Restore the interior trim after removed the scratches

**chris0147** · 02-13-2020, 03:55 PM

Originally Posted by JKDesign

Carefully heat the trim piece with a hair dryer or heat gun until it gets shiny. Do not touch the piece as you will leave finger prints. Let it cool back down to normal temperature. Then treat it with your interior trim dressing of choice.

I have got the heat gun, but the last time I tried it doesn't work. So do you know what temp I should turn on the heat gun before I can start to use it?

I will only have to apply the heat on the area where the marks are, am i correct?

The heat gun I have got is called black decker 2000w.

**Rsurfer** · 02-13-2020, 04:31 PM

Originally Posted by chris0147

If I get solution finish, will it come to the same color as the trim?

It looks grey in the pictures. Solution Finish is refined graphite, which is black. Someone said that they make it grey..do a search.

**Eldorado2k** · 02-13-2020, 04:48 PM

Originally Posted by Rsurfer

It looks grey in the pictures. Solution Finish is refined graphite, which is black. Someone said that they make it grey..do a search.

Don’t use Solution Finish Fusion Grey unless your plastic trim was originally gray... That trim is black.

Originally Posted by chris0147

If I get solution finish, will it come to the same color as the trim?

It will try it’s best to dye the plastic black.

**chris0147** · 02-13-2020, 05:58 PM

Originally Posted by Eldorado2k

Don’t use Solution Finish Fusion Grey unless your plastic trim was originally gray... That trim is black.

It will try it’s best to dye the plastic black.

Oh right, so is mine trim is black then?

If mine is black, do I have to apply a little bit of solution finish on the area where the scratch marks are to rub it gently until the marks is gone?

**chris0147** · 02-13-2020, 06:03 PM

I am not sure what to do whether if i have to use heat gun to apply the heat on the area where the scratches are until it is gone or if i have to buy solution finish to apply them a little bit on the area where the scratches are until it is gone?

**Rsurfer** · 02-13-2020, 06:23 PM

Common sense tells me that because the trim is textured, a heat gun will not keep the same finish.

Solution Finish is a cover up and will not fill and make the scratch disappear. It will blend in with the surrounding area and make it less noticeable.

**Avant** · 02-13-2020, 06:45 PM

Originally Posted by Rsurfer

Common sense tells me that because the trim is textured, a heat gun will not keep the same finish.

Solution Finish is a cover up and will not fill and make the scratch disappear. It will blend in with the surrounding area and make it less noticeable.

I was going to say... how do you keep the treated part not looking flat or from losing the textured surface?

**57Rambler** · 02-13-2020, 09:20 PM

Originally Posted by chris0147

If mine is black, do I have to apply a little bit of solution finish on the area where the scratch marks are to rub it gently until the marks is gone?

What I would do is this. Cut a small piece of a thick, good quality microfiber. Cut up an old one that has gotten stained, doesn't matter 'cause you're doing black staining/dying. Anyways, want just a small piece as it is easier to work with and it kinda controls how much you put on the towel, as you want to work with as small a quantity of dye as possible, esp. if focusing on the scratches. Apply as little as possible on your piece of towel and then rub the scratched area, just a light amount ... maybe just a feathering of it. Then use a drier portion of your piece of towel to rub the dye in to the scratch and then to blend that area out with the rest of the seat. If you apply as little dye as possible, you can always go back over it again, but it's hard to do the opposite and messier too. You kind of have to get a feel for how much to be able to get the scratch "dyed out" yet not be too much dye to be able to get the dye "buffed" out to blend with the rest of the seat material.

Mike Phillips · 02-15-2020, 11:08 AM

Hi Chris,

I just read your PMs about this project. I'm busy working on a car project for product reviews, I don't have time to go deep.

I will say that in my entire online and offline career I've never seen anyone sand pebble textured trim with the hope of making it look better. Once you sand the pebble texture flat or deformed, it's not going to look the same.

At this point I would wipe the plastic down and then tape off all the surrounding areas and paint the trim with some SEM plastic or vinyl paint. SEM is a brand name and you can find this product online and at most PBE stores.

Here's an article I originally wrote in 2005, that's 15 years ago...

What it means to remove a scratch out of anything...

**chris0147** · 02-17-2020, 05:52 PM

Thanks for your advice guys, I dont have solution finish but I do have the heat gun.

However, today I have been using the heat and it looks so much better.

How is that look to you?

Do you know what I need to do next?

This is what I have taken the pics shortly after I used the heat gun.

This was how it was look before I use the heat gun: