Guys, i've found some overspray on my C6 transparent roof panel
What is the best product/procedure to use to remove it without damage to the panel? I've done a search and understand clay bar works well on the body, but was unsure about the roof panel.
Thanks!

 

If it's glass just try detailing clay.

You can pretty much use detailing clay on anything smooth and hard.

For things like Lexan however you need to be a lot more cautious as Lexan is easily scratched but very, very difficult to remove scratches out of it without also leaving your own abrading marks in the process.

 

Thanks Mike. It is a polycarbonate plastic- NOT glass! That's why I'm concerned.I was hoping to be able to use a liquid remover as apposed to an abrasive polish but don't want to ruin the surface. I'm afraid of what something like "goof-off"might do to the plastic. Killr suggested a plastic polishing kit and that may be my only choice. I was hoping someone had experienced this before and had found a safe solution. I appreciate all that I have learned from you on AGO!
Thanks again!

 

I used Plexus on past roof without issue, it was however more protectant than polish. For plexiglass, Lexan, and polycarbonates you can certainly use a plastic polish like Megs or Novus, but always test in small area first for safety.

http://www.autogeek.net/meguiars1017.html

 

Most vehicles, even after being waxed, still have a roughness as you run your hand across the surface. The atmosphere around us contains numerous floating contaminants, some natural and some man-made. During the day, as a vehicle sets outside, some of these contaminants settle out of the air and onto the vehicle. Some of them cling to the surface and adhere to the paint surface, especially in the presence of moisture (e.g., morning dew). Even a vehicle that is waxed often will have surface contamination.Minneapolis Airport Taxi

 

Yeah I wasn't sure if it would be glass or a type of plastic, that's why I couched my words with "if" when I wrote my first reply.

I don't know if there's a difference between polycarbonate and Lexan or if Lexan is a type of polycarbonate. The practical difference is that with a plastic like a modern headlight you can abrade it and still restore clarity as the material lends itself well to abrading and polishing. With Lexan I've only found one compound that helped to remove defects and helped to restore clarity but it was a lot of work and the results were not perfect like most people want and expect. That said I haven't tired everything under the sun on Lexan so there might be something out there that can remove defects or even sanding marks and restore a perfectly clear surface but so far I haven't found anything so I'm pretty gun-shy about working on scratched Lexan if the owner's expectations are perfection at the end of the day.

Now let me bring this back to your topic, if the transparent roof panel is indeed Lexan, be very careful how you work on it as although it is a very hard type of plastic, it still can scratch easily and as I posted above, to date I have not found anything that will remove defects or sanding marks out of Lexan and leave it looking clear like glass with no visible defects left by your abrading and/or polishing process.

If it's some type of non-Lexan plastic, then chances are it will polish out but you should still be careful in how you process to work on it, i.e. claying or no claying but rubbing some kind of cleaner on it.

Goof off or Goo-Gone with a little rubbing might do the trick. PlastX with a soft foam applicator pad might also work. Just test in a small area and make sure you can remove the overspray in one small area and also leave the plastic clear before tackling a huge section.

Maybe post back here what you find out for other's to learn?

 

Mods...

If you look at this guy's posting history you'll see he's spamming the forum.

 

Polishing Plastic

Plastic polish will not remove clarity defects that are within the plastic but it will remove external/surface scratching and oxidation (yellowing) Prior to application of a plastic polish ensure that the surface is clean and free from dust particles by washing (It is not advisable to use cleaning detergents on plastic) with a soft cloth and warm water.
Use a plastic polish that is safe for all types of clear and coloured (polycarbonate) type plastics i.e. Lexan, Perspex, Lucite and most clear acrylics - Novus 1 2 3

Novus 1 - gently cleans all plastics without scratching, leaves a lustrous shine that resists fogging, repels dust, and eliminates static.
Novus 2 - removes fine scratches, haziness, and abrasions from most plastics (exceptional for removing scratches from Plexiglas). Use repeatedly and restore faded and discoloured plastics.
Novus 3 -removes heavy scratches and abrasions from most acrylic surfaces.

Alternative products - Meguiar’s PlastX or Renovo Plastic Cleaner can be hand or machine applied

Lexan® Polycarbonate

Is a registered trademark of SABIC Innovative Plastics; a highly durable polycarbonate resin thermoplastic intended to replace traditional glass and Plexiglas where the need for strength and impact resistance justifies its higher cost.

An extract from one of a series of 110 in-depth, unbiased “Detailing Technical Papers” © TOGWT ™ Ltd Copyright 2002-2009, all rights reserved.

 

TOGWT,

Have you ever taken any Lexan that was scratched and either by hand or machine, abraded it with "something", (fill in the brand name of the product you used), and then refined your work until the Lexan was perfectly crystal clear? (Like it was new?)

 

Have you ever taken any Lexan that was scratched and either by hand or machine, abraded it with "something", (Novas 123), and then refined your work until the Lexan was perfectly crystal clear? (Like it was almost new?)

I don’t manufacture, sell or have any vested interest in any of the products or companies mentioned; other manufacturers products may work equally well. I only recommend products I have first hand experience of using, I have tested the products mentioned ("Works like it says on the tin") and have found that they will perform the task more than adequately using the methodology and tools cited.

 

I was just asking because in another thread you said you've been detailing for more than 50 years.


I was just wondering if in the last 50 years if you've ever been able to remove scratches out of Lexan (with any product or process), to restore a crystal clear, like new or like original finish?

I'm just being honest upfront with others on this forum and every forum I post to that I've NEVER been able to hit the like new mark.

I've been able to take Lexan that was scratches up and make it better, but by typing make it better that doesn't mean it's just like it was when it was brand new.

I've personally worked on lot of different types of plastic and always had good luck with Plexiglas but when it comes to the specific Lexan type of plastic I've never been able to restore a finish or clarity that's 100% defect free, just like the Lexan was when it was brand new.

So I figured since you were posting information about polishing plastic in this thread and since you've been detailing cars longer than I have that maybe you've hand buffed, or machine buffed or sanded and buffed some type of Lexan window over the last 50 years and successfully polished it out clear for a customer or as a how-to article?

If you have, can you share your process? Do you have any pictures of before and after?

If not, then that's okay too because as I've said, I have not been able to find a product and process that will 100% restore a scratched Lexan surface back to as good as or better than new.

I have also actively tried to do this over the last 15 years so I'm always looking to learn from others with more knowledge and real-world successful experience.

I hope you have a proven product and process as I have access to a Lexan rear window out of a Ferrari that's all scratched up and I'd like to try your information and process to see if I can restore it to like new as the window itself I've been told costs $800.00

I know you don't have any vested interest in any manufactures product and I appreciate that, I'm just looking for something that will get the job done to a level that a person would choose repairing over replacing because the results are that good.

I've tried many things on it but so far, nothing leaves it perfect, at least nothing that would lead me to recommend on a forum a product name or process.


Heck, I'll throw this out to ANYONE reading this if they know of a product and a process that will take scratched Lexan and restore it to 100% optically clear and defect free.

Anyone?

 

This has been my dilemma...it is NOT scratched at all, but has a light aerosol overspray. I was hoping to find a non-abrasive product to remove it without introducing any scratches or marring. I know the polycarbonate is very hard & resistant but might be damaged or clouded by certain chemicals which would easily dissolve the overspray. I've fired off a few e-mails to plastic manufacturers in an attempt to find the right solution. I'll reply back with any pertinent info I uncover.
Thanks for the replies gentlemen

 

Guys, I found this about Polycarbonate-USE AT YOUR OWN RISK!

WILL DAMAGE POLYCARBONATE:

Alkali bleaches such as sodium hypochlorite
Acetone
Acrylonitrile
Ammonia
Amyl acetate
Benzene
Bromine
Butyl acetate
Sodium hydroxide
Chloroform
Dimethylformamide
Concentrated hydrochloric acid
Concentrated hydrofluoric acid
Iodine
Methanol
Methyl ethyl ketone
Styrene
Tetrachloroethylene
Toluene
Concentrated sulfuric acid
Xylene
Cyanoacrylate monomers

REQUIRE CAUTION:
Cyclohexanone
Diesel oil
Formic acid
Gasoline
Glycerine
Heating oil
Jet fuel
Concentrated perchloric acid
Sulfur dioxide
Turpentine

CONSIDERED SAFE:
Acetic acid
Ammonium chloride
Antimony trichloride
Borax in H2O
Butane
Calcium chloride
Calcium hypochlorite
Carbon dioxide
Carbon monoxide
Citric acid 10%
Copper(II) sulfate
Ethyl alcohol, i.e. ethanol 95%
Ethylene glycol
Formaldehyde 10%
Hydrochloric acid 20%
Hydrofluoric acid 5%
Isopropyl alcohol
Mercury
Methane
Oxygen
Ozone
Sulfur
Urea
Water†

 

Here's the problem, even if you use a non-abrasive product, if you rub something smooth and creamy over the surface and successfully loosen the overspray, it could be the loosened overspray that will be then rubbed over the surface will be the culprit that induces some light scratching, kind of depends upon what the overspray is and how hard or abrasive it is.

That said, here's a pretty non-evasive idea you can try...

M1708 Meguiar's Plastic Cleaner is non-abrasive and offers some light cleaning ability, it's VERY oily which means it's going to hyper-lubricate the surface as you rub on it. Try this product first using something soft like a foam applicator pad. This might work and it might not.

The next thing you can do is to use the same product and switch to an application material that offers a little more bite but is still gentle, for this try a microfiber applicator pad. The fibers that make up the nap will provide a little more bite or abrading power while the M17 lubricates the surface during the process.

If neither of the above work then you can try PlastX. Now PlastX is non-abrasive in that it won't instill scratches into most plastic surfaces but it doesn't contain some type of diminishing abrasive chosen specifically for use with plastics. Try first with a foam applicator pad and if that isn't working then try with microfiber applicator pad.

The idea with all of the above is to use the least aggressive approach to try to get the job done so you don't instill any scratching during the procedure.

If you don't have access to any of the above products, (M17, PlastX, Foam Applicator Pads, Microfiber Applicator Pads), then Autogeek.net stocks and ships all these items.

I'm not familiar with the Novus products so I don't want to make any recommendations for them but if they offer a product that's oily and cleans without being scratchy then you could substitute one of their products or any plastic cleaning and polishing product as long as it doesn't put scratches in while you use it.

As always, test in an inconspicuous place first.