How to remove scratches from plastic?

For many, a car is not only a means of quickly moving around the city and beyond at any time of the day. For most, this is an indicator of status, which means that the appearance of the machine should always be at its best. But over time, exploitation on a dashboard in the cabin inevitably causes defects and the question arises of how to remove scratches from plastic. To restore the solid and stylish look of the cabin and continue to enjoy a comfortable ride, it is not at all necessary to rush to the nearest service station. It is enough to know how and how to remove scratches from the plastic of the car, adhere to the proposed instructions in the most convenient way and allocate a maximum of an hour to complete this laborious work.

to contents ↑

How to remove scratches on plastic?

There are a lot of means and methods in order to deal with the damaged surface of a torpedo - from a conventional lighter to professional paintwork products. What exactly can be useful in your case is up to you.

When choosing the appropriate option, consider:

• the cost of interior parts;
• currently available budget for repairs;
• handling skills for various repair materials;
• amount of free time;
• own accuracy.

Important! If you are the owner of an expensive car brand and you have not personally performed any repairs before, it is better not to experiment and immediately buy professional tools in order to remove scratches from the plastic of the car. It is desirable that these drugs are the simplest and most convenient to use.

to contents ↑

Express solution

If the lesions are not very deep, but your eyes are calloused and you are not going to wait any longer when you find time to carefully remove them, use a regular lighter right now. Act carefully and in 15 minutes your salon will look worthy, like new.

For this:

1. Set the smallest fire on a regular cigarette lighter.
2. Warm the problem area with fire without exposing the plastic to a flame for a long time.
3. Wait 10-15 minutes after the procedure, without touching the surface - this time is needed for the jointing of the scratch joints and polymerization of the material.
4. Evaluate the result - defects should disappear.

Important! Please note that if you warm up the material for too long, whitish stains may form after repeated solidification, which will look even less aesthetically pleasing than scratches. Therefore, expose the flame in passing, literally in a matter of seconds, moving your hand back and forth along the problem area.

to contents ↑

Thorough repair of a torpedo

If you don’t have a soul for experiments and want to do everything for sure, use this method to remove scratches from plastic.

The sequence of actions will look as follows:

1. Thoroughly clean the torpedo - remove removable parts from it, remove the paintwork in the problem place.
2. Wash this interior element.
3. Degrease the entire surface with acetone or alcohol.
4. To level the surface, walk through the material with fine-grained sandpaper. A grinder is also suitable for this purpose, if you know how to use it and you have it in stock.
5. Rinse thoroughly the surface of the torpedo again and degrease it.
6. Take an aerosol primer of a suitable color.
7. Apply it evenly on the surface.
8. Take a technical pause for the solution to set.
9. Spray another product onto the same surface to create a monolithic second coat. Be sure to avoid smudges and the surface is perfectly smooth.
10. Wait for the time indicated on the spray can to harden the mixture.
11. Polish the material.
12. Pick a paint suitable for the color of the torpedo and the interior of the auto color scheme.
13. Apply it on the desired surface.
14. Wait for it to dry completely.
15. Make sure that the interior looks attractive and problem areas are no longer observed.

Important! This method is best used to update the entire surface of the torpedo, and not its individual sections. Professional craftsmen can even a small area of ​​scratches in this way, even quite deep. But in the absence of special skills and experience, it is unlikely to make coverage uniform at home. But to clean the entire part and re-paint it until a uniform coating is obtained - this is not difficult.

to contents ↑

Torpedo melting

A regular lighter is suitable if you need to remove scratches on very small plastic. If the depth is quite impressive, and the length of the defect is also significant in size, you can also apply melting technology. But for this purpose, a special tool is more suitable - a building hair dryer.

The essence of the technology is a similar effect on the material as in the first method, but the sequence of actions will be different.

Instruction:

1. Carefully remove all debris and dirt from the repaired interior element from plastic.
2. Sand the problem area with sandpaper.
3. Remove dust with a damp cloth.
4. Degrease the surface.
5. Turn on the building hair dryer, after setting the temperature at 300 C.
6. Use warm air to push the jet along the line of the scratch.
7. Do not hold your hand for long in one place, even if the depth of the crack is not the same.
8. Leave material for polymerization and joint splicing.
9. Primer in 2 layers and apply paint of a suitable shade.

Important! It is this technology that is used in specialized service stations in order to remove large scratches on the plastic inside the car. But when you connect professionals, you will have to pay money for their services. If you have a building hair dryer and all other tools and materials for self-repair, as well as you have similar experience, feel free to follow the proposed scheme and the problem will be fixed.

to contents ↑

Polish, pencils and gels

The automotive cosmetics market today offers a wide range of various means for removing scratches from plastic. These are gels, polishes, pencils.

Important! The only thing you need to know and understand, such tools are suitable only for the restoration of plastic coating with minor damage. Deep cuts these funds do not decorate.

The use of any of these tools is very primitive, just:

• remove dirt from the damaged area;
• apply repair mass along the defect line;
• rub it with a sponge;
• polish with a soft lint-free cloth;
• Wait for the plastic scratch remover to dry.

Important! When choosing a manufacturer, consider the degree of its reliability so as not to completely ruin the appearance of a torpedo or plastic interior parts. Well-established brands such as “Repair”, “Displex”.

Another nuance is the shade of a tool for removing scratches from plastic cars. The mass may be colorless, which is quite suitable for the restoration of the smallest damage. If the scratch is noticeable enough on the surface - carefully select the tone of the repair mixture to match the existing color of the torpedo.

to contents ↑

Helpful hints:

1. Using aggressive solvents for degreasing, as well as mechanical tools, be sure to use personal protective equipment - gloves, glasses and even a respirator.So you protect your skin and mucous membranes from damage with direct physical exposure or with the release of corrosive fumes that are harmful to human health.
2. Work when using any means to remove scratches from the plastic of a car only in a well-ventilated area, and even better - carry out repair work outdoors.
3. Keep animals and children away from work.
4. If your car belongs to the category of expensive cars, it is better to contact a service center. Otherwise, in case of unsuccessful experience of personal repair, the purchase of new parts can result in a substantial amount that significantly exceeds the repair price for removing scratches from plastic.

to contents ↑

Stock footage

Possessing all the information about scratch removal methods, as well as suitable tools and repair skills, you can quite cope with the task of restoring the interior of your car. If even in the absence of prior experience you decide to try the various methods yourself, act very carefully and slowly. In this case, you will surely succeed at a decent level, and driving in an updated beautiful car will be doubly pleasant.