External state plastic parts in the cabin worries many drivers no less than the health of the engine and other components of the car. This is especially true of the front panel, as it is constantly in front of our eyes. Therefore, car owners will useful information about how to effectively remove scratches from plastic and avoid replacing interior elements. But first you need to classify the damage in order to determine the method of recovery.
Types of plastic damage
The most common damage to plastic in a car interior is small scratches. Such defects are usually in the plural, forming a whole web that pretty much spoils the appearance of the interior. Such scratches are very easy to mask or remove completely with the help of special means. Such repairs will be inexpensive and take a little time.
More serious troubles await the owner of the car, who will have to repair deep scratches on the interior plastic. Many of these defects cannot be hidden. simple methods, so you have to use cardinal methods, which are described below. With their help, even the deepest scratches on the plastic of the interior can be removed and thereby avoid the costly replacement of the entire part.
Another type of damage to the plastic of the car interior is the result of exposure to direct sunlight. After prolonged exposure to ultraviolet radiation, the surface of the torpedo becomes dull and loses its color, and in combination with scratches, such a defect further worsens the appearance of the interior. To correct the situation, a major surface repair may be necessary.
It should be noted that removing scratches on interior parts is not always an easy task. If the surface of the plastic has a corrugated structure, then simple methods will not be able to cope with defects. In such cases, almost any scratches require overhaul. The situation is different with smooth surfaces, since it is much easier and faster to remove scratches from such a material.
Basic ways to remove scratches
Depending on the type of surface and the complexity of the scratches, repairs can be carried out in the following common ways:
- removing scratches with a hair dryer;
- smoothing the surface with an open fire source;
- masking defects with special pencils;
- overhaul of plastic, including cleaning, priming, painting and varnishing.
For corrugated surfaces, only the last two methods can be used, since repairs by other methods can further worsen the appearance of the plastic. Otherwise, it is possible to use any of the above methods, it all depends on your diligence and the type of scratches on the interior elements. The following describes each of these methods in more detail.
Eliminate scratches with a hair dryer
You can remove small scratches or cobwebs from them most ordinary hair dryer. It is possible to use not only construction tool, but also household, since its power is quite enough to remove shallow scratches. The principle of such restoration is very simple - when heated, small defects themselves are tightened and become either completely invisible or significantly reduced in size.
To repair a car torpedo in this way, you must first thoroughly wash the surface using detergents. This will rid the scratches of stubborn dirt, which will contribute to their tightening when heated. When the panel is dry, you need to turn on the hair dryer on low power and direct a hot stream of air to the place where you want to remove scratches.
During heating, you should carefully monitor the reaction of the plastic, and if there is no effect, then the power of the hair dryer is gradually added and the distance between the tool and the panel is reduced.
You should also not point the hair dryer at one point, on the contrary, you need to evenly distribute hot air in order to avoid excessive heating of the part. If everything is done correctly, then the damage will heal right before our eyes. Or at least it will become noticeably smaller, which will facilitate further restoration by polishing. After warming up, you must definitely wait until the interior part has completely cooled down, and before that you can not touch it.
Hiding damage with a lighter
Similar to the previous method, repair with an open flame. To remove defects in this way, you need to bring the lighter to the plastic for a very short time and draw the flame several times along the scratch. You need to act very carefully, it is advisable to practice performing such a repair on some unnecessary piece of plastic with the same structure.
After exposure to fire on the accumulation of scratches, you need to wait a while until the plastic has completely cooled. Up to this point, it is strictly forbidden to touch it. The soot left by the flame can be removed with a cotton pad soaked in alcohol. If the defect does not disappear the first time, then it is better not to risk it and try another method of removing scratches.
Polishing plastic repair
One of the simplest and safe ways restoration is polishing using a special abrasive paste for plastic. Do not use products designed for paintwork. Their structure can harm soft and pliable plastic.
You can polish both manually and using a grinder, while the spindle speed should be set to the minimum value.
excessive high revs grinding wheel can melt the plastic and bring it to a deplorable state. It should be noted that there is not so much plastic in the cabin, so it is safe manual polishing won't take long.
Removal of defects in this way is carried out as follows:
- Surface plastic element washed thoroughly with detergents. Special attention is given to those places that have ingrained particles of dirt.
- After that, the surface is dried and cooled in a dark room.
- When all conditions are created, an abrasive paste is applied to the surface of the panel. This must be done manually with a piece of foam rubber. After applying the paste, it is given some time to work.
- You need to start polishing after the product has turned into a plaque. light color. It usually takes about five minutes to do this.
The entire surface is methodically polished until the applied paste completely disappears, while periodically it is necessary to remove the dust that has formed from the dried polishing paste. At the end of polishing, the surface is thoroughly cleaned and washed, while being careful not to create new scratches.
Masking scratches with a special pencil
The easiest way to get rid of defects on the plastic parts of the cabin is to disguise them. special pencil. This method cannot be called the cheapest, since really high-quality markers for removing scratches are not cheap. Although the same pencil, bought once, can be used several times, which makes such an acquisition quite profitable in the long run.
By itself, such a pencil is a bottle in which there is a special composition. If applied to a damaged area, the scratch-like depression will be filled in and thus disappear from view.
Of great importance when choosing such a pencil is the selection of color, which should match the shade of the panel.
Everything is much simpler here when the standard color panel is black or gray, because it is much easier to choose a recovery marker for them. Repair is very easy damaged places thoroughly cleaned of dirt and dust. The sharp end of the marker is used to putty scratches, and when the applied composition hardens, its excess can be removed by polishing, which will additionally hide defects, leveling them with neighboring areas.
Overhaul of plastic
The most difficult type of plastic repair is painting. Despite the complexity and high cost of this method, there is every guarantee that it is possible to achieve the complete removal of all existing defects. At the same time, it is possible to change the color of the panel, create new interior, which is more in line with the tastes of the car owner.
For such a repair, you will have to remove the part from the passenger compartment, which is troublesome, but this is the only way to avoid contamination of the windows and interior trim. The part is removed from the machine in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations, which he indicated in the instruction manual. After dismantling, the restored element is cleaned of dirt and thoroughly washed using detergents for plastic.
The next step is to polish the surface. If the part has a corrugated structure, then grinding will not work. However, today most interior elements are initially created smooth, which greatly simplifies their maintenance and makes their repair more realistic. The surface is polished either manually or using a machine, and the finest sandpaper can be taken as an abrasive.
After that, the surface is covered with a primer from a spray can, for this you should choose a primer that does not react with plastic. After applying two layers, the surface is matted with a fine abrasive to a perfectly smooth state. If the panel has deep defects that do not overlap the ground, then they must be repaired with putty.
Next, the primed surface is painted in the appropriate color and optionally covered with a layer of varnish. In some cases, lacquer coating is not applied - this applies to those interior elements that, due to their shape, can create glare from the sun's rays and interfere with driving. The same can be said about cases where matte paint is chosen.
To easily repair scratches and scuffs on any plastic surface, you need to act as carefully as possible and follow the instructions for the finished compositions, since not all polishes are suitable for plastic. There are many ways to restore a damaged surface to its original perfect look. Some of them will only help to mask scratches, while others will get rid of them completely.
- Minor scratches and abrasions are easily removed with polishing compounds.
- Deep damage requires the application of a primer and subsequent filling of the scratch with a special paste.
- Polish for CDs "Disc Repair".
- Display polish mobile phones"plexDis". Also suitable for watch displays, PDAs, etc.
- Paste for polishing plastic car parts (with the smallest grit).
- the use of a building hair dryer;
- the use of polishing compounds;
- processing scratches with a special pencil;
- overhaul of plastic parts.
- 1. Thoroughly wash the surface and dry completely.
- 2. Apply to problem areas abrasive paste and wait a certain time specified in the instructions, the paste should turn into a hard coating.
- 3. Polish the surface in a circular motion with a special rag until the paste disappears completely.
- 1. Problem areas must be thoroughly cleaned and dried.
- 2. Fill in all the scratches with a pencil and wait a certain time (according to the instructions).
- 3. Remove excess, polish the surface.
- 1. The part should be coated with a special primer, which is available in the form of a spray. It is applied in 2-3 layers with breaks for drying.
- 2. Next, level the primed surface with fine sandpaper.
- 3. If the scratches are very deep, they must be filled with putty.
- 4. After that, the part should be coated with paint of a suitable shade.
- 1. A small amount of paste or tooth powder, diluted with water to a state of gruel, should be applied to problem areas and rubbed in a circular motion.
- 2. Wait until the paste is completely dry.
- 3. Wipe the screen with a cotton pad soaked in clean water.
- 1. Gently wipe off dust from plastic surfaces, wipe with a damp cloth and then with microfiber.
- 2. Apply a small amount of Displex or Digitex to the scratch and wipe with a soft cloth or cotton. If the damage has not completely disappeared, the product should be reapplied and polished.
- 1. Polish for silver products. A small amount of the product should be applied to the glasses and wiped with a fiber cloth until the defects are eliminated.
- 2. Furniture polish and petroleum jelly. You should purchase a composition for polishing wooden furniture and wipe the lenses with it. After that, apply a little Vaseline to a soft cloth and treat the surface.
- 3. Tool for automotive glass. The composition should be treated with damaged areas using a soft cloth. It will make scuffs invisible, and the lenses will fog up less in the future.
- 1. Wear rubber gloves to protect your hands.
- 2. Put the lenses in a container and fill it with abrasive.
- 3. Wait 5 minutes, then rinse the lenses under the tap.
- 4. Items that the abrasive has come into contact with should be thrown away immediately.
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Use of specialized tools
On sale there are a lot of different tools designed to repair damage to plastic surfaces. They can be found both in auto shops and in cellular communication stores. Choose a tool should be based on the nature of the damage:
It should be noted that for large scratches, colored pastes to match the surface are suitable, which allow masking the damage without a trace. Minor scratches can be eliminated with colorless compounds.
Methods for polishing watch glass from scratches and other damage at home
How to polish scratches
To polish small scratches, the following tools are suitable:
Before polishing, the surface should be degreased with alcohol. Polish with a cotton cloth until the scratches are gone.
How to remove scratches in a car interior
To remove scratches from surfaces in the car, there are several methods:
The choice of a specific method depends on the severity of the damage and the characteristics of the affected surface.
Troubleshooting with a hot air gun
First, thoroughly wash the surface with detergent. After the plastic has dried, you need to turn on the hair dryer, setting the minimum power on it, and direct it to the problem area. If nothing happens to the surface, then the power of the apparatus must be increased so that the plastic begins to melt slightly.
As a result, the damage will either disappear completely or be significantly reduced and can be eliminated by polishing.
This method suitable not only for car interior parts, but also for plastic parts of a moped and other products.
Polishing
For polishing, you will need an abrasive paste designed for plastic.
Compositions designed for paint and varnish coatings are not suitable for this purpose.
To remove scratches from plastic, you should:
At the end, the plastic should be gently washed with a soft cloth.
special pencil
This is the simplest and fast way elimination of scratches from plastic in the cabin and on the bumper of a car or plastic parts of a scooter. If a pencil is purchased for the restoration of colored plastic, it is necessary to choose its tone correctly.
Scratch removal algorithm:
Repair of plastic parts
If the plastic part is badly scratched and worn, you can resort to a major overhaul. To do this, the damaged panel must be removed from the car, washed and sanded with sandpaper (if the surface of the part is embossed, then it does not need to be sanded). Further:
How to remove scratches from your phone
If your phone screen is damaged, it's best not to risk trying to fix the display with home remedies. Nessesary to use special formulations for polishing displays. But they will not help to mask only minor scratches.
To remove scratches from the plastic parts of the phone, you can use toothpaste:
Another effective way- use car polish: the product must be applied to a soft cloth and rub the plastic until the scratches disappear.
If the phone has significant damage, it is better to contact the service center.
Removing scratches from laptop plastic surfaces
In some laptops, the lid is made of glossy plastic. Micro-scratches often appear on such a surface.
You can deal with them at home as follows:
This method cannot be used to process LCD screens. Polishing paste particles can damage the LCD matrix.
How to remove scratches on glasses
The following tools will help eliminate scratches on glasses:
These methods allow only to make the damage invisible, but not to remove them completely. finally get rid of small defects is possible only with the help of an abrasive for glass, which is used in painting. Due to the presence of hydrofluoric acid in the composition, this product completely eliminates scratches. With this treatment, the anti-reflective coating of the glasses is destroyed, but the lenses themselves are not damaged.
The abrasive is applied as follows:
As a result, the lenses will become perfectly smooth, and visibility will improve.
Scratches in the car interior occur even for the most thrifty and careful owner. At first time minor damage plastics are almost indistinguishable, but subsequently a whitish coating appears, which significantly spoils the appearance of the cabin.
Car Scratch Removal Methods
The best tool for removing deep scratches is plastic restorers, which can be easily bought at car dealerships. For example, Doctor Wax is great. It does a good job of covering minor damage to plastic, leather and vinyl upholstery while cleaning and renewing them. The gel penetrates into microcracks and displaces contamination.
The procedure for eliminating scratches with it looks like this: the composition is applied to the damaged surface, after it penetrates into the cracks and fills it, give time for the mass to dry (it is indicated on the package or tube). Then they start grinding the plastic with the help of special wipes, which are often sold complete with a vehicle.
In order for the repaired area not to stand out and have the same structure as the plastic surface, a plasticizer gel is used. It is applied not to the place that was processed, but to the undamaged part. After the gel hardens, a mold of the plastic pattern is formed on its surface. This "template" should be applied to the area to be restored while it dries and lightly pressed into the scratch filler. Thus, an imprint will be obtained and the required “texture” of the plastic will be saved.
Another tool to update the interior - polishes to remove scratches. They are different: with abrasive and coloring substances. For example, there are restorative polishes for dark and light, pearl and silver plastics. Any of them masks damage well, makes the surface smooth and shiny. Polishes with superfine abrasive are designed for materials that require the most delicate impact. If the damage is deep, use tinting pencils to repair scratches.
"People's" means of removing scratches in the cabin
Motorists claim that small scratches easily removed with a lighter. To do this, carefully hold the flame over the surface of the damage. From the impact of fire, the scratch gradually melts and tightens. In this procedure, it is important to follow two rules: do not overexpose the fire over the plastic and do not touch the place treated with it for some time. After the plastic has cooled, you need to remove the soot with a paper towel or cotton pad.
Damage to the paintwork of the car becomes an unpleasant surprise for any car owner, but if defects appear on the plastic parts in the car, then this becomes an even bigger blow. Appearance car interiors can be spoiled by both minor scratches and deep chips and damage from direct sunlight.
When such unpleasant “surprises” appear, it is not necessary to seek help from a car dealership, since today there are tools such as: polish for plastic in the car interior and special pencils for removing small chips. Let's consider the principle of operation of specialized fluids, as well as several useful "know-hows" that will allow you to quickly and cheaply get rid of defects yourself.
Removing scratches with a hair dryer
Small scratches, or as they are usually called "spider webs", are easily removed with an ordinary household hair dryer. Under heating, the surfaces become more ductile, and shallow damage is completely "tightened" or becomes almost invisible.
The process of removing defects in this way is as follows:
- Clean the torpedo with any detergent and wait for it to dry completely. If ingrained dirt remains on the surface, then it can “melt” into the plastic during the heat treatment.
- Turn on the hair dryer at the lowest power and point it at the "web".
- Wait for the reaction - the scratches should heal. If this does not happen, increase the power of the hair dryer and repeat the procedure.
Important! It is not worth it to heat the plastic panels strongly, as this will lead to deformation of the surface.
Removing scratches with a lighter
With the help of an open flame, you can also effectively and quickly get rid of small chips. To do this, take a lighter and follow a few simple steps:
- Run the lighter along the scratch a few times. Do not hold the fire in one place so as not to melt the plastic.
- Wait until the treated surface has cooled down.
- Clear plastic panel from the soot.
Advice! Before using an open flame, it is recommended to practice on a piece of plastic.
If you are afraid to perform such heat treatment, then you can use safer means.
Plastic polishing
To repair more serious damage and quick restoration of the surface, it is recommended to use special polishes, which are abrasive pastes. When choosing a product, you should give preference to the composition that is suitable for a particular material (in our case, we are talking about polish for plastic).
For surface treatment, you can use a specialized grinder (the speed of rotation of the disc should be minimal) or a clean cotton rag or sponge.
To remove defects with an abrasive compound, follow these steps:
- It is better to work in a dark, cool place (polishing paste dries quickly in the sun).
- Clean the surface and apply an abrasive composition to it with a sponge.
- Wait about 5 minutes for the paste to react with the plastic.
- When the product brightens and turns into a coating, polish the surface until the paste disappears completely.
- Rinse the plastic panel and wipe it with a dry, clean cloth.
If scratches cannot be removed, they can be masked.
Hide spots with a specialized pencil
If the defects are minor, then you can use a special pencil. When buying it, you need to choose the color as accurately as possible. If the shade is at least slightly different, then, of course, you will get rid of the scratch, but instead stripes will appear on the surface of the torpedo.
The principle of operation of such a pencil is very simple - a rather thick coloring composition is contained inside a small bottle, which fills the crack and dries, thereby completely leveling the surface.
To use the marker, it is enough to wipe the surface from dirt and dust and, pressing on the pencil, squeeze the “putty” into the recess. Excess composition is recommended to remove and polish the surface.
Despite the simplicity of this method, it is worth considering the rather high cost of the pencil. However, this tool can be reused.
If the damage is quite deep, then there are several more ways to repair the surface.
Alternative Scratch Removal Methods
It is worth considering not the cheapest, but quite effective means to restore the damaged plastic surface of the car dashboard:
- Painting. In this case, you will need a small bottle of paint, usually they are sold with a brush. After processing, it is best to additionally cover the chipped area with varnish.
- Vinyl. Special vinyl film tightly stretched over the damaged part and processed with a hairdryer. Thanks to this method, you can completely hide fairly large chips, but you have to practice.
- Leather. This method refers more to the restyling of the car interior, as it involves the hauling of the panels. However, if you know how to work with leather, then you can only integrate individual pieces of it. But it should be taken into account that leather elements will look rather ridiculous in a velor or rag interior.
Also, some cover scratches with carbon, but such a tool is likely to cost several times more than new item. Therefore, there is no point in using carbon fiber.
When choosing a car most attention buyers pay attention to the exterior, power indicators, clearance and other factors, and almost in last turn they think about the interior. But it is the interior of the car that affects driving pleasure. And it is not at all necessary that the interior of the car be made of elite woods, good plastic will bring a lot of pleasure from interacting with him, but only if he is in optimal condition.
car torpedo, internal elements doors, the glove compartment door - these and others plastic parts interior may be damaged. It is enough to put the keys on the dashboard and slow down unsuccessfully so that a scratch forms on the plastic. Or it can be delivered by a GPS navigator that has fallen from its mount. A scratch will not affect the functionality of the car in any way, but a damaged interior can be a reason to reduce the price of a car when selling it on secondary market, and in general it is more pleasant to be in a well-groomed interior. There are a few effective ways how to remove scratches on plastic in a car interior, which we will discuss below.
There are several ways to remove scratches from the plastic of the car, which must be selected depending on what specific material is used in the car and what structure it has. If you don't know which specific method will help you deal with a scratch, we recommend trying several, starting with the simplest one.
Before removing a scratch, be sure to degrease the plastic on the area of \u200b\u200bwhich the work will be carried out. To do this, you can use alcohol or acetone. It is strongly not recommended to degrease the surface with aggressive substances such as white spirit or gasoline. Their contact with plastic can lead to defects on it.
One of the proven and well-established ways to eliminate a defect on the plastic in the cabin is to warm it up with a lighter. To remove a scratch on the plastic in the car, you will need to acquire the so-called "turbo lighter". It can be bought at almost any store, and it has a stable burning flame, which is critical when repairing a scratch.
Note: Often even sellers do not know that they have a "turbo lighter" in stock, but it is. Ask to see all the lighters and you need to choose the one with the red part of the flame almost invisible and the fire looks blue.
To remove a scratch from the plastic in the car interior with a lighter, you need to bring it to the problem area and press the button several times in a row. Do not keep the flame burning for a long time, just one press is enough (that is, the flame will burn for no more than a second). This is necessary to evenly heat the plastic surface, both in the deformed zone and around it. Over time, the plastic will warm up and the scratches will “tighten”.
Important: In the process of removing scratches on the interior plastic with a lighter, it is not recommended to touch the heated material. This is due to the fact that the plastic is seriously softened, and a simple touch with a finger can deform it.
It is worth noting that the method of removing scratches in the car interior with a lighter is effective only if smooth plastic is used. When it has a relief, it is better to choose a different method, since heating the plastic can cause the structure to deform.
by the most in a simple way eliminate shallow scratches is their grouting with professional towels. You can easily find microfiber towels on sale in automotive and hardware stores, which work wonders for removing scratches from plastic in the car.
Using towels to eliminate the defect is quite simple - just rub the scratch actively, and after a couple of minutes it will disappear. This method will work if the plastic is damaged superficially, with deep damage Microfiber towels won't work.
Please note: Microfiber towels are an indispensable tool for drivers who like to keep their car clean and tidy. With their help, you can remove dirt, both from the interior and exterior of the car. Napkins can be used to wipe the body or glass, including using chemicals. With active use, they will last for several years, and if necessary, they can be washed.
If the use of microfiber does not remove the scratch from the plastic of the car, you can try special gels and polishes. Of the well-established means for eliminating plastic defects, Displex and Disc Repair can be called. They can be bought both in hardware stores and in automotive stores. It should be noted that in specialized automotive stores products of similar composition are sold, designed specifically to eliminate scratches from plastic in the car.
Removing a scratch from a car interior with polish is a very simple process. You will need to put a little money on a cotton swab and rub it over the scratched surface. When rubbed, the gel particles penetrate into the recesses of the scratches, completely covering them. When the defect in the plastic becomes almost imperceptible, it is necessary to wait 30-50 minutes for the product to completely harden before touching the surface.
Wax pencils for removing scratches from plastic in the cabin
In those situations where you need to remove a scratch from painted plastic or a very serious defect, it is better to abandon the idea of \u200b\u200busing polishes and gels in favor of wax pencils that can be bought at automotive stores. These pencils are sold the most different colors, due to which you can choose the right one and eliminate the defect with it.
Please note: Often they paint over with wax pencils damaged items plastic on the exterior of the car.
Using a pencil is extremely simple - you need to run it several times over a degreased surface, and the scratch will disappear. Pencil wax will fill the gap in the plastic in a few seconds, and the scratch will not stand out in the car interior.
