Interior Plastic Restoration

[hancock1701]

Hi guys,

I am looking to restore the interior plastic pieces since they are scratched pretty badly. The Boxster's interior plastic pieces seem to have some kind of soft paint that is scratched easily. My question is that does anyone know a good way to fix (or fill) the scratches before painting, or that soft paint has to be stripped off completely. If it needs to be stripped off, would the typical paint stripper be safe to do so?

Any suggestions/comments/opinions are greatly appreciated!

[madmods]

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[kk2002s]

don't know about the type of paint used but I don't think Paint Stripper on plastic is a good idea

[rgriffin]

I know of a guy who has an interior restoration company. He uses undercoat paint for the black plastic. It looks great and very scratch resistant.

[Mark_T]

Originally Posted by kk2002s

don't know about the type of paint used but I don't think Paint Stripper on plastic is a good idea

I know that paint stripper on plastic is a bad idea!

[madmods]

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[Perfectlap]

I would try plasti dip first. Then consider covering in 3M Di-Noc to give a nice carbon finish.
I've seen this in an M3 and it looked 100% factory. All you need is an inexpensive heat gun from Home depot and some quality xacto type blades that I saw on my last trip to Lowe's.
I plan to cover the backside of my GT3 racing seats with this, as well as ripping out the door carpeting and replacing it with grey alcantara fabric.

[papasmurf]

I would recommend 3m 1080 over Dinoc as it is much more flexible and easier to use for a novice IMO. The dinoc is great too but does not conform around tight areas as well as the 1080.

[Perfectlap]

Originally Posted by papasmurf

I would recommend 3m 1080 over Dinoc as it is much more flexible and easier to use for a novice IMO. The dinoc is great too but does not conform around tight areas as well as the 1080.

So 1080 for small pieces and DiNoc for the larger things? I'm about to order a roll of this stuff. I was going to wrap my fixie bike as test case.

[Homeboy981]

Originally Posted by hancock1701

Hi guys,

I am looking to restore the interior plastic pieces since they are scratched pretty badly. The Boxster's interior plastic pieces seem to have some kind of soft paint that is scratched easily. My question is that does anyone know a good way to fix (or fill) the scratches before painting, or that soft paint has to be stripped off completely. If it needs to be stripped off, would the typical paint stripper be safe to do so?

Any suggestions/comments/opinions are greatly appreciated!

The junk comes off with wet sanding, and, as an added benefit my painted interior just needs a quick wipe (or wax at worst) from time to time. EZ to care for. Just take your time, and allow paint to cure, especially important for plastics.

[batshapedheart]

Originally Posted by hancock1701

Hi guys,

I am looking to restore the interior plastic pieces since they are scratched pretty badly. The Boxster's interior plastic pieces seem to have some kind of soft paint that is scratched easily. My question is that does anyone know a good way to fix (or fill) the scratches before painting, or that soft paint has to be stripped off completely. If it needs to be stripped off, would the typical paint stripper be safe to do so?

Any suggestions/comments/opinions are greatly appreciated!

Well I had a crazy idea when I tackled this: I grabbed a Scotch Brite scrubbing pad and Brakleen brake cleaner, it didnt damage the plastic and didnt make any marks either, after which i passed a sponge with WD40 and it even shined a little, I didnt even feel the need to paint it, tho I might after.

[coreseller]

Why not cover in leather instead? Really not that expensive nor hard to do, took me a couple of hours and ~ $20:

[heliguy]

Coreseller, how did you get the white stitching?

[coreseller]

Originally Posted by heliguy

Coreseller, how did you get the white stitching?

Well, I bought the car. Just kidding. The stitching came factory on the airbag cover and grip, the door handle cover and storage compartment cover are what I covered in leather.

[Homeboy981]

Originally Posted by heliguy

Coreseller, how did you get the white stitching?

He cleaned it. Ha-ha

The 'cleaning process' may have bleached it.

[papasmurf]

as it has been about two years since I have messed with the Dinoc. The 1080 film is very thin and is basically the same film that vehicle wraps are usually done with when the wrap is printed. The film conforms to curves better than the thicker Dinoc film. Dinoc I think is only rated for interior application as well though I know lots of people use it externally but I am not sure how well it holds up. I would use the 1080 myself but that may be because I am more used to using the thinner material.

Originally Posted by Perfectlap

So 1080 for small pieces and DiNoc for the larger things? I'm about to order a roll of this stuff. I was going to wrap my fixie bike as test case.

[black_box]

plastidip worked great on my old 986... plus you can just peel it off if you don't like the finish.

technique while spraying is hugely important to the end result. shoot lots of light coats from 8 inches. They will dry fast. Use at least 4 coats.

[hancock1701]

Thank you all for the info. It seems like plasti dip is the easiest/least work route, but many other forums say that plasti dip doesnt last very long. I think I'm gonna leather wrap the two arm rests. Still undecided about the main console. Has anybody tried to leather wrap the center console?

[BruceH]

Originally Posted by hancock1701

Thank you all for the info. It seems like plasti dip is the easiest/least work route, but many other forums say that plasti dip doesnt last very long. I think I'm gonna leather wrap the two arm rests. Still undecided about the main console. Has anybody tried to leather wrap the center console?

I agree, it doesn't seem like plasti dip will last long term. I talked to one upholstery shop about leather wrapping the console and they said it would be too difficult given the close tolerances in the gaps around the switches and ash tray. They recommended painting which is what I will probably end up doing, either a matching Lapis Blue or a gloss or matte black. I bought the leather wrap for the console armrest and matching leather for the door armrest from the UK eBay seller. The leather should show up in the next week.

[juicepro]

Originally Posted by hancock1701

Thank you all for the info. It seems like plasti dip is the easiest/least work route, but many other forums say that plasti dip doesnt last very long. I think I'm gonna leather wrap the two arm rests. Still undecided about the main console. Has anybody tried to leather wrap the center console?

I got mine hydro dipped along with the armrests, door handles and door sills. Total cost $350