Those Yellowed Coolant Reservoirs

[Guitar280Z]

Hello,
All of my cars are old enough that the fluid reservoirs have all gotten slightly off-white and opaque. Is there some miracle product or process that you can use to clear up those old bottles, that doesn't involve peroxide or bleach?

[Detailing by M]

Re: Those Yellowed Coolant Reservoirs

Not that I know of.
that's just what happens to those.

[Guitar280Z]

Re: Those Yellowed Coolant Reservoirs

You can de-yellow or polish everything else that's plastic, why not the coolant reservoir? It's about as important to the car as the gas tank. And on some vehicles, it's extremely expensive to buy or even unavailable.

[Detailing by M]

De-yellowing plasic?
Don't realy know what your talking about.
Headlights? That's usualy acrilic and not milky plastic.
But if you want, go ahead and polish away. But the yellowing is throughout the plastic and not on the surface like a headlight.
Just buy another one if it bothers you.

[Guitar280Z]

Re: Those Yellowed Coolant Reservoirs

I'm referring to containers like the coolant reservoir or the windscreen washer reservoir primarily. The power steering reservoir could also be included.

They are pretty much translucent when new, and after a while, they will get discolored and slightly opaque from oxidation or stained from the contents. Fortunately, the oxidation doesn't go all the way through, so it may be possible to reverse. Polishing or sanding or using an abrasive isn't good because you will eventually wear away the material, so some kind chemical treatment is in order.

Buying new reservoirs isn't always possible or even affordable, and if you visit some classic car event, the need for such a restoration product becomes evident.

[Meticulous-Detail]

I use Meg's APC+ or OPC on those type of plastic containers with a light brushing. If that doesn't work then they are probably to far gone.

[the other pc]

Re: Those Yellowed Coolant Reservoirs

You can de-yellow or polish everything else that's plastic, why not the coolant reservoir? ....

Actually, you can't de-yellow or polish everything else that's plastic. It depends on the plastic and the nature of the yellowing.

If the discoloration is only on the surface AND the plastic lends itself to polishing (many plastics don't), then you can most likely polish it out.

If the discoloration is throughout the bulk of the plastic or the plastic isn't amenable to abrasive polishing, then you're stuck with it.

.... It's about as important to the car as the gas tank. And on some vehicles, it's extremely expensive to buy or even unavailable.

It's important that the reservoir be structurally sound. As far as the manufacturers and safety authorities are concerned, cosmetics are irrelevant.



pc

[Guitar280Z]

Re: Those Yellowed Coolant Reservoirs

From my experience, I've found that what's making headlamps look dull or foggy usually isn't what's on the face of the lens, it's what on the back of the lens- it's dirty. Some rinsing and rubbing with a bit of cloth clears the lens to be like new, and didn't cost anything but some time.

I'm just really disappointed that you can restore just about everything but those reservoirs in your not-so-new or classic car. There are 'snake oils' for just about everything from cleaning your engine to making tyres look new, but some of the most important parts under the hood ought to get some of that benifit, especially for a classic show car where Replacements are not an option.