Problems with some plastic lenses

Question:

I read with great interest the article in your July 2007 issue about the clear plastic lens reconditioning. The plastic lenses on the trunk handle on my 1953 Buick Special are badly faded. They were originally red but are now pink or almost white. Other than the discoloration, they appear to be in good condition. The fading seems to have penetrated the plastic rather deeply. I have contemplated attempting the techniques that were used on the headlight covers in that issue. The thing that worries me about using that technique is that there are stainless steel letters spelling “BUICK” and “EIGHT” fastened to the lenses with tabs on the individual letters passing through the lenses and twisted to secure them. I fear that attempting to remove them may break the lens or letters.

As an alternative, a friend suggested a spray-on product called Lens Restorer, from a company called New Tech. The can on his shelf was unusable and he couldn’t remember where he got it.

I was curious if you have heard of such a product.

Answer:

I am not familiar with New Tech Lens Restorer and could not locate the company or the product. There are, however, other liquid lens restoration products on the market, such as Pittman’s Original One Step. If the color in your plastic emblems is being obscured because of oxidation on the clear portion of the emblem’s lens then a liquid cleaner may be very helpful. If, however, the underlying color is faded, the cleaner will not restore it to new condition.

If you do decide to remove the letters in order to restore the emblems you will need to unbend their retention tabs. Take extra care not to pry them up using the plastic to brace your screwdriver against or you risk cracking the plastic.