I was just wondering does anyone know how to restore faded plastic back to shinny new? I have a 2002 prairie 650 and the red plastic is really faded from sitting out in the sun. Is there anyway to buff it and make is shinny again?

 

Not sure you'll ever be able to restore the original plastic if it faded from the sun. Another thought is Krylon Fusion. It's a plastic specific spray paint. I haven't used it yet but I've heard some good reports from people on this forum.

 

I'll have to think about that. Anyone else have any suggestions?

 

I know a guy who had a similar issue and he cought one of those camo kits for an ATV and put it on. It consists of a series of clip on covers and some camo tape of hard to reach areas. When he was done he ahd a real tree camo ATV that looks pretty sharp.

You could also buy new pastics but that can be pretty spendy.

I do not know of any way of reversing UV damage to plastic.

SJ

 

i run a auto body repair shop and we buff plastic all the time.will make it look close to new,except for the scratches and gouges etc.
we use full size polishers/sanders with foam pads and 3m products,but just start with something non abrasive like a polishing glaze and i gurantee you will be impressed.
just dont stay in one spot to long,kepp the buffer moving.just enough to remove the fading but not heating the plastic to much.
anyhow hope this helps.

 

one more thing on the scratches,most surface scratches will practically dissapear its just he deeper ones you wont be able to get out (anything that catches your fingernail)with just buffing alone anyhow.just let me know if u need more specifics (message me or ill probably never see it)

 

I've seen an open flame from a torch bring back faded color and smooths out small scratches.

 

Yeah you can do it with a buffer and several stages of cutting and polishing compounds. Just like they do in auto body and detailing shops.

You have to use a cutting wheel, then a foam polishing pad and continually lighten the compound until you get to the wax stage.

It takes forever, and its a lot of work..... In the end its not really worth it since you can probably find better plastics on Ebay.

 

You could try a great product called Plexus.
Here is just one place you can get it - Plexus is the most effective plastic polish available for cleaning, protecting,and polishing all kinds of plastic. plexus,plexus plastic

 

black magic or armorall.not a good idea if your gonna ride in dirt but it works if your trying to make it look pretty to sell