My E was covered with a layer of dusty dirt which wasn't coming off the panels with a towel, so I tried a green scrubbie on them. Worked fine for the dirt, but after I had dried it, I noticed I could plainly see my scrub marks in a series of fine scratches all over the panels.

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to get rid of them? The panels are the "black" (bumper gray) ones.

Thanks,
eKennedy

Those scratches are there for good, abrasive pad on soft plastic:???:. You could replace the panels or have them painted in a shop to match the rest of your E

I'm thinking the right compound will buff out the scratches. As odd as this sounds, I wonder if baking soda, or toothpaste, jeweler's rouge, or some other really fine abrasive might work to buff out the scratches caused by the greenie pad. I don't mean to suggest experimenting on your panels, but talk to a local auto body shop, they might have some ideas.

- Ted

I'm thinking the right compound will buff out the scratches. As odd as this sounds, I wonder if baking soda, or toothpaste, jeweler's rouge, or some other really fine abrasive might work to buff out the scratches caused by the greenie pad. I don't mean to suggest experimenting on your panels, but talk to a local auto body shop, they might have some ideas.

- Ted

Yeah, ok, good idea. I'll look into that.

Thanks

In the early days, some people reported having some luck with a heat gun sort of relaxing the scratches into a flatter shape. Of course, you could easily go too far...

I'd be tempted to call them character lines. And to leave them.

Best of luck.
:rolleyes:

You might want to order a can of the Honda Plastic Panel Coating spray from H and A. It says it covers light scratches, and it is a genuine Honda product.

Haven't tried it myself, however.

Leave them be for a while. I think part of why you see them now is that there is a color difference between the plastic that has been exposed to the sun for some time, and the freshly exposed plastic. With time that contrast will disappear.

paulj

I don't mean to suggest experimenting on your panels...

I think that point has been passed. It was a good suggestion to leave it for awhile and then maybe try the heat gun thing with due dilegents.

...polishing compound (as opposed to rubbing compound) might do the trick. Essentially you'd be lightly scratching the whole surface...evening things out, so-to-speak. But I'd talk with a body shop, or a detail shop that know's it's stuff before going much further.

I worked for a glass company for many years and we delt with various plastic products which would often get scratched during fabrication or installation. We had very good results from a product by Novus. They have different formulas for various types of scratches (light, heavy, etc.). It can be purchased in many places but here is the company site: http://www.novuspolish.com/


Good luck!

Leave them be for a while. I think part of why you see them now is that there is a color difference between the plastic that has been exposed to the sun for some time, and the freshly exposed plastic. With time that contrast will disappear.
paulj

I'd agree with this. I picked up a pretty big scuff on the corner of the front bumper (I think from a Mail Jeep) a few months ago, and now it's nearly unnoticeable unless you know to look for it.

The problem with polishing compounds is that the E's panels have a 'grain' to the surface finish. Polishing compounds are good for clearing scratches or 'fogging' on smooth plastics like headlight covers, motorcycle and aircraft (plexi) windscreens. Using this stuff on a E fender would leave you with a shiny spot, and then you'd also have build up of the compound in the remaining grained areas, like when you get wax on them.

Leave them be for a while. ...

Another vote for this option. I rubbed a front fender fairly badly on my garage kayak rack a few weeks after I got my E. :???: :-( :roll:

It was barely noticeable after a few months of weathering. Can't see much of it at all now.

Leave them be for a while. I think part of why you see them now is that there is a color difference between the plastic that has been exposed to the sun for some time, and the freshly exposed plastic. With time that contrast will disappear.

paulj

Yeah, I think I'll go the "wait and see" route. The scratches are very fine and you wouldn't notice them unless you knew they were there. I think they will blend in even more in a bit.

Thanks for all the info in the thread, though.

eKennedy

In the early days, some people reported having some luck with a heat gun sort of relaxing the scratches into a flatter shape. Of course, you could easily go too far...

+1

I work install at a local car audio shop. I use a heat gun when i accidentaly scratch or poke someones dash(it happens easily) a heat gun, applied for just a second, works wonders. i really doubt someone less abrasive is going to work. sure, the scratches will be finer and less noticable, but still, your just scratching it more. I would try the heat gun first.

you could bead blast them
That would allow the texture to become uniform

I would certainly try a little heat gun first