i noticed a little bit of dust today on the transparent plastic over my speedometer so i took a clean mcdonald's napkin and gently wiped the dust off of it. bad idea. it scratched the f^ck out of it! i was p^ssed! i've wiped dust off of my gmc canyon's plastic a million times using napkins with no bad results.

so be warned! be very gentle and use a very soft material to clean your instrument plastic.

 

i had a similar experience. my car freshener leaked onto the trim right above the lcd screen for the radio and BURNED a hole straight through the paint. im guessing there was some alcohol in the solution to help diffuse the smell

 

thank god i got another fit haha. i scratched the hell outta it with small pictures

 

a friend of mine does detailing and he has told me in the past that he has seen that happen quite often. people ask him is he can get out the "stain" and he has to break them the bad news.

 

The replacement lens cost about $20 and takes 20 minutes to replace it.

Do a search in this forum. There is already a thread on the subject.

TK69A00J26220234701KDAV10

 

thanks EIN, it's good to know that the thing is only 20 bucks and that's a helpful little animation in your link. i guess in the future i'll only be able to clean the thing with the finest silk

 

Not second guessing you... I'm a complete Honda newbie. But are you sure about that? Most instrument panels these days are one piece molded panels and you'd have to replace the entire instrument panel (large module) itself.

That would be great news if so. Sorry, not familiar with Honda's design/manufacturing processes.

Matter of fact, if so, and the lenses don't have curvatures in them, take the defective lenses to a glass shop and have glass replacements made. You'd never have to worry about cheap plastic scratches again. If what you say it correct... that will be one of the first things I do. I hate scratched instrumentation panels... they look like crap.

One would think Honda and all other auto manufacturers would use at least quality, scratch-proof or scratch resistant plastics for visible items such as readouts. At least use thin Lexan or something similar. It's not that expensive anymore.

 

Yeah... unfortunately, you can't use paper products (made of wood ) on auto plastics anymore. They use the cheapest crap they can find... ALL auto manufacturers!

Never wipe them with anything dry either... regardless of how soft the material is. Always dampen the material first... and don't use any solvents.

When taking proper precautions above, try and blow the dust off of the surface before cleaning. Even using anti-scratch material, when you wipe the dust particles across the surface it can leave tiny scratches. YES, even using micro-fiber cloths/towels.

Glad to hear someone in this thread mention the lenses are replaceable.

 

when i took my fit on delivery it was scratched but replaced under warranty...

wish it was made of glass..haha

 

If it gets scratched and you have to replace it, put a very light window tint over the transparent plastic before fitting.

 

haha I scratched mine up with a napkin too. Bad idea. I now have a soft cloth in my glove compartment.

 

A little Plastx & a soft mirofiber cloth will go a long way to getting rid of the worst of the scratches.

 

that was my thought exactly and i plan on probably doing it. either that , or the plastic guard that was mentioned in the thread that was linked to in one of the other posts (i'd have to look up the name again).

 

I use a microfiber towel to clean my plastics and the windshield. Honda is notorious for using soft(er) glass, so it tends to scratch easily.

FWIW, before replacing the instrument cover, try polishing it with a microfiber cloth and toothpaste (really). Toothpaste is a very mild abrasive, and may take the scratches out. This will be easier if you remove the cover first.

 

Myself and few here already replaced the lens due to scratches.
The part itself is $12.

http://www.hondaautomotiveparts.com/...NENTS+%28NS%29

 

Ok, cool... thanks!

Question... are the lenses flat, or do they have a slight curvature? You know, convex, concave? Just curious. Like I said, if I ever have to replace mine and there's no curvature on the originals, then I will remove the lenses, take them to a glass company, and have permanent glass ones made.

I hate scratchy, scruffy-looking instrument cluster lenses.



*UPDATE*

I just looked at your link. Do the plastic lenses come out of the frame they're in, or do you have to replace that entire three-panel frame? Are the lenses permanently inserted into that frame? Hope not... I'd like to do the real glass replacements.

 

I thought duct tape fix anything?

I remember i used to use a damp cloths to wipe the clusters... never dry ones because its just going to rub the dirt onto the plastic, thus scratchin it.

 

they're curved. it would be very nice to have custom glass but this would be an expensive and technically challenging job.

 

That's not good. I was really hoping for the glass option. Yeah, it would be expensive to have glass formed like that!

There is another option that may not be as bad. Any large plastics fabrication business could probably duplicate those curved pieces using Lexan, for fairly cheap. (Lexan is cheap now in cuts under 1/4 inch... it's that "bulletproof" stuff) I have a friend who owns a fab place... I'll ask him about it, just out of curiosity.

 

Just the plastic lens.