cloudy and dull from exposure to the elements, just like plastic headlight covers often get. The BIG difference between these panels and headlight covers is this "clearcoat" on the simulated wood. I'm not sure I can clean it up without removing it completely.



Mikeman out.
 
JDookie said:
Be VERY careful with those plastic pieces. I don't remember his name, but there was a member that posted a while back saying that he attempted polishing some interior pieces like that and ended up with more problems than when he started.



Using a heavy swirl remover will probably just creat more scratches. I'd look for a plastic specific polish like Novus or something along those lines, and then finish up with Plexus.
Click to expand...





That is exactly why I am hesistant about tackling my faux wood pieces that are sratched badly. The sad part is I didn't cause the damage in the first place. Bad dealer prep is to blame. I have plastx but not sure if I want to try that for fear or runining it more.
 
You should be ok with PlastX, its pretty mild. I use it on instrument cluster faces all the time, and I've never seen it do anything harsh. It seems to buff to a perfect finish almost every time, which leads me to believe that the abrasives in it, dimishing or not, are VERY mild. Based on how soft plastic is (I took 2000 grit sanding marks out perfectly with PO85RD on a plastic mirror, a polish which will not touch them on paint, unless you are aggressive with a rotary), PlastX seems pretty much incapable of causing damage.



I have caused problems polishing plastic before, but that was because I used Turtle Wax Rubbing Compound (in my younger days, I was a boy of questionable judgement).
 
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