Found a solution/fix for the easily scratched instrument lens

G.I.G. · 2009-08-28T20:16:09+00:00

Well, chalk up another use for WD-40! As many of you already know, the clear lens over the instrument cluster on the 4th gen scratches EXTREMELY easy. The first time I cleaned my instrument lens with a little glass cleaner and a soft, cotton cloth (the way I have done it on every car I've owned with no problems), it scratched the heck out of the lens. It looked like I used 80-grit sand paper. So I took my 4R to the dealer and I was able to get them to cover the lens replacement under warranty. This was late last year right after they damaged my 4R so they didn't argue with me on anything, even though getting something like an instrument lens covered under warranty was a bit of a stretch. So from then on, I just determined that I wouldn't touch that lens with anything other than a feather duster which worked well for a time..... Last weekend I went 4-wheel'n and didn't have the time to clean my car so I took it to one of those full service car washes. They do a great job, but when I got back in my 4R to leave I noticed they cleaned the instrument lens and then I had the scratches again. :upset: I can't really fault the car wash because the instrument cluster was pretty dusty and dirty. Just using the feather duster wasn't cutting it either because it wouldn't take out small water spots from condensation that had started to accumulate from camping trips, road trips, etc. After a while, it needs to be cleaned the old fashion way. So rather than deal with getting the lens replaced again (ironically I hit 36k miles over the weekend so my 4R is now officially out of the comprehensive warranty period) I figured I would need to come up with a solution. I started using WD-40 to clean the top sheet of my snowboard a couple of years ago because the mat black finish on my board shows scratches really bad. The WD-40 would fill in the scratches but wouldn't streak on my board. So, that gave me the idea to try it on my instrument lens. So this afternoon I tested a small area of my instrument lens that was scratched with the WD-40. I sprayed a q-tip with a little WD-40 and ran it over the middle of the scratched area so I could see a side-by-side comparison. I took the other side of the q-tip and wiped off the excess. So far it looks great! There is no streaking and no signs of the scratches! I am going to drive with it the way it is this weekend so I can see how it looks in different lighting situations. If it passes the test I will do the whole instrument lens with WD-40 later this weekend. I tried to take pics but I can't get them to come out. I will post an update after I have driven it around for a couple of days and let you know what I think. Hopefully this is the cure I've been looking for. You gotta love WD-40! :)

Thread starter G.I.G.
Start date Aug 28, 2009

Cascade4R

New member

Mar 31, 2020

Tried Novus #1 and was initially disappointed. Considered buying Novus #2, but I had some Nufinish Scratch Doctor laying around. Made a couple of buff and wipe passes with Scratch Doctor and it worked wonders. Followed up with Novus #1. The clear plastic lens now looks great, though a few scratches still show. More passes with Scratch Doctor would likely have made it like new, but it's plenty good now.