scratched plexiglas

i washed the car 2 times only and i can see that the plexiglas is scratched a lot , is that normal or am i using a low quality plexi ?
regards
Abdul

 
It's probably not hard-coated. Not much you can do except polish the scratches away - but that is not easy, and very impermanent.
 
You can polish them out easily using a buffer and very fine paste but be warned, you need a brand new mop head, plenty of water and a very light touch!! We get this with our glider canopies, mainly due to dust landing on the canopy and it then being cleaned with a cloth/polish, just rubs the dust/fine grit into the plexi. There are proper plexi polishes that we use Plexus is one that I get over here (there are others), we tend to use water to wash the dust off, no cloth just plain water from a hose, let semi dry then paper cloth the worst off then on with the polish.
 
You can polish them out easily using a buffer and very fine paste but be warned, you need a brand new mop head, plenty of water and a very light touch!! We get this with our glider canopies, mainly due to dust landing on the canopy and it then being cleaned with a cloth/polish, just rubs the dust/fine grit into the plexi. There are proper plexi polishes that we use Plexus is one that I get over here (there are others), we tend to use water to wash the dust off, no cloth just plain water from a hose, let semi dry then paper cloth the worst off then on with the polish.

I have found this to be the best method as well. For plexi, not Lexan.
 

Randy V

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This is what I used to use on my airplane and it worked great.. If it scratches easy, it will polish relatively easy as well. Just be aware that when you are polishing you may change the optics of the plexi if you stay in any one place too long with a buffer.. I used to do mine by hand only.

Novus Plastic Polish Kit - 8oz Bottles
 
The trade off for crack proof plastic pieces is that the surface is on the soft side. I suggest to builders to never wipe them dry. Wash lightly with a fully wet soft cloth and then blot dry much like you care for plastic eyeglass lenses.
 
i found a plexi polishing kit ,will give that a try , after polishing i will try marks way , will wash with water and dry with air i am not even going to use a cloth .
thanks everyone .
regards
Abdul
 
You can polish it like automotive clear, even using similar products like Menzerna SIP or 106, just don't let it heat up beyond just warm to the touch, otherwise you could effect optics as Randy said.

plexiglass is soft, yes, but a lot of it comes down to poor care and bad washing technique. Just like regular automotive clear - the reason 99.8% of cars out there have marring (e.g., swirl marks) is because of bad washing technique.

Proper washing technique, e.g.,
Review & How-To: Optimum No Rinse Wash & Wax - Autopia Forums - Auto Detailing & Car Care Discussion Forum

http://www.ffcars.com/forums/17-factory-five-roadsters/224117-how-properly-wash-cobra.html
 
Alex -

shooter here from the ffcars.com board, been trying to locate you to ask you some questions regarding car wash techniques and found this post and this forum.

I used your post on ONR Wash and Shine like gospel for the past 5 years. I've been off the boards for a long long time and got back on recently to review the car wash post. I could have swore you said a wax isn't necessary with the ONR Wash and Shine technique. Is that right/wrong? Should i use the ONR Wash and Wax you mention above or something like Collinite you recommended in one of the posts.

I also have a black Raptor that I've been using the ONR Wash & Shine, so same questions for that guy.

thanks

(don't mean to troll this forum, just need some help)
 
Alex -

shooter here from the ffcars.com board, been trying to locate you to ask you some questions regarding car wash techniques and found this post and this forum.

I used your post on ONR Wash and Shine like gospel for the past 5 years. I've been off the boards for a long long time and got back on recently to review the car wash post. I could have swore you said a wax isn't necessary with the ONR Wash and Shine technique. Is that right/wrong? Should i use the ONR Wash and Wax you mention above or something like Collinite you recommended in one of the posts.

I also have a black Raptor that I've been using the ONR Wash & Shine, so same questions for that guy.

thanks

(don't mean to troll this forum, just need some help)

ONR has some level of protection, as do most quick detailers (I usually pressure wash the dirt off, then ONR, blot dry with a waffle weave, and then mist detaliing spray as I wipe off the remaining water with microfibers), but I would still apply wax once or twice a year.

My daily beater (04 cobra) sits outside 24/7 and is subjected to our awesome canadian winters (read -50*C and salt galore). By the end of winter it's taken a beating but surprisingly the Collonite 845 is still beading like a champ.

Collonite 845 is king when it comes to durability. It may not have the pop some of the other waxes do (it was originally meant to insulate power lines afterall, lol) but its durability is unmatched.

Typically what I recommend is to wax twice a year. Once in the spring and once in the fall. I do this with all my cars, whether they're garage queens like the lambo or my beater car.

The nice thing about ONR, as you've probably discovered, is it works by emulsification/encapsulation (as opposed to dragging dirt across your paint) so it's soooooooooooooooo much easier to wash w/o causing any swirling/marring. Marring here and there is inevitable, but it makes it so easy. I havn't given my Z06 a light polish in 5 or 6yrs now because of how it took my washing technique to the next level
 
Thanks!

Still need the ice water application to the Collonite 845?

For the more occasional cleanings....do you go with ONR Wash & Shine or Wash & Wax?

Also, when you power wash it....do you use the car wash soap/gun or just water? I've been taking my truck to the car wash, blast off the dirt/grim and use the soap setting, then rinse the heck out of it. Then do the ONR process at home.
 
ice water can make it haze faster, but it's not necessary. i just apply it, wait 1 an hour two, then come back and buff off

i use onr wash & shine

for pressure washing just regular water - detergents (such as what they use in commercial car washes where you pay by the minute to spray) can eat away at waxes. So I'll pressure rinse clean, then ONR. I used to do as you - run to car wash, pressure off the big stuff, then back home and ONR, but really, it's so much easier to spend a few hundred dollars on a pressure washer and it yourself (you don't need or want a fancy one or one that's capable of too high a gpm - too high and you can damage your paint - around 2,000gpm and the widest nozzel possible are the ideal combination) ..... put it like this, if you can use the pressure washer to strip wood or concrete it's too powerful, lol. I can put the narrowest spray nozzel on mine, stick my hand infront of it and be fine. That's what you want.
 
Okay, I'll stick with Wash & Shine.

The Autogeek site recommends a Pinnacle Paintwork Cleansing Lotion before applying the Collinite 845. Needed?

thanks again,
 
that's sounds like a light polish/paint cleaner to remove minor surface contaminants.

i'd rather just clay bar/polish the car to make sure I'm pulling out all contaminants.

If your car is a garage queen you probably shouldn't have to clay bar it more than once every few years (followed by a very light polish, like menzena 106 and a white pad), so usually i'll just wash it then wax it.

My daily drivers though I'll claybar at the end of winter, do a light polish, then wax.
 
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