How to clean Oakley visor?

[xstartxtodayx 343]

I've had my Oakley modified aviator visor for about 6 or 7 years now and it had some smudges and scuffs on it. I just got a new helmet so I thought I'd clean the visor while transferring it over, sounded simple enough I thought but didn't turn out how I expected. I normally use the Oakley AFR spray before I play so I guess it has a nice coating of that caked on. I washed it pretty well w/ some warm soapy water and dried it w/ a clean microfiber towel. Upon drying it I noticed it looked like it was covered w/ a residue (mostly in the center of the visor on the outside surface), I could feel it w/ my fingers but wasn't able to rub it off. So I cleaned it again and again and again but no luck... the residue won't budge and it makes it pretty tough to see through.

Anyone have any experience with this or have any ideas for me to try? Unfortunately I can't afford to buy a new one til next week so I want to make this one usable until then. Any help us appreciated, thanks.

[tdjb 0]

I think I had a similar experience with an oakley visor. I got a new oakley visor off ebay awhile back for a good deal and totally ruined it just with water. It pissed me off because I had been cleaning my old oakley visor with water for over 6 months without an issue.

Anyways, what happened is that a residue like you described formed all over the visor. It looked kind of like if someone had rubbed a thin layer of rubber cement or something all over it and let it dry. I tried everything to get it off but nothing worked. I hope that's not what happened to your visor but it sounds like it is.

[Darkbyte 0]

Not sure if this will help, but when I clean my motorcycle helmet visor (iridium/mirror tint) I only use a product called plexus (comes in a spray can). Its a plastic cleaner/protectant. You can use it on pretty much anything (even removing chin lube/wax from plastic body work).

http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/plexus.html

Not sure where you would get it. The only place I have found it is in motorcycle stores, but seeing as Im in a different country, it probably doesnt help much.

[xstartxtodayx 343]

Thanks for the replies. The residue is sort of like what was described, but it's streaky and spider-web looking almost (at first I thought they were all hairline cracks in the plastic but then realized it was a residue of some sort). I'll have to go to an auto parts store and find some plastic cleaner, that may help out.

The weird thing is, the scuff I was originally trying to clean off is now completely clean with none of this residue, it's almost like a negative of what I started with. I didn't do anything special to that spot or anything so I don't get it. Oh well guess I'll try some more cleaning today when I get home from work.

[yianni54 2]

Not sure if this will help, but when I clean my motorcycle helmet visor (iridium/mirror tint) I only use a product called plexus (comes in a spray can). Its a plastic cleaner/protectant. You can use it on pretty much anything (even removing chin lube/wax from plastic body work).

http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/plexus.html

Not sure where you would get it. The only place I have found it is in motorcycle stores, but seeing as Im in a different country, it probably doesnt help much.

That is what I use on my Oakly!

[McDougalfaschnitzer 32]

The AFR spray should be the best option I think. Do you have pics of it? Might make it easier to tell if the visor is ruined or not.

[xstartxtodayx 343]

The AFR spray should be the best option I think. Do you have pics of it? Might make it easier to tell if the visor is ruined or not.

I tried the spray and it didn't do anything. I'll snap a couple of pics when I get home from work later. I'm thinking I may just have to buy a new one, after all it's 6 or 7 years old so I can't say I didn't get some good use out of it.

[Stacey 0]

Sorry to say but it's not residue, your visor has crystallized and is unfortunately done for.

[xstartxtodayx 343]

Sorry to say but it's not residue, your visor has crystallized and is unfortunately done for.

That's what I was afraid of :( It's hard to tell b/c it does feel slightly raised as if it's something on the surface, but it would make sense since it hasn't come off or gotten any better. Now I know, next time don't try to wash the visor w/ water or anything like that.

[Chadd 916]

Sorry to say but it's not residue, your visor has crystallized and is unfortunately done for.

That's what I was afraid of :( It's hard to tell b/c it does feel slightly raised as if it's something on the surface, but it would make sense since it hasn't come off or gotten any better. Now I know, next time don't try to wash the visor w/ water or anything like that.

Water is fine, it was the soap that doomed your effort.

[maxamillion 3]

Not sure if this will help, but when I clean my motorcycle helmet visor (iridium/mirror tint) I only use a product called plexus (comes in a spray can). Its a plastic cleaner/protectant. You can use it on pretty much anything (even removing chin lube/wax from plastic body work).

http://www.plexusplasticcleaner.com/plexus.html

Not sure where you would get it. The only place I have found it is in motorcycle stores, but seeing as Im in a different country, it probably doesnt help much.

Plexus is the shit.

[tdjb 0]

Sorry to say but it's not residue, your visor has crystallized and is unfortunately done for.

That's what I was afraid of :( It's hard to tell b/c it does feel slightly raised as if it's something on the surface, but it would make sense since it hasn't come off or gotten any better. Now I know, next time don't try to wash the visor w/ water or anything like that.

Water is fine, it was the soap that doomed your effort.

That is what I thought but just plain warm water ruined my visor :(

I never was able to figure out why one visor never had any issues with just water, while the other one was totally ruined with it.

[VakarLajos 5]

http://oakley.com/technology/hockey_visor

their site is a bit misleading it seems:

Visor Care

Shield should only be cleaned with warm water and mild soap prior to each use. Dry the eye visor with a soft cotton cloth or an Oakley Micro-bag. Do not use any solvent, abrasive, chemical, or commercial or industrial cleaner on any part of the visor. Do not use anti-fog products from other manufacturers, as they may adversely affect the Oakley anti-fog coating.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

Could've been the type of soap.

[ZINC 8]

That's weird. I clean mine w/ either normal hair conditioner and warm water, or normal dish soap and warm water a few times a week, and it's been fine.

[Rustpot 1]

Call up Oakley customer service. They might refer you to CCM, but if your visor became unusable following their care instructions they might tell you why it happened and offer some sort of compensation.

I've had a few issues with my sunglasses that they've fixed just fine, never had to contact them for hockey though.

[tdjb 0]

Call up Oakley customer service. They might refer you to CCM, but if your visor became unusable following their care instructions they might tell you why it happened and offer some sort of compensation.

I've had a few issues with my sunglasses that they've fixed just fine, never had to contact them for hockey though.

Just make sure you have your receipt and that it came from a legit dealer. That's exactly what I did with my visor that got messed up but since I had purchased it off of e-bay (brand new), they wouldn't help me. They did seem helpful initially though.

[Rustpot 1]

In start-today's case I'd be more concerned about why it happened and how to prevent it from happening again. 5-6 years ago Oakley was absolutely wonderful on providing warranty service. Something has since changed and they're more "corporate" vs. the surfer dude SoCal company they were.

[Joker518 0]

This is why I've had one, and only one Oakley visor. I've had plenty of Itechs and they never self-destructed on me. I am meticulous with how I treat my gear and the Oakley still crystallized on me...

[chippa13 1844]

It isn't that hard to keep an Oakley in perfect condition. Simply use the AFR spray and keep it in a helmet bag when it is in your hockey bag.

[xstartxtodayx 343]

Thanks for all the replies. I'm not too worried about getting it replaced/warrantied b/c to be honest I can probably get it replaced by Oakley if I wanted to (a friend of mine is a sales rep for Fox racing and is good friends w/ the Oakley rep, we all used to work at this huge bike shop together about 8 years ago and I've had numerous pairs of sunglasses that cost 4x as much as a visor warrantied without issue regardless how old they were, the only thing about that is it takes weeks-months toil you get a new one).

Anyways, here are some pics of the visor and the damage. It's pretty tough to take good shots of it since it's clear and tough to focus on the damage itself, but I think I got it pretty good.

I think I'm pretty much out of luck, looks like I'll be buying a new one this weekend.

[tdjb 0]

Yep, that's exactly what mine looked like (actually mine was a bit worse). I wish I could tell you how to fix it (if it's even possible) but I can't.

[oOCujoOo 0]

Yikes. Sorry to see that happen to ya. I just got my Oakley visor and decided to clean it with warm water. Only mistake was the microfiber towel I used was fresh out the laundry. =/ Boneheaded move. The detergent started to create this residue with minor scratches on the inside of my visor, but luckily warm water and hair conditioner fixed it right up. Whew! The conditioner really does work though. Hopefully no long term issues. :D

[Tikkanen 1]

Soap has all kinds of stuff in it. Use the Oakley spray or else with their visors.

[JR Boucicaut 3804]

OR Fogzero.