With part 1/3 TW560 taken care of, it’s time to put my focus on two other issues:
- After just one day of constant wiper usage during a storm in Hungary, TW560’s acrylic windscreen is badly scratched and needs urgent attention. When the sun or lights from oncoming traffic hits the windscreen, I’m almost blind.
- Lots and lots of dirt in my TWIKE
Let’s start with TW560’s windscreen:
This is how my windscreen looked like before I started the procedure.
Luckily, a few years ago, I found a new method to polish the plastic back to perfection.
Another picture demonstrating how bad the situation was:
Before finding my current solution I used a paste and teflon wax recommended by most TWIKE pilots. Not only did the result not convince me, I also had the feeling that I was creating more micro-scratches which were adding to an overall dull slowly building on my windscreen.
The current solution is part of 3M’s standard “Perfect-It III” range of products (bought in Russia, for various reasons) aimed at professionals in the automotive business and the combination delivers the results.
To get back to a like-new windscreen, below is all you need:
- Bowl of lukewarm water
- Microfibre glove (coarse fibres)
- Microfibre cloth (fine fibres)
- 3M Standard Paste
- 2x 3M polishing pads
- Angle grinder, electronic rev control
You want to replicate what I did to get a super-clear acrylic screen? This is what you have to do:
- Wash windscreen with water ONLY using microfibre glove
- Dry screen with microfibre cloth – NO pressure – you’ll scratch your screen even more!
- Apply small amount of 3M Standard Paste to screen
- Use first 3M polishing pad with angle grinder set to 1100rpm max (too much paste will mess up your clothes, TWIKE and anything around it)
- When left with a transparent layer, add another small amount of paste, continue with vertical, lateral and circling motions until paste turns transparent again
- Change over to second, dry pad. Set angle grinder to 1700rpm and continue with vertical, lateral and circling motions until paste dissapears – NEVER stay on any given point more than a fraction of a second! If you do, you will heat up your screen quickly and it will distort due to the heat.
- Rinse windscreen with water
- Dry windscreen with microfibre cloth – again: NO excessive pressure
After just 20 minutes, my windscreen looks like new!
Happy again! 🙂
With a recently-added dash cam I was able to capture the restoration on video. With some time-lapsing and cutting, a 20-minute task is compressed to 1+ minute. Have fun!
Let’s continue with TW560’s interior:
Things were looking very bad – a lot of trans-European dirt has accumulated in TW560’s interior.
Lifting the carpet, there is a lot of dirt that has accumulated here. It seems that a previous problem has come back. I have to re-think the solution and find a more permanent way forward.
After hoovering-up all the dirt, I have to deep-cleanse the carpets…using high-pressure water.
After just 5 minutes all carpets are clean again and just need a few hours of drying to be ready again.
This part of the process is super-easy and results in a TWIKE looking like new again!