Hello,
Any of your guys know how much it cost to get a new clear lens for the dashboard? And how difficult to put a new one on? Mine is scratch and it bother me. I tried to be gental as much as I can and it still scratch. I was using damp Q-tip to remove dust and it scratch the lens. Thanks.

 

not sure

can you have the dealer fix it instead

 

you can order the piece...but taking apart the gauge cluster to get at it is a pain unless you mean the clear piece for the HU's display....also a pain

but it can be done...if you are going to do it though you should install a functional oil pressure gauge

 

I'd probaby try some plastic polish first. There are kits that have different strengths and you work your way from the most to the least aggressive; sort of like with a paintjob. Your scratches are probably not that deep if caused by a damp q-tip.

Better to clean dust off the clear plastic with compressed air, or a soft artist's brush for the stubborn stuff.

I had a gf once who tried to "help" by cleaning my dash with a sponge. A DRY sponge!!!

 

That's been a concern of mine as well. I've never owned a car that I didn't FU and somehow scratch the plastic lens of the dash and then have to look at it forever....a self made idiot light that never goes out. Interestingly enough I purchased four cans of air spray today at Walmart, something like $3 each and hope that ends my curse.

 

Do you have the name of this polish or suggestions? The service department had to clean my interior because they made it a complete mess (long story). Anyway when I got the car back they scratched the HUD area. I don't want them working on my car and I'd rather not take the dash apart in any way or even have someone else do it. Less amount of disassembling the better IMHO. Thanks.

 

The ones I have experience with are Meguiar's plastic cleaner, and polish (#17 and #10). These were standard operating procedure for anyone who had a Miata with the plastic rear window. They are very mild compounds, so I would think very little chance of making things worse with them. Start off with the 17, and finish with the 10. Given the tight space, it could end up being a bit messy; you'll need to be careful with the amount of product but once you get the surface restored probably you'll be glad to clean up the mess. I used these products on the soft rear window, and also to clean up various plastic surfaces on household objects and was always happy with the results. Never used them on a dash, so you might want to still do some research on the types of plastics the claim to be suitable for.

http://www.superiorcarcare.net/megplascar.html

I've seen descriptions of other products that are more involved, with more separate steps, more aggresive compounds and even involving sanding. But I haven't used any of that stuff and doubt it would be necessary for the dash unless it was really trashed.

Just for added background, there are people who have gone to great lengths to do such things as "shaving" taillight assemblies:

http://www.miata.net/hakuna/polished%20lenses.html

Note the use of the Meguiars to get the perfect surface.