Fixing interior scratches in dark gray (or light for that matter)

I have spoken to Toyota customer services who tell me that they are not aware of problems with scratching.

My wifes Prius is only a month old and the lower glove compartment cover is already scratched.

My belief is that the plastic is far too soft - I have been driving more years than I care to remember, and never had this problem with other cars.

? Is there a fix ? Who else experiences this problem.

 

You can try the 'Mr. Clean Magic Eraser'. It is a VERY fine adbrasive. But test it on a hidden surface first.

Marvinh

 

Nothing new... my 97 Camry had the same problem. Also my 99 Sub OB also was easy to mar. I just ended up living w/ it.

 

I too have the scratches on the lower glove box from my girls purse:yell:. I would love to know a good way to get them out. They really stand out to me. She thinks it hilarious btw.

 

I really think there is a problem here with the choice/specification of the plastic in some of the mouldings - I hope that an answer can be found or Toyota acknowlede the problem ans fix it!!

 

I believe someone mention they tried the heat gun but it started to melt and lost the texture in the area. Be careful!

 

You could always go test drive a new Prius from a dealers, drive round the corner where you've already left your own car, swap the glove box doors over and then return the test drive car with scratched glove box door. Simple.

Only down side to this course of action is that it is theft and could land you in serious trouble, so I certainly would not recommend you do it! :mod:

 

What is a scratch in plastic anyway? Unlike paint which has layers of different color, plastic scratches are different than paint scratches. Now, I do not have issues yet with the interior of my Prius but I am an old Corian (solid surface) guy.

Plastic scratches if put under high magnification is really a bunch of what appear to be "white feathers" of plastic that have been removed from the "parent" object. Knock these feathers off and the scratch visually is much reduced.

The question is what can you use to knock these feathers off without also changing the texture of the parent plastic item. General back and forth rubbing will tend to knock them off and thus hide the plastic scratch. Sometimes a pencil eraser will work. Or a fine 3M pad might but be careful.

We also will see that using some armour-all also tends to hide these feathers. Given this info, see what you can do. The plastic is a solid color unlike paint.

Some info, worth what you paid for it on any public forum. YMMV.

 

Yep I used an armour all type product on a rag and used my fingernail behind the rag to scrap off the edges of the scratch, now i can't see it any more.

 

I have some 303 Protectant that I am going to try - maybe along with slight fingernail pressure behind the rag. I used a soft lead pencil on a couple scratches which helped some. I was thinking about gray creamy shoe polish but it is not easy to come by in most stores and matching the colors is tough online.

 

The Armor All- type products work well on the light scratches. It seems to "nourish" the plastic material, removing the scratches and making the area less likely to scratch in the future. I did all of my plastic door panels with STP Son of a Gun. They look much better and the small scratches are no longer present. Just apply it with a soft cloth, let it sit for about five minutes, and then buff it off.