How to clean residue from SimpleGreen on clear lens etc

[Saadkhan07]

Guys, I usually clean my car all the time...and i had a overspray of simplegreen get on my speedometer lens. i cleaned it off, but it left residue that will NOT go away. Its spotty residue, that looks dirty. Has anyone seen this happen ? Its also on my clock as well...ive tried lens cleaner, with no luck. Any suggestions ?

[phatboislim]

errrrr no pics? and how did it get on your speedometer lens?

[tigersharkdude]

you are most likely SOL. I got Purple Power overspray on my gauge cover when trying to clean dirt from a junkyard dash....nothing would take the P.P. off the lens, not plastic polish or anything, I had to find a new lens

[ShocknAwe]

thats going to be hard to get off and still keep the clear and scratchless look to it. Im sure you could sand it down with a fine grit but thats going to scratch. I dont know man I would look for a different lens and make sure you dont do that again lol

[TallTom]

If it's a residue, try rubbing alcohol on a cloth.

[Shinjiduo]

Originally Posted by TallTom

If it's a residue, try rubbing alcohol on a cloth.

I agree with this statement but make sure to use 70% alcohol or below any higher concentration and you'll just mar the plastic even more.. Also you might just need to take the cluster lens out and submerge the lens in water. Also as a last resort I have a extra cluster lens that is in excellent condition that I can sell to you for $17 shipped.

[infinimax96]

1000grit sand paper and some plastix polish.

[Amerikaner83]

have you tried Mr Clean magic eraser?

[mrjamaica98mx]

plastic x guarantee

[5th gen dd]

This is a common problem when you take your car to a cheap detail shop as well. To cut corners they will just spray the dash down with all purpose cleaner as opposed to spraying the cleaner onto the wash mit. This will burn any soft plastics. They'll usually just cover up the damage with some oily dressing to get it out the door.

The best way to fix this is to remove the lens and polish it using a headlight restoration kit. Try using the buffer wheel with plastic polish first before sanding anything. Sometimes you can get away with making less work for yourself. Make sure to mask off anything that you don't want to get polish on. We used the 3M plastic restoration compound and polish. Which is capable of removing deep scratches in the plastic windows on boats. So a little chemical burn on an instrument cluster is not an issue. I have fixed this before both from learning from my own detailing mistakes and fixing those from other people. My cluster was in bad shape when I got my current Maxima and I used this process. I could tell right away that the PO had taken the car to get a cheap detail before selling it. The engine was covered in tire dressing to make it shiny.

If you have something like a grimy steering wheel that needs heavy cleaning, make sure to cover the dash with damp towels to protect any soft plastics. The spotting can occur on the clock, radio, and AC displays as well.

[phatboislim]

or simply cover the speedo w/ a terry cloth or a cloth of some sort

[user name001]

wetsand, i wouldnt use a 1000 grit.. maybe 1500 or 2000, then polish it. it will look better than it ever has

[Saadkhan07]

Ill post up some pics later today.

I dont know if i want to take the whole thing out. i tried meguiars headlight restoration on my clock, and that really didnt do much. I oversprayed by accident, and its a PITA. If it comes down to it, ill take it out, the residue is on the external, not on the interior.

[tigersharkdude]

^FWIW, you can always apply a clear film on top of the lens so that this never happens again

[Saadkhan07]

This is a good picture of the spottiness....i hate it, its annoying

[ShocknAwe]

It looks alot like the spotting tire cleaner will put on your wheels if left on for too long or they are too hot. That is going to be hard to remove though luckily it is just on the bottom portion. Sand it down and then use the plastic , it really does work wonders with any plastic surface if used correctly

[T_Behr904]

Getting chemicals on plastic is a bad thing. Hopefully you can remove it.