Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

[kesawi]

I've been a bit of an idiot when trying to put some steel stakes in the car and have scratched the plastic on a door panel in a really bad way

The scratches are quite deep and stand out. I accept they are there for good and I only really want to make them less noticeable. I'd apprecite any advice in how to treat them.

I have heard somewhere that vasoline can be useful to help dull the scratch.

[S-T-R-I-K-E-R]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

usually we treat those scratches using a heat gun. just be careful.. im sure i dont have to explain why.

GOOD LUCK

[mcox]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

To add to what STRIKER said, once you heat them they should "fill" in a bit but the texture will not be there. Try gently running your finger nail over them before heating them and see if it "fills" in at all.

[kesawi]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

I don't have a heat gun, would a hair dryer do the trick?

[mcox]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

Heat guns, depending on application, tend to have a much smaller opening than a hair dryer. The opening of the hair dryer won't necessarily allow you to focus the heat on the small area that you need to. Also, it may take quite some time with the dryer but hey give it a go and let us know how it turns out.

[kesawi]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

I've run my finger nail over them and it hasn't filled them in al all.

What is supposed to happen when I run the heat gun over the scratch? I assume it softens the plastic, but then what do I do?

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

usually we treat those scratches using a heat gun. just be careful.. im sure i dont have to explain why.

GOOD LUCK

Care to expand on this a bit more? If you're cautioning someone about a process it usually means damage can occur fairly easily, so a few pointers, things to watch out for, etc would be really helpful. Scratches in plastic like this are fairly common, and always annoying. We'd hate to see someone make a bad situation worse, but we'd love to see someone with experience explain their process a bit more.

[kesawi]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

Any further guidance from anyone on what exactly to do with the heat gun would be appreciated.

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

Ah.... so much information built-up on the common questions and topics in the Hot Topics forum.

Like this one,

What it means to remove a scratch out of anything...


Go to your local PBE store and see if you can get some matching paint by SEM

Then figure out a way to apply the paint to the scratch after cleaning really well. You can make this kind of touch-up work as complicated as you like but usually more and more work doesn't always equal better and better results.

Have you thought about checking the local wrecking yards for a wrecked car with a matching colored door panel?

[kesawi]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

Mike,

I did a search for "plastic" under Hot Topics revealling 23 threads, which are all concerned with external paintwork issues, not repairing internal trim.

I presume the purpose of using the paint is to make the colour of the scratch consistent with the surrounding material so it is less noticeable? Trick will be finding a matching paint which not only has the same colour, but also reflective properties.

I've been using Meguiars Gold Class Dash & Trim Foam Protectant on the panel. Does this leave any coating on the plastic which I'll need to clean off first with something other than water and detergent to avoid bonding issues with the paint?

I had been considering trying to find the part at a wreckers, but haven't investigated it yet.

[SHYNEMAN123]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

Most interior trim has some degree of texture or grain to it, a process I have used for many years is as follows.

1. clean area thoroughly
2. lightly sand scratch with 180 grit sand paper and leave dust as it lays
3. apply thin layer of good old crazy glue to defect
4. sand area with 180 grit with glue still wet. The glue will mix with the dust and fill the defect. This may take more than 1 application. As you will see the glue and sanding will level the grain or texture and you will need to replace it.There are different ways to do this,The easiest I feel is with a mini spray gun.As Mike recommended SEM is one the best Interior dye products I use.
5.purchase the correct color for your application.
6.you will also need a product called stone or chip guard, It dries very uneven to simulate the texture. You will need to practice on masking paper to get the correct gun adjustment to give you the same grain pattern as the panel.By adjusting the air at the gun to the cap you can very the size of splatter to match your panel.
7. after you apply the grain or texture let flash dry or you can force dry with a hair dryer.
8. Apply color coat with thin coats to achieve hiding.This step needs practice, Too wet or dry will change the texture. So practice.

This is a lot easier than it may sound it just takes a little practice on a test panel to achieve good results.

[kesawi]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

$390 for the panel from a wrecker 1000 miles away. By the time I get the equipment and materials to do the above for a one off job, I'd probably be near the cost of the replacement anyway. I might just live with it.

[tguil]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

Scratches in interior plastic trim are "forever"....unless you replace the entire panel. To think about....as soon as you repair one scratch (which will never be perfect) or replace and entire panel, you will get a scratch in another place.

Tom

[grafxworld]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

not to hi jack the thread bu I'm looking for help , on a vinyl dash that has scratches,, and a heat gun my be to extreme, does Megs have any suggestions on hiding them ,

kinda like the old shoe polish on leather trick ? to reduce the bad looking vinyl without replacing it or covering it in something else ?

thanks

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Deep Scratch to Interior Plastic Door Panel

Ultimate Protectant probably does a better job of this than anything else. Obviously you can't really polish out a scratch on a textured vinyl surface, but you can conceal them a bit. UP seems to do a very good job of this.