Anyone know what's up with the dark speckles on the plastic on the steering wheel/centre console?
Is it a "design feature" or something to be cleaned off?
It seems to be well ground in there on mine, but I haven't tried too hard to clean it, yet.
I mean, I don't want to be taking brake fluid and a wire brush to it or anything..
But just wondering if it's common?
What it is?
And if it's easy to remove, and if so, how?
Thanks..
Here's some pictures, I like pictures..

 

This looks like something thst has been sprayed on...a cleaning or detailing product...but which was not buffed off. Many of those products, if not buffed will cause this sort of spotting.
It is particular to your car - meaning that it is something that has been done to your car rather than being an ageing charcteristic of the finish on the parts.
Was the car valeted at some point?

 

Thanks.
I have no idea if it was valeted, I only have it about 2 weeks, and it definitely wasn't recently valeted when I bought it.
But yea, it does have that "sprayed" look alright. To get it out, it looks like it would need at least a good soaking. I briefly tried a dashboard wipe, but it didn't do anything, and so I just thought I'd ask here before doing anything else.

 

Firstly, I highly doubt it's "plastic" as the wood dashes are real wood veneered onto a substrate. I would hazard a guess it's aluminum on a substrate. As I personally have never seen one with the metal finish, I would be of no use. There are some google searched sites with aluminum dash kits, as well as carbon fiber and the woods (googled trying to even find anyone with your type dash = no luck).
Perhaps try an aluminum wheel cleaner in an inconspicuous place?

 

Ok, dog with a bone time later =

I couldn't find even an option (in Jaguar brochures) for your interior =


The confusion seems to be that my assumption was the dash, etc. Were all this metal, as with wood, the parts in your pic are completely different (dark gray).






BUT... never giving in, I found this picture which answers your question. DEFINITELY not supposed to be speckled =

 

Ha, thanks.. that seems to be the one alright.
I've been looking myself as well but can't find any details on it.
But yea if it was supposed to be speckled it was a really bad idea because it looks terrible!
It does seem to feel like plastic alright though, it definitely doesn't seem to have that cold, hard, metal feel to it. The car is 2010 so the rest of the dash is the carbon fibre stuff, and leather.
I might just try and give it a few more light cleans over the next few days with dash wipes, I'm a bit reluctant to give it a hard, wet, scrubbing, for fear of wetting liquid in underneath, and/or scrubbing off the little control/volume symbols.

 

Back to post #4 "plastic" observation was based on "dashboard" assumption of veneer. The parts in "regular" X's (dark gray) are indeed plastic, so idk about your metallic ones. I ASSUME it's plastic as well. It MIGHT be plastic oxidation (yup, real thing). Cleaning (think juvenile soft toothbrush from $ store, micro fiber cloth) with undiluted white vinegar may work as it does on regular oxidized plastic. Last resort would be alcohol wiping. I'd try either of these on the least conspicuous place first.

 

Thanks.
Vinegar didn't do anything anyway. I tried light rub with a bit of 1800 grit sandpaper on a small corner of the light switch and it removed it, but it looked a bit "scratchy", so I doubt I'll do that all over.
It might just be a matter of finding the right cleaner, and the right kind of abrasive. But yea, it's definitely plastic alright.

 

I think I've found a way to remove these strange speckles, Barkeeper's friend.
I tried some in the section on the right side of the hazard button (and a little on the left) and it's definitely improved. It's really strong stuff so I'm going to be a bit careful with it. Maybe I'll do it over a few days and weeks whenever I've got a few spare minutes.

It's great stuff. I stupidly tried to wash out an intake manifold in the bath a few years ago and the oil and soot absolutely welded itself to the sides of the bath. I'd tried all sorts of thing to remove it, bleach, oven cleaner, engine degreaser, and nothing worked until I found Barkeeper's Friend. Had it spotless in a few minutes.
Definitely something to keep in mind if you really need to clean any weird or unusual stuff.

 

You may see "scratches" in bright light.


Is Bar Keepers Friend abrasive? There are abrasive particles in all BKF products except for MORE Spray + Foam. The powder products contain more abrasive than the pre-diluted Soft Cleanser.

BKF is an acidic cleaner, whereas most other powdered cleansers are alkaline (bleach-based). Acidic cleansers are more effective against mineral deposits and rust stains and are also recommended by most stainless steel product manufacturers over bleach-based cleansers.

Acidic as in vinegar, lol.

 

It's the cream that I used.
I didn't see any noticeable scratches from it, but I'll definitely keep that in mind, and give it a good examination tomorrow. And I might try a few inconspicuous spots on the next outing, maybe down around the light switch..
I think perhaps what looks like a scratch above the auto button could be from when I gave it a rub of sandpaper, but it's not noticeable in the car. I only saw it here in this photo. Sunlight+ high-def photos can bring out all sorts of stuff!