I'd go with a 3m film, way cheaper probably and really easy to install.

 

Do you think a 3M film would work on a concave surface?

 

Wow guys. I love my Fit and hate to see the scratches and whatnot myself. I don't, however, think we need to start a formal complaint about something so trivial.

I know i'd roll my eyes if I was a service advisor and one of you guys called/came by asking if this could be repaired under warranty.

 

Are the GE gauge lenses concave? In my GD3 I think they're flat pieces, even though they're installed at odd angles...

 

They are concave.

 

I'm sure many of them would. That doesn't mean that we don't have a legitimate complaint about the subpar durability of the plastic lens. Perhaps Honda engineers might want to be aware of this so they can make an updated part that better withstands scratching. That's all I'm saying. Although, I suspect that Honda does monitor this forum to see what people are saying about their product......

 

Like a few others here, mine came pre-scratched from the dealer prep too. It's pretty upsetting to get a new car like that. On my panel, the scratches were over the speedometer, so it was annoying to see when the sunlight hit it and they weren't light scratches either.

At any rate, rather than bother with getting them to "fix" it, I used 3M Plastic Cleaner (got at auto parts store) and just followed the directions. Don't be fooled by the name though, it can remove scratches (up to a certain point). I suspect that's because one of the main ingredients is quartz silica. Finally, I'm not sure if it makes any difference, but I definitely made sure I mentioned the panels were scratched in the Honda survey.

After using the 3M stuff, I can't detect any of the scratches except for one (that was the deepest), but that's only if I look really hard for it.

 

has anyone tried using canned air to blow away any dust on the panel?

 

If anyones tried this, I'd be interested in hearing about it also.

Have a couple cans for my computer, my girlfriend wanted to try it today, but we didn't get to it, so don't know yet. If I try it, I'll post what happens

 

argh, so it wasn't just me, pre-scratched from dealer as well, just KILLS me even though I know its such a trivial thing!!!! I'll have to look at the cleaning options to see what'll get it fixed up for me...

 

I noticed mine was scratched a bit, too. I put a bit of toothpaste on a very soft tissue followed by a bit of windex. It looks fine now.

I agree, it shouldn't scratch so easily.

 

Use a california-type interior brush on the gauge lenses only....and gently wipe/swish away. I also have a soft hair brush where you can pump air through a squeeze handle that works like a charm. Another alternative is to have the lenses replaced with something better - but someone needs to figure that our first

 

i am very eager to try this stuff. did you use a microfiber cloth towel?? i tried plastix, and worked like crap. made it actually worse.

 

I used a terrycloth, which is what the instructions stated to use. I'm sure you could use a microfiber cloth; though, I'm not sure if the 3M Plastic Cleaner stuff requires some abrasion action from the terrycloth that a microfiber can't provide. Actually, I did use a microfiber cloth at the very end just to kind of polish it up, but not to actually rub in the compound.

Also, there is a separate product called 3M Plastic Polish, but I didn't use that. The bottle for the plastic cleaner said you can use the plastic polish afterwards for more shine or something. You know, kinda like what you read on shampoo bottles that say to use their conditioner after . I was satisfied with the plastic cleaner alone, so I didn't bother with the polish.

 

I just got finished replacing the lens. It took about 15 minutes. Much easier than wasting a bunch of time obsessing over scratches =)

 

That's just an awesome site... what is this? Subscription based? thanks for the link!

 

chris76,

Thank you for all your help about this problem and for the diagram about how to replace the lenses. And the rest of you who have had input, as well - thank you. My lenses are not scratched yet but I want to avoid having that happen anyway I can. Of the different recomendations for cleaning them on this thread, what are you going to clean your lenses with now? Canned air will remove dust but not 'clean' the lenses as only a liquid can do.

Thank you again,

Dan

 

Yes, it is subscription based... The only thing that I would point out is that during the removal process, you will break the tiny orange clip located next to the mirror control. From what I can tell, the clip is just to show whether the speedo has been "tampered" with, and doesn't really serve any purpose. It appears to be a one-use item, it can be ordered from the dealer but what's the point....

 

I would tell them straight up, "I broke it taking off the plastic to clean the scratches off the plastic your pre delivery idiots put on there."

 

This is funny...I actually went through this whole process as you all did without even knowing anyone else was going through it.

My car, too, has a hazy instrument panel and was delivered that way. I bought it in winter and thought I might be crazy, but now its summer and the light hitting it drives me up the wall.

I thought about it every damn time I got into the car, so I figured I'd do some research on it. I think it was on an S2000 message board that I saw how someone used 3M Marine plastic restorer and a brand new microfiber towel. Apply very lightly, then buff with clean side.

Follow up with Plastix or 3M plastic polish and presto...scratches gone. Plastix seems like a great product but OMFG it was expensive. I had to buy it at West Marine.

I was concerned that I might make the scratches worse so I practiced at first on an old black Ikea side table that used to be shiny. It worked so well that incidentally I can now use the table in the house again