New fan in Loveland, CO

We bought this deep green '98 Riviera for our daughter's 1st car a month or so ago with about 88K miles! She is loving it and I do too! Wish it would have been loved a little more by the previous owners, 2 for sure. Our daughter is getting an elbow-deep intro to automobile mechanics! Within the 1st week we saved this engine from an early death by changing the oil and replacing the caved in pan with 1/2 inch of sludge which the oil pickup screen was sitting in! There was carmelized oil covering 1/3 of the screen! DON'T jack up your Riv using the oil pan! I don't know, maybe they did it wrong, but that's a bad idea in my opinion. We also replaced the SC oil already. She runs smooth and quiet now. We have several more things to repair that I'll ask about here for sure.

Welcome! That's a nice Riviera. The cornering lenses are surprisingly clear, usually they're badly yellowed. It must have spent most of it's life in a garage.

Welcome!  

You can keep the cornering lenses pretty clear by wiping them with Aerospace 303 or other UV protectant that is OK for clear plastic, each time you wash the car. See the pic of my car in my signature for comparison.  I was told some time ago that the headlight lenses are actual GE Lexan(R) and have a CVD-applied UV hardcoat; if I am not mistaken, the cornering lights are made of PMMA (poly methyl methacrylate), the same plastic as many/most turn signals and tail lights, and tend to yellow (quickly) in the sun.  I do not know if these PMMA lenses were made of Lucite(R) or someone else's PMMA.  That said, in my experience, the lenses on the Riv actually will noticeably yellow month by month with continued solar exposure.  Lexan(R) PC is more expensive but works at the higher temperatures that halogen headlights run at and with the coating is mad UV stable.  PMMA generally won't, it's OK to about 100deg. C; the lower temps of turn/indicator lights are fine for it.

To keep the headlights clear, **never** polish them, that will remove the hard coat and they will fog up really quickly. No kidding, they will stay clear if you do not scrub or polish them, or use strong chemicals.   

As for the cornering lights, some years ago a list member posted that he got his cleared up by washing in a home dishwashing machine, with appropriate detergent -- I can not verify that but if it intrigues you I'm sure if you look enough you'll find the old post. There are a couple people (like me) who keep the corners clear with a protectant.  Armor-All won't work, though, really you have to use 303.  TurtleWax ICE used to work but IIRC there's two formulations, one formula in the fine print on the label says don't use on clear plastics or some such.  You have to hunt around and find the other formulation.

Also, I've replaced my oil pan twice over the years (it's been a while) because ham handed pro mechanics have insisted on jacking the car by the pan for one reason or another. What a needless pain.  Not only do they deform the pan, they  crush the  pan gasket.

Your Riv is gorgeous. Period.

Albertj

Welcome, Brent!

Welcome here , Brent.