SatiricalHen Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 I've noticed every factory switch from this era Comanche/Cherokee seems to be light grey and chalky looking. I was wondering if any of you had found a way other than painting to bring back the darker color of the switch. Thanks in advance! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Well I know there is new switches available but I’ve had some luck using some plastic restore that is used for auto detail on sunfaded plastics, but I never tried such on one of the switches. I think I have a couple and I can see how well they come out this afternoon when I return home. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
schardein Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 I have a stiff plastic bristle brush for cleaning hands & fingernails. I take the old switch and give it 30 seconds of brushing, dry, as hard as I can press it. I go at it from a couple different angles. Some clean up better than others, but the ones that clean up good, look really good. Left two are the cleanest used switches I've found in about 10 years of searching. The far right is a cleaned up switch. Sorry, no before/after. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dzimm Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 You can use a heat gun to restore the darker color on some plastics, works especially well for fender flares. Haven't tried it on those switches but its worth a shot. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatiricalHen Posted February 25, 2019 Author Share Posted February 25, 2019 Maybe next time I go to the junkyard I’ll grab a few random switches out of a Cherokee or two and see if I can try different things and darken them up. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted February 25, 2019 Share Posted February 25, 2019 Well, I ought to follow up and the results are not terrible but not great The defrost switch came out as the worst, the rear wipers came out acceptable From left to right: Defrost, both rear wipers and NOS fog light. Used plastic restore. Not great but decent. I wouldn't pick up a bottle unless the other options don't do well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatiricalHen Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 Well, I ought to follow up and the results are not terrible but not great The defrost switch came out as the worst, the rear wipers came out acceptable From left to right: Defrost, both rear wipers and NOS fog light. Used plastic restore. Not great but decent. I wouldn't pick up a bottle unless the other options don't do well. Man that NOS switch looks really good. I looked up the price of a new switch and for an autozone one it’s like $45. Not sure if it’s that worth it to me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eaglescout526 Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 6 minutes ago, SatiricalHen said: Man that NOS switch looks really good. I looked up the price of a new switch and for an autozone one it’s like $45. Not sure if it’s that worth it to me. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Meh, I would not buy a new switch unless you really really needed to. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SatiricalHen Posted February 26, 2019 Author Share Posted February 26, 2019 Meh, I would not buy a new switch unless you really really needed to. I don’t plan on it unless I win the lottery or somehow find it for dirt cheap. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Limeyjeeper Posted February 26, 2019 Share Posted February 26, 2019 I have been using Griots plastic polish. It works pretty well in cleaning up switches and backing plates. Takes some rubbing but it seems to do the trick. Left switch untouched, right one polished. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now