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touch up paint for interior (because I'm an idiot)

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by pan2, May 25, 2019.

  1. pan2

    pan2 Junior Member

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    I accidentally cracked a plastic pieces on the top of the dashboard in my 2008 Prius. I did a sloppy job gluing it back in place (mistake number one: it was dark out and my lighting wasn't good) and some glue seeped out of the seam where the pieces met. No problem I thought --- I'll just use some nail polish remover to clean up that excess glue. I'm sure you can guess mistake number two: apparently nail polish remover is not good for colored plastic. So now it looks much worse and the grey metallic plastic has a big beige discolored area (see attached photo).

    I'm wondering if there's an inexpensive way to make this look better. It doesn't need to be perfect. I'm about to sell the car and it's old anyway, but any easy fixup would be welcomed. Thanks for saving me from my stupidity!
     

    Attached Files:

    #1 pan2, May 25, 2019
  2. exstudent

    exstudent Senior Member

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    I would just go to an LQK junk yard and pull the interior pieces you need. Painting will stick out no matter what.

    OR, sell at a slight discount reflecting the cost of those interior pieces at LQK.
     
    #2 exstudent, May 25, 2019
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  3. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Remove the effective pieces (and maybe any adjacent that would otherwise clash) and spray with mat-black plasti-dip?

    Here's a burnished shifter bezel I re-did a while back:

    Before:

    upload_2019-5-25_14-8-18.png

    After:

    upload_2019-5-25_14-8-44.png

    Installed:

    upload_2019-5-25_14-9-58.png
     
    #3 Mendel Leisk, May 25, 2019
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  4. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    Or just get an inexpensive dash cover and hide it.
     
    #4 jb in NE, May 25, 2019
  5. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    Junkyard is a good bet.

    Otherwise pop it out and spraypaint it. Paints meant for plastic model kits work well. Testors makes lots of semi-metallic finishes, shouldn't be hard to match.
     
    #5 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, May 25, 2019
  6. fotomoto

    fotomoto Senior Member

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    Ebay. These items are low demand so prices should be low. Most sellers are usually junk yard dealers so find one that A) has a low price and B) accepts offers.

    GOOD LUCK!
     
    #6 fotomoto, May 25, 2019
  7. sam spade 2

    sam spade 2 Senior Member

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    For future reference:
    Nail polish is basically PAINT.
    Nail polish remover removes all kinds of paint.

    Find a cute "sticker" to put over it.
     
    #7 sam spade 2, May 25, 2019
  8. jb in NE

    jb in NE Senior Member

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    #8 jb in NE, May 25, 2019
  9. Kenny94945

    Kenny94945 Active Member

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    Ouch....
    Cheapest is probably to remove all the damaged pieces and any piece that mirrors it (to keep artistic symmetry) sand, prime and spray repaint.
    …. Murphy's Law at work.
    Good luck.
     
    #9 Kenny94945, May 26, 2019
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  10. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Maybe don't sand? The pieces might have a texture, and sanding would disrupt it. Make sure the pieces are really clean though, say isopropyl alcohol on an old toothbrush.

    Addendum: they do look pretty smooth though, meh.
     
    #10 Mendel Leisk, May 26, 2019
  11. Leadfoot J. McCoalroller

    Leadfoot J. McCoalroller Senior Member

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    I've only done this a couple of times, I find that sanding the parts is the right move. New paint adheres better if the base surface has a little bit of roughness, and the overall finish is more even if all of it has been sanded the same way.

    Some paint will provide its own texture, and the method of application will affect the final texture too.

    Fine grit, 800-2000 is usually about right.
     
    #11 Leadfoot J. McCoalroller, May 26, 2019
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