Restoring a faded plastic hood?

[Vigilant]

Still kicking tires at this point, planning to buy another X500 with low hours in the Fall. I have seen a few that were pretty faded, both the hood and the metal. I'm not worried about bringing back the luster in the metal, but I'm not sure about the plastic hood. Can a John Deere plastic hood be brought back to life and shine like new? Thanks in advance.

 

[Roadworthy]

Stupid question (from me) but is the hood actually faded? I have a 45 year old Mitsubishi with a VERY faded metal hood. My neighbor told me it wasn't faded but covered with hard water deposits and alkali from local dust. He took a small buffer and some rubbing compound. Within minutes it looked almost new. I had been wondering about painting it. I'm happy.

 

[dfkrug]

Can a John Deere plastic hood be brought back to life and shine like new?

I did some polishing on some of the JD green plastic resin on a JD4300 former rental tractor that I refurbished. Mostly I did it by hand with automotive polishing compound since it was too easy to overheat the plastic with a buffing wheel.

I did not look like new, but it sure looked better. Sadly, that green resin gets brittle with age, and is very expensive.

 

[spitter]

There is a kit that they make for dirt bikes and quads some sort of plastic rejuivinator it works wonders . I did a old beat up raptor the plastics came out like new . t's a bit of work but well worth it . Google plastic renew.:drink:

 

[oosik]

I've used a product - 303 - on the plastic hood of the Kubota and the black plastic fender extensions on the pickup. It restores the original color but it is not a permanent fix. It lasts as long as a wax job does.

 

[fried1765]

I've used a product - 303 - on the plastic hood of the Kubota and the black plastic fender extensions on the pickup. It restores the original color but it is not a permanent fix. It lasts as long as a wax job does.

3M 303 is great stuff!
I use it on all sorts of things (particularly rubber parts) to improve appearance/luster.
You are correct!
The enhanced luster does not last forever, but is good for up to 6 months, depending on sun exposure.

 

[TractorGuy]

I cleaned some of the faded stuff on my 4310 with Mcquires cleaner wax. It didn't come back like new but looked better. It's back like it was less than a year later. I don't remember how long it looked better.

I bought a bottle of plastic restorer for headlights the other day. I also got a can of stuff to spray on that is supposed to make the polishing job last. I may try that stuff in my JD plastic.

 

[Vigilant]

I've used a product - 303 - on the plastic hood of the Kubota and the black plastic fender extensions on the pickup. It restores the original color but it is not a permanent fix. It lasts as long as a wax job does.

303 Aerospace Protectant?

 

[dfkrug]

I bought a bottle of plastic restorer for headlights the other day. I also got a can of stuff to spray on that is supposed to make the polishing job last. I may try that stuff in my JD plastic.

Try it and see. I suspect most any polish will make it better.

For polycarbonate headlight lenses, the oxidation is in the coating, so polishing them requires re-coating them to keep them clear. I have heard good reports of using 600-grit wet-sanding paper and rattle-can lacquer. No need to buy any special kit.