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scratches/fading on black textured glove box

Discussion in 'Gen 2 Prius Care, Maintenance and Troubleshooting' started by sweetguy, Apr 8, 2008.

  1. sweetguy

    sweetguy Junior Member

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    A week after getting the new Prius, my daughter swung her backpack against the dash and resulted in a few whitish lines in the textured black plastic glove box. After I wiped it with a soft cloth, it made it worse. Any products that would restore the finish to the black textured plastic?

    I still like my daughter though.

    Thanks.
     
  2. Michgal007

    Michgal007 Senior Member

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    Hey I have the same problem. I never even made an effort to 'clean' it up. Hmm..
     
  3. Boo

    Boo Boola Boola Member

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    Maybe an ordinary, fine point, black Sharpie would work well. Note that you might have to smooth out/blend in the ink with your fingers or paper towel or hankie. I use Sharpies or Prismacolor markers for lots of things, most notably, as touch up paint for my car and as a dye on thread bare cuffs of coats, suits, shirts and pants.

    I haven't tried them yet but I know that auto supplies stores sell sprays supposedly formulated for the faded black trim of cars.
     
  4. sweetguy

    sweetguy Junior Member

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    Thanks, maybe I'll try some black shoe polish and then the sharpie -- any opinions about that? It seems the dash material has a very weak coat of paint on the plastic.
     
  5. joeszabo

    joeszabo Junior Member

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    I had some scratches on my dash too, and had thought a black sharpie would work. While the white can't be seen now, the sharpie does show a dark purple tone/tint to it:mad:.

    I'm thinking that I should use the black shoe polish on the sharpie to cover over the purple tint:confused:.


    Let us know how the black shoe polish works (and the brand ie Kiwi, etc).
     
  6. Marvinh

    Marvinh Marvin

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    I would try a micro-fiber cloth with a mild cleaner like windex. The backpack may have just left some marks that can wiped off easily.

    A 'soft cloth' will leave lint in textured surface of the plastic. A micro-fiber cloth will not.

    Marvin
     
  7. NoMoShocks

    NoMoShocks Electrical Engineer

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    There was a young Prius who scratch his dash
    Why oh why did he scratch his dash,
    I guess he'll crash.

    He used a Sharpie to cover the scratch
    It's purple, no match
    yes that's a fact.
    I guess he'll crash

    He used shoe polish to cover the Sharpie
    Would it cover the sharpie or just malarky
    Why oh Why did he scratch that dash
    I guess he'll cash.
     
  8. Hemi4Prius

    Hemi4Prius Geek Girl

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    [​IMG]
     
  9. Patrick Wong

    Patrick Wong DIY Enthusiast

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    Suppose you have a passenger wearing a white silk blouse who brushes against the shoe polish. That person will not be happy.
     
  10. sdtundra

    sdtundra Senior Member

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    Washington must be reeeealy boring eh?
     
  11. NoMoShocks

    NoMoShocks Electrical Engineer

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    All seriousness aside, I would try some 303 Aero Space Protectant spay (vinal protectant that doesn't yellow like armorall.

    If that does not produce satisfaction, my next step would be a seach for custom color matched vinyl dye from auto paint store.
     
  12. Bill Merchant

    Bill Merchant absit invidia

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    Try some 303 Protectant, you can get a free sample if you pay shipping. I use it on all the plastic, inside and out.
     
  13. NoMoShocks

    NoMoShocks Electrical Engineer

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    Thanks for that link Bill,
    I didn't know about some of the other 303 products like washer fluid in tablet form, the windshield wiper conditioner, and the sample program. I wonder if the CD conditioner might work well on shallow scratches on interior auto finishes to fill them?

    I only see 6 products, do you have any information on the other 297 products?

    Yes, it is quite dull here in Washington, which is illustrated by the fact that I have edited my song to add a rhime for Sharpie that I accidently left out. But whenever things get too dull, I can be in Oregon in less than 15 minutes, and when in Oregon, I can do as the Oregonians do.

    There was a young Prius who scratch his dash
    Why oh why did he scratch his dash,
    I guess he'll crash.

    He used a Sharpie to cover the scratch
    It's purple, no match
    yes that's a fact.
    I guess he'll crash

    He used shoe polish to cover the Sharpie
    Would it cover the sharpie or just malarky
    Why oh Why did he scratch that dash
    I guess he'll cash.
     
  14. joeszabo

    joeszabo Junior Member

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    I appreciate the humor, it really is first rate :first: ( thanks, NoMoShocks) it's helps us all keep little things like dash scratches little. Haven't tried the polish over the black sharpie yet but may do so this week-end.
     
  15. sweetguy

    sweetguy Junior Member

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    I am the OP and I finally got around to trying the black shoe polish on the 2008 black textured dash. I used a typical black flat can of Kiwi shoe polish wax and dabbed on just a bit with a clean cloth and then feathered it around a wider area. So far, it looks really good -- it blends right in -- but I can't say how long it will last. I think it's better than a Sharpie because you can spread this as thin or thick as you like. And it doesn't seem to come off on a white cloth after you rub it in.

    If anyone else tries it, let me know if you agree.

    I apologize for neglecting to write any songs about it.