cleaning instrument faces

[rudderboost]

What's a good/safe product to clean dirty and worn instrument faces under the glass? The black is faded and the white numbers are dirty. I tried rubbing alcohol and it worked reasonably well on the numbers, but I can't get the black background to look nice.

[DRACO A5OG]

Have you tried vaseline, I've read it bring the black back to old fade black finishes. Test a smal area.

Post Pics of your progress

[Ray B]

Try a vinyl protectant on a clean surface-buff off. The oils should bring back the semi-shine. DO NOT use windex or amonia on the instrument covers on these cars - they are plastic and will haze. Use Plexus or plastic cleaner of choice.

[3.2 CAB]

That is a common problem with many gauge sets, not just Porsche. True the Porsche gauges are a tough nut to crack, but be very careful in what you do. I would not advise using rubbing alcohol, unless it is diluted to a maximum percentage of no more than about 15%, being it is a fairly "hot" solvent, and on aged gauge faces, it can bring on even more problems. When I "restore" or freshen up gauge faces, I wear the blue nitrile gloves, and I also use one of the round, illuminated, magnifying, swing arm type light fixtures. That way you can really see the details very nicely, and you need to. When cleaning, I use cotton swabs (Q-tips) or the very small foam swabs to apply the cleaning solution. The solution that I mix, is 1 ounce of 70% isopropyl alcohol, 6 ounces of distilled water, and 5 drops of Ivory or Dawn dish washing liquid soap (the original types only) I then use this solution to clean the faces, DO NOT SCRUB on the faces, you need to be fairly gentle with the pressure, to avoid rub marks or even rub through areas. To rinse, I use only distilled water, so it does not leave any mineral trace residues. I usually do the rinse stage twice. I will then use a blow dryer with either just cool air, or the lowest heat setting, to dry off the surface, then I set them aside while I do another. Setting them aside like this allows them to totally air dry. I have had nice outcomes using one of the leather or vinyl conditioning products. Just make sure that you are NOT using one of the "cleaner type" products. You want one that does not have any solvents in it. I then apply the conditioner with the little swabs, as used in the cleaning stages. I then let them dry again, and if need be, apply a second coat. After doing this, I use one of the micro-fiber cloths to gently wipe off any excess conditioner, and to make sure the surface treatment is even. To clean the lenses, use the appropriate cleaner, either a glass or plastic cleaner, depending on your lenses. I have had very nice results doing the gauge sets this way. Good luck!! Tony.

[austin552]

My gauges were scratched and worn. I used a bit of polishing compound with great success.