Sunburnt plastic?

[GreaseMonkey]

Here's another goodie.
Both sunvisors in my '75 280SE are discoloured.
The off-white colour of the plastic covering has brown patches on it, mostly on the side that is folded against the roof.
I mention this because I first saw this on a 450SLC I had a couple of years back, and had assumed the previous owner was a heavy smoker - although that would not explain similar stains on the passenger side.
Then I noticed the same in one of my W123 280E sedans.
And in my 280SE too, so I thought this must be a common fault here, so is it due to the sun's heat getting through the roof?
Or?
Any known fix?
Or do I just try a can of nearly matching vinyl paint?
Failing that, anyone got a nice clean pair of cream coloured visors for a W116?
Thanks,
Chris

 

[Michel]

Here's another goodie.
Both sunvisors in my '75 280SE are discoloured.
The off-white colour of the plastic covering has brown patches on it, mostly on the side that is folded against the roof.
I mention this because I first saw this on a 450SLC I had a couple of years back, and had assumed the previous owner was a heavy smoker - although that would not explain similar stains on the passenger side.
Then I noticed the same in one of my W123 280E sedans.
And in my 280SE too, so I thought this must be a common fault here, so is it due to the sun's heat getting through the roof?
Or?
Any known fix?
Or do I just try a can of nearly matching vinyl paint?
Failing that, anyone got a nice clean pair of cream coloured visors for a W116?
Thanks,
Chris

I'm sure that if the Godfather doesn't have any, then Parks would do some magic.....

 

[TJ 450]

That's a very common problem in this climate. I tend to think it is from heat buildup in the recesses.

Tim

 

[Styria]

Hi TJ 450, it is a very common problem indeed, but we just love recoloring those as the resulting transformation from 'crappy to beautiful' is so immediate. You just have to watch for breakage of the plastic- they are getting on in age and the plastic can be quite brittle.

If you can, try and have the paint and colour mixed at a paint shop. You'll get a better match and possibly a better lasting finish. Regards Styria

 

[John S]

I believe it's the glue or bonding material affecting the sunvisor colour. I had Styria recolour mine a few years ago and they looked great. Unfortunately I dropped one and the corner landed on the concrete floor, it was more brittle than I realised as the plastic in the immediate area cracked!

 

[BAR]

To refinish the plastic parts is a simple process.

Get the paint shop to mix and match a batch of paint for you. I used standard motor vehicle two pack paint when I did my car.

Preparation is always the key, so you need to get a fine brush [finger nail scrubbing brush is good] in order to get into the textured finish of the plastcis. Also a good quality product to clean all the grease and dirt, in my view prepsol is great. Scrub the surface with the prepsol and then make sure you wash off any residue with clean water and let dry.

A plastic primer is required to ensure that the paint 'stciks' properly to the plastics. Apply one even coat and let dry thouroughly before applying 2 coats of paint to the job.

 

[GreaseMonkey]

To refinish the plastic parts is a simple process.

Get the paint shop to mix and match a batch of paint for you. I used standard motor vehicle two pack paint when I did my car.

Preparation is always the key, so you need to get a fine brush [finger nail scrubbing brush is good] in order to get into the textured finish of the plastcis. Also a good quality product to clean all the grease and dirt, in my view prepsol is great. Scrub the surface with the prepsol and then make sure you wash off any residue with clean water and let dry.

A plastic primer is required to ensure that the paint 'stciks' properly to the plastics. Apply one even coat and let dry thouroughly before applying 2 coats of paint to the job.

Thanks for that, sounds straight forward, as always, preparation is all important.
At least I am glad to know it is not just afflicting my cars!
Chris

 

[Parks]

the best paint to use is an acrylic, thats what all the dash board guys use , it sticks better to plastic , (some guys use a binder or primer) ,and it comes out a semi flat finish from the gun whereas 2pak gives to much of a glossy finish, and originally the plastics and vinyl had a semi matte finish......regards Parks

p.s all the 116 plastics etc came out with a pebble grain finish and had what I call a dirty grain finish meaning the grain was darker than the dominant colour on the trim, so as a consequence of painting the trim pieces you will lose that dirty grain and thats the down side but its better than having all discoloured bits....I believe it is possible to get the dirty grain somehow but I suspect it would be a highly skilled job which I hvent seen done as of yet