Scratched plastic interior trim

Hi guys, My 996 interior is scratched in a number of areas and looks scruffy. Any suggestions of how to get it looking good again? I assume it will have to be painted or replaced. Not sure what is possible. Here are some pics. 173bf2ff346bd1fb8cf1d28e698baf31.jpg 6c87d37d4a797d3a356246e0b6bd59fa.jpg 930d50224c0220b78e38fc78d7072dbf.jpg e3b67e2cdbec95456f5fcc778ceab987.jpg

It's painted plastic that is deteriorating with age/use. The plastic will need to be repainted. There will certainly be several views about how to repaint, if you search Rennlist. I have heard of folks using Home Depot paint match and brushing it on. Other have used Plasti-Dip with great success. Either way, the pieces should come out of the car before they are repainted, IMO.

Leatherworld...

I've repainted a few car interiors (datsun 240's) that have had scratched up plastic and faded colors. I wouldnt use a brush on anything I didnt have to. You will first have to find a color that matches or literally paint every similar piece with the new close color. It's all got to come out. Seats, interior pieces, etc. For the seat **** bezel you would have to take it apart to remove it, give it a light sanding (id probably use steel wool 00 for that) then repaint it. And you have to do the other side to get it to match. While its all out I'd even do the seatback if you have the hard back. Those are always scratched up - filler, sanding, respray. For the air vents I'd want to take all that peeling paint off and get the part right down to the plastic and spray it again. I'd want to use an airbrush for that (harborfreight / princess auto $20.00). If your coating is only available in a rattle can then I might even sand between coats if it globbed anywhere. You can paint/dye panels etc. For scratches you can fill them then sand and paint... lots of options. It's hard to describe the steps because each piece and car is different but spend an hour on youtube and you can see lots of videos that can lay out all your options. Taking the time and care in the details and color matching are the biggest challenges. Heres an example of a dashboard I fixed a crack in and whats involved (i know I have other interior repair threads on other sites I will look for some). http://www.ontariozcar.com/ozc/forum...rd-restoration Theres enough different paints/dyes/coatings out there to get the job done and make it look great if you take the time.

Heres a few more restoration threads I've done: Steering wheel http://www.classiczcars.com/topic/19...el#entry332512 Emblems http://www.ontariozcar.com/ozc/forum...em-restoration

Not as hard as you might think. Matching the color will be your biggest challenge, but if you get close, and do all of the pieces in sight, you will be AMAZED at how it transforms your interior. I used leather dye (after sanding everything smooth - removing all of the old finish isn't necessary, but would advise getting as much as possible) and applied the dye with a foam brush. I have a small sprayer, but never ended up using it. Use very light coats and take your time. First couple of coats may not look like much, but be patient. Pop off the ignition key surround first and play with that. I admit I got carried away with my graphite grey interior! Did the seats and just about everything in sight. As a result though, people think my interior is brand new. I couldn't stand how banged up my console was, so I started there first. It came out so good I just kept going. Wasn't going to do my sets, but the rest looked so good I took the plunge. Go for it!

Hey SouthernMan, Can you post some pics? Sounds like a thorough job.

One more thing. If, after putting a coat of dye, you have some spots where there's some excess (like between the seat folds), a light sanding before the next coat will take care of any unevenness. Also, I did my seats in the car, but it would be easier if you take them out.

You can get the vinyl color in SEM at auto paint stores. They match to sample. You would have to remove the parts , strip the part with acetone and sand it good with a scuff pad then paint with SEM. If you want origional finish.

Clean everything thoroughly with alcohol before you apply any kind of finish. I've found it to be excellent at removing all kinds of crud. Don't know if you can see this clearly, but passenger seat and console is refinished here. Sorry if the pic is oversized.

Thanks for the responses, everybody. Looks like a difficult job. Why oh why did they use paint to do this, especially soft touch and easy to scratch paint. Best option might be to take it all out and spray it black. Might even subdue the boxster red everywhere else in the cabin! Tie it in with some black mats.

Nah, not difficult. Just takes time. And you can remove one or two pieces at a time and do the job at your leisure. I would opt to try and match the color first, and go the black route as a default, although that might not look bad either. It's your car! Either way, i think you will really love the results.

personally it looks to me like somebody did this their self, and used some strange thick paint. I dont think it was factory origional. unless you have some option on the window sticker. I would suggest buying used parts on ebay and replacing them, or painting them correctly with sem and replacing them