Hard plastic cleaning

[showtime]

One of my big account is a Ford dealership. Whatever plastic they're using in the new cars is almost impossible to clean. It's very hard, but it feels porous. The biggest problem I'm having is scuffs/tar. They just never seem to come out, it almost "tatoos" the plastic. Any suggestions? I've been detailing for 12 years and this even stumps me.

[Pete-FWA]

Is this interior or exterior plastic?

Well, could be both...

...anyway, with the tar and scuffs, have you tried any kinds of solvents?

I do remember some interior kickplates and seat trim that just wouldn't clean. If it didn't brush out with an APC, forget about it. Solvents would instantly remove the coloring along with the stain. Unfortunately, those often had to be dyed after we'd remove the offending mark or stain.

We used to use a product similar to Body Solvent on the exterior plastic. I'd let it soak, then pressure wash. I hate to admit it, but sometimes those would have to be dyed as well. The stains just wouldn't budge, even with solvents or lacquer thinner. If they didn't pay for it, it didn't get dyed, but that made us look like we couldn't remove simple tar spots. Bad times

What Ford models are you talking about? Now I want to visit one of our local Ford dealerships to see if they have that kind of problem.

[showtime]

The interior plastics. It's on every new Ford 04+. I've only done an F-150 and Freestar so far. Solvent does work but like you said, it has to be redyed and the dealership won't pay for a redye. This stuff is really wierd, interior dressings don't change the appearance that much. I've actually been just using Interior QD to "dress" them.

[Pete-FWA]

In an attempt to remove scuff marks, I've actually gone through the richer colored top layer of plastics. It looks very similar to removing a top layer of paint from the body. It is this topcoat that makes the plastic more durable and workable, but also more expensive.

From what I've been told (I do not know any hard facts on this process) higher grade plastic is given a tougher outer layer. This takes more time and raw materials, so it is a bit more expensive. Manufacturers and suppliers are trying to trim a dollar here and there, so they often skip or dilute this last step of what makes the plastic richer and more workable.

Without the background in plastic that many have, I can only relay what was told to me and what I've done with such difficult materials. I do know exactly what you've found, though. Often times we either have to leave the marks, remove the topcoat to get rid of them, and/or redye.