Inner plastic scratches

[RobHowdle]

Hi there, first post in this section.

Cleaning my two tipos I've noticed that there are quite a few deep scratches and scuffs on the black inner plastics. I was wondering if there is something people suggest to fill then with? Wanted to avoid having to use filler and sanding and repainting if I could help it but some of them are pretty ugly so just wondered if anybody knew of anything I could use to fill it with?

Thanks
Rob

 

[SB1500]

There are a few 'how to' videos on YouTube showing how to fix plastic scratches but they usually involve taking a heat gun to the door cards / panels which I'd be scared of melting or burning surrounding parts and potentially making it much worse.

There's probably not much you can do other than replacing the panels with better quality used ones if you can find some online.

Or... accept it and feel more comfortable with the fact that if you were to accidentally add more, that it's not so bad. I think this way about all of the cars I've owned which came pre-scratched and imperfect, I say to myself that well it's been on the road for a few years and these things are inevitable without serious money to throw at it.

 

[LameyerBobonov]

There are specialized plastic repair kits available that include adhesives and fillers designed specifically for plastics. Look for products that can fill gaps and bond well with plastic surfaces. Two-part epoxy putty can be effective for filling deep scratches. It can be molded to the shape of the scratch and can adhere well to plastic surfaces. Once cured, you can smooth it out, although some sanding might be needed.

 

[The Panda Nut]

May be try a specialist repairer get a bad one done and watch how they do it?

 

[Glennie8216]

Hey Rob, for the deep stuff you might not have much choice, but for most of those scuffs a heat gun or even a hair dryer on low can actually help—the heat softens the plastic slightly and makes scratches less visible. Doesn't always work perfectly on the really deep ones, but I've had decent luck on my cars. If heat doesn't do it, a black plastic restorer like Meguiar's will darken the scratches enough they pretty much vanish. If you want to dig into other approaches and what works for different depths, I covered the full range here: https://answerlode.com/cars-transportation/repair-black-plastic-interior-scratches/

 

[The Panda Nut]

There are specialized plastic repair kits available that include adhesives and fillers designed specifically for plastics. Look for products that can fill gaps and bond well with plastic surfaces. Two-part epoxy putty can be effective for filling deep scratches. It can be molded to the shape of the scratch and can adhere well to plastic surfaces. Once cured, you can smooth it out, although some sanding might be needed.

Some kits have textured sheets to press into theresin as it starts to harden, which match existing grain. Some are very good.