Hi.

Should I be worried? I just noticed that my new 2013 coupe has a lot of swirl marks on the tail lights. I haven't washed the car yet so they must have been that way. Being that they are plastic lenses, would this be inevitable? I just happened to see it today while my car was having tint put on the windows.

Is there a sure fire way to remove the swirls? Should I go to the dealership and complain?

I didn't take a picture yet but it's easy to visualize. It looks like someone polished them with the wrong product. Yet, I know that all plastic lenses develop swirls so I'm not sure if this is considered normal. Thanks again.

 

If its that new I would definitely take it back to the dealership and have them replaced

 

Of course not normal for a new car. You better take it back asap. If you kept it for more than 2 weeks I bet they won't replace it.

 

I will say something. The dealership has been really good at swapping out parts that have had blemishes from the start including the rear sear and passenger door panel and three wheels that had scratches on them. Sometimes I feel that the car was used to swap out messed up parts. It was a dealer swap - since I wanted the wood - so its hard when you get a car that you haven't picked off the lot.

I don't want to seem like a nitpick but the swirls are particularly bad. The odd thing though is that the headlights are fine.

 

Ehh a detailer who knows what they are doing could remove those in under 10 minutes. The plastic is pretty soft. If the dealership is swapping them out, then go that route but realistically they'll probably just buff them.

 

Any suggestion on what to use? Plastix can be a mixed bag and cause swirls itself. I heard good things about Mother's Plastic Polish. Also, there's a long, fine scratch on one that yo can catch with your fingernail. As promised, here are the pics ...

 

+1. You can have them brand new again in 10 minutes. Any polish can clean them very easy.

 

Those lenses can get swirl type surface scratching very easily. Try cleaning a spot with a microfiber towel, then driving around for the day.

Get a flash light, shine it on the tail light lense and swipe your finger across, it will scratch. Definitely go the detailer route, I have had success with this.

The new ones will be swirled out of the box, once the tech touches and installs them.

From looking at the photos, its the normal dealer installed swirl mark package. Hopefully an easy fix.

 

That's not too bad, the swirls look fairly shallow but the long fine scratch is somewhat deep. Regardless, all of those can be removed safely. However, it is somewhat hard to do by hand. Your hand power is no match for a buffer going at 4800 oscillations per minute.


I would try Meguiar's ultimate polish and a foam pad first. I think they have kits at auto stores, hard to remember exactly what they are since 90% of my products come from online. However, you do NOT need a plastic specific polish. Meguiar's Ultimate polish is probably one of the least abrasive ones you can buy over the counter, so I would start with that. If you want to speed it up, use Ultimate compound first and finish with ultimate polish.

I would recommend this kit if you want to maintain your own car. I can't speak on the quality of the polisher(I have 4 different ones, use Rupes 21 and Griot's garage polishers the most), but the actual polish itself is very nice and the pads should be pretty nice. This is the cheapest one you can buy, also one of the safest. 110% better than anything by hand. Those swirls on your lights will eventually re-appear, and this will easily knock them down in 5 minutes: http://www.3dproducts.com/HD-Polisher-Kit.html

 

Great advice here ^^
The Ultimate compound will speed things up and I'd go that route since you probably won't be using a power buffer. By hand the Ultimate compound won't cut so quick so you'll be fine using a waxing pad or microfiber towel to apply. I'd prime the pad or towel w/ the compound, just spread the compound lightly on the pad or towel until it's damp w/ compound, the main thing is not hitting the lens w/ a dry pad/towel. You probably won't need the Ultimate polish, Just put a bit less pressure on your final application of the Ultimate compound, wipe it off w/ a clean micro towel then put a light coating of finish wax. The plastic lenses are more prone to water spot etching once they've been compounded, at least that's been my experience, and the wax will help w/ that.
BTW, I actually have that 3D Polisher combo kit, it's a nice deal for those that just want to do a nice detail several times a year on 2 or 3 cars. It's got plenty of power, just get about 6 more assorted cut/polishing pads and you're good to go.

 

Cool. Thanks for the advice. I have a bottle of Meg's Ultimate Compound and Ultimate Polish. These are intended for use on paint, but you're saying they work for plastic lenses as well?

 

They'll work just fine, it's also for plastic bumpers and other body pieces too!

 

Thanks everyone for your suggestions. I will give the UC a shot and post back.

 

Just a heads up. My detailer stopped by my garage at the office abd buffed them with an orbital. He did say that they were pretty marked up for new though. Now they look new. Thanks for the advice!

 

Nice! Those taillights respond pretty well to buffing & compounds. Be sure to put a good wax on them ASAP, they'll be more prone to water spot etching if they're left unprotected.