Has anybody tried that new two year plastic restorer?

[Guest Richard D]

It is the one that is advertised many times a day, they show it on a Volvo and a Chevy Avalanche. Claims to clear up plastic headlight covers, vinyl and leather interiors (not my leather) I was wondering if it would clear up the tail light bar. I can get mine clear with plastic polish, but in 3 months it starts getting cloudy again.

Thank's

Richard.

[SeanR]

It is the one that is advertised many times a day, they show it on a Volvo and a Chevy Avalanche. Claims to clear up plastic headlight covers, vinyl and leather interiors (not my leather) I was wondering if it would clear up the tail light bar. I can get mine clear with plastic polish, but in 3 months it starts getting cloudy again.

Thank's

Richard.

I would stay away from that stuff. I was able to get mine in excellent condition by using a clay bar, followed by Meguiars Plastic Polish and elbow grease with a microfiber towel. I then used Original Bike Spirits spray polish. Spray Cleaner & Polish - Original Bike Spirits Once done, it only requires wiping down the wet car with the OBS spray after each wash to maintain the gloss look.

[KDirk]

Pretty much concur with Sean here. I will add the Sylvania kit sold in some auto parts stores has worked very well for me. It has a UV stabilized sealant that is applied after polishing that keeps it looking decent for longer than just the bare plastic untreated does, no matter how well you polish it.

There is a guy locally who shoots a hardened UV resistant epoxy clear coat on plastic lenses to restore their appearance. I had him do a spare (marginal) taillamp lens I had here and was not terribly impressed. His idea is good, but his execution not so much. Problem is he works out of a van (mobile operation) and this really needs to be done in a proper paint booth with measures to prevent dust/particulate contamination in the spray on finish. Otherwise, it gets a lot of little junk in the finish and is also subject to problems from ambient temperature/humidity affecting the cure time and clarity.

KDirk

[DAVES89]

I did the Sylvania kit on the "Red" and am very happy with the results. I took the taillight off and did it in my basement where the bugs, dust, and humidity wasn't a factor. It turned out very well, I didn't have to take the lens apart or anything like that. It now is just "wash and wear" with no special care. It has only been a year but so far so good.

[Guest Richard D]

Thank You all, Sean your tail lights look like NOS! I have not heard of the OBS before, I will do a local search and see if anyone in Miami has it.

I figured that something on a two minute infomercial is trash, plus it can be used on leather?

Thanx again,

Richard

[SeanR]

Thank You all, Sean your tail lights look like NOS! I have not heard of the OBS before, I will do a local search and see if anyone in Miami has it.

I figured that something on a two minute infomercial is trash, plus it can be used on leather?

Thanx again,

Richard

Original Bike Spirits is fantastic stuff. I use it on paint, chrome, lexan acrylic panels on Fiero like the fastback windows and taillamps, wheels. After a car wash, I spray the half dry/wet body panels mixed in with some water patches and wipe dry the exterior via damp microfiber towels. Too much water in the microfiber and it smears. Too dry and it's hard to apply. The hotter the day, the more even the application will be. I use it to clean the door jambs, dash, etc. It can smudge on glass if too much is applied but it makes the glass and rubber trim looking new. I also wipe down soft plastics on the engine too.

You can use it on interior items. It's not sticky or gummy like Armor All or Meguirs leather cleaner. Apply to a dry microfiber, I can run it over the Reatta dash and door panels. The black interior trim pieces like the exterior side mirrors also react well to it. The interior side glass mirror cover stays black and glossy without drying with white dry marks like Armor All tends to do. I use OBS to clean the CRT screen and then follow that up with Pledge all purpose cleaner with Microfiber. All my car LCD plastics for instrument panel and LCD screens dont have hairline scratches because I use these products combined with microfiber towels. I NEVER use paper towels that will cause these scratches to show up.

I discovered this stuff about 10 years ago at the Acura dealership. It was called Honda Spray polish. It came in a NSX detailing kit. Over the years, the formulation kept changing from petroleum based to carnuba based wax to satisfy EPA restrictions. After 2008 recession, Honda stopped carrying spray cleaners period and people were hoarding it and reselling on Ebay for twice the cost! I researched the can and found that it was actually just a relabeled can of Original Bike Spirits aka OBS. You can buy a case of it on Ebay and search OBS website for retail sellers. Alot of Harley and Goldwing riders use it to detail their lexan shields and fuel tank paints, chrome, etc. There is just something about OBS that makes metallic flake paint sparkle in the sun. It dries to a perfect shine without smudges and removes hard water spots. I've had people walk up to me at self serve car washes asking me what I'm using.

With that said, this stuff helps "maintain" paint to be slick under a finger stroke to the point where you don't need to claybar. It will **not** restore it to that condition or remove swirl marks. So the paint needs to be in corrected shape to begin with. It does a great job of hiding swirl marks and ghosting, but it will not correct it if that makes sense.

Edited February 16, 2013 by SeanR (see edit history)

[SeanR]

Interesting. Advance Auto indicates they carry OBS. (5) five star reviews for the stuff. Buy Original Bike Spirits Spray Cleaner and Polish AJ2719-16 at Advance Auto Parts

[ol' yeller]

For those of you who haven't seen SeanR's '88, it is probably the cleanest, best detailed car on the planet. When I park my '90 vert next to him at a show, I have to keep my hood closed out of shame. I plan to get some lessons from him on how to make my car shine again.