A way to 'clean up' faded switchgear on dash

[Wile7]

A nugget of wisdom from the Blatchat crew possibly?

 

I am looking at ways to rejuvenated faded/weather worn switch gear on the dash.

 

The old austin rover/mini switches. The have gone 'white' over years of sun and rain.

 

Are there any households secrets to how these can be made to look newish again? The proverbial salt/vinegar/Guinness/toothpaste mixes?

 

Or just a scrub with a plastic renovating gel or something?

 

Many thanks

 

 

Dave

[Guest]

this stuff is pricey, but as per the blurb says

"Gtechniq C4 utilises a covalent or chemical bond to actually become an extension of the plastic molecule it's protecting. Not to be confused with much weaker electrostatic bonds used by, amongst others, ptfe based polymers Gtechniq C4 actually swaps part of its molecular structure with the surface molecules of your car's trim.

 

What this means is that you now have a protective coating of unparalleled durability. Unlike many trim products on the market Gtechniq C4 is an exceptionally thin (circa 30nm) optically clear film which means that it does not add an unattractive gloss film to the surface instead it restores all but the most faded trim to an as new condition. You can expect approximately 2 years from a single application."

 

I've used it on my girlfriend's mini coopers faded greying trim - and it comes out looking like new...

And still does now after 6 months. highly recommended.

 

Edited by - Roadracer1977 on 8 May 2014 09:50:49

[Mark Durrant]

Dave

 

I use Mer Bumper & Vinyl Gel

[Pete Underhill]

Could you not replace the switches?

[Stationary M25 Traveller]

Bumper and vinyl gel

[jingars]

And another vote for Mer Bumper and Vinyl Gel. It won't produce miracles, but you can get surprisingly good results after a couple of applications.

[Big Bad Baz]

Quoting Wile7: 

Are there any households secrets to how these can be made to look newish again? The proverbial salt/vinegar/Guinness/toothpaste mixes?

 

I heard that Vaseline works wonders.

 

Quoting Pete Underhill: 

Could you not replace the switches?

 

Although this is what I did in the end.

[Mark Durrant]

Dave

 

If you find any are beyond recovery let me know as I have a few spares that just need the MER treatment and I can bring to the Parrot.

[Jonathan Kay]

Quoting Roadracer1977: 

"Gtechniq C4 utilises a covalent or chemical bond to actually become an extension of the plastic molecule it's protecting."

Does it work on bikes, and was it invented by Flann O'Brien?

 

:-)

 

Jonathan

 

Edited by - Jonathan Kay on 8 May 2014 10:58:26

[Guest]

The Gtechniq C4 range of products really is the bee's knees - if you want it to last use the permanent trim restorer. If you want it to look good, then fade back to how it is now in a months time then use the mers that's been recommended by others.

[Wile7]

Thank you for the quick replies gents

 

Quoting Pete Underhill: 

Could you not replace the switches?

Yes Pete. That was my idea. The last time I looked they were a couple of quid. Now around £9 plus vat each with p&p on top....and I'm tight

 

They all work fine apart from one so....That said, if anyone has some new spares

 

Mark - yes please

 

Dave

 

Edited by - Wile7 on 8 May 2014 11:06:04

[StEVEN]

As road racer Gtechnic C4 is the Daddy

 

But the Willy man is a tight arse so he'll be using spit

 

[alcal]

3 in 1 oil works well and lasts about a year between applications

[Alastair B]

I find Meguiar's Gold Trim Detailer very good and even smells nice, I do them about twice a year - works for me

[Ozzy]

Dave, I have a leather coated dashboard, and it's quite surprising how Autoglym leather care cream brings them back up!

 

 

[Wile7]

Thanks for the tips, advice and stick gents