So the other day I ripped apart my interior because I realized that the carpeting never dried out from a water leak before I bought it. (check out my panic post when it didn't start!)
So since everything was apart, I decided to do something about the scratched interior plastic parts, specifically, the console. I didn't want to paint them because that'll end up getting scratched, and probably quicker than the original coating. I've seen spray interior 'dyes' which are nothing more than thin paint that could get scratched with a fingernail.
I first stripped off the 'soft-touch' coating, or whatever it's called, by soaking the parts in hot water and laundry detergent. In some cases, I was able to rub it off with my thumb, but most of it had to be scrubbed with a stiff nylon brush.
After I stripped the coating, some pieces had discoloration, most notably again, the center console. So, after some online research and some experimenting, I used Rit Dye-More Graphite color (because they don't make it in black) and acetone. The directions say to soak the parts in 200 degree water with the dye, and a blog I found says add acetone to the brew. I had no vat large enough for the console, so I decided to add the acetone directly to the bottle of dye and rub it on directly. I added a little acetone at a time until I got the desired results, while being very careful not to add too much to deform the texture. I ended up adding a total of 2 - 4 tablespoons of acetone to the bottle.
Here are the pics:
Console with scratched coating:
Coating removed and discoloration:
After dyeing process. There is a slight discoloration up top because, don't laugh, I tried to use a black sharpie to cover the discoloration before I went with the dye. It's not as bad as it looks in the pic.:
http://986forum.com/forums/attachments/boxster-general-discussions/21952d1560035089-what-did-you-do-your-boxster-today-20190607_190716_resized.jpg