Polishing the plastic of the car interior from scratches: tools and instructions
Each driver worries about the cleanliness and integrity of his car, the serviceability of all components and assemblies. Especially motorists follow the beauty of the cabin, because it is always in front of our eyes. Therefore, everyone, without exception, will benefit from information on how the plastic of a car interior is polished from scratches and how to restore its attractive appearance in order to avoid the need to change certain elements.
Types of scratches
The most common plastic damage in any car interior is scratches. As a rule, they are small, but if the car is already many years old, there are a lot of them. It looks unaesthetic. Such shortcomings can be dealt with using a number of special tools. Moreover, the cost of this type of repair will be insignificant and it will not take so much time.
Significant damage to the plastic surface is considered to be scratches with a depth of several millimeters or more. Removal of such defects requires the use of complex methods using putty and subsequent painting. Only in this case it will be possible to avoid the need to replace existing plastic parts with new ones.
Minor scuffs that are easy to remove
Another specific type of damage is exposure to ultraviolet rays. Due to the fact that the plastic part has been exposed to direct sunlight for a long time, it may lose its color tint and become matte. Scratches only exacerbate the aesthetic flaws. Repair of such a plan is complex and requires skills.
Deciding to remove even small scratches requires a lot of effort to get a good end result. It happens that the surface of an interior element has a corrugated structure – this aggravates the process. But polishing the plastic of the car interior from scratches with a smooth texture will be quick and without any hassle.
plastic restorer
This tool is universal. With it, you can update and restore not only platinum, but also vinyl decorative elements with your own hands.
In such a situation, abrasives and surface sanding are indispensable.
The finished composition must be applied to the damaged areas so that it penetrates deeply into the structure and fills the entire volume. After the product has hardened, it is enough to polish the surface with special napkins.
The cost of plastic restorers starts from 200 conditional units.
Pencil
This is the most convenient way to remove small and medium-sized defects. The option is not the cheapest, since a quality product is relatively expensive. However, buying one pencil will allow you to use it for a long time.
The product is sold in vials. Its consistency is liquid. All that is required of the motorist is to apply the composition to the damaged area. As a result, the scratch will be completely filled and visually cease to be noticeable.
Plastic ink: before and after
The most important thing is to choose the right shade so that the repaired area does not stand out from the rest of the interior element.
It is also important to clean the damaged area from contaminants so that the composition firmly fills the structure and hardens.
A pencil from a well-known manufacturer costs about 1000 conventional units, a cheap Chinese counterpart will cost 300-500 conventional units.
Gel plasticizer
This tool is a colloidal mass that can be used with materials of any texture. After the plasticizer gel is applied to the damaged areas, it forms a homogeneous mass that repeats the texture of the original material.
Damage requiring major repairs
Then the resulting cast is filled in by the restorer. Once it hardens, the repair can be considered complete. Thanks to the use of a plasticizer gel, it is possible to completely restore the texture of the restored area.
The price of one can of 0.5 liters starts from 900 conventional units.
Use of polish
Polishing plastic from scratches in the car interior is the most affordable, simple and safe method of restoration. As a rule, polish is not used alone, but in combination with an abrasive paste.
Finish polishing
Do not use options designed for processing paintwork.
Polishing of plastic can be done both by hand and using a polishing machine. However, it is important to set the rotation speed to the minimum allowable values. In order not to risk the integrity of the interior elements, it is recommended to carry out all actions manually. The whole procedure will not take much time.
To remove all defects, it is necessary to carry out a number of actions:
- Completely clean the plastic element from contamination using detergents.
- Dry the surface to be treated and cool it in a cool place.
- Apply abrasive paste to the interior element and wait a while for it to work.
- Start polishing the surface with light and gentle movements until the abrasive paste is completely gone.
- Clean the surface of polish residues with a soft cloth.
The cost of such a tool starts from 100 conventional units and depends on the manufacturer, as well as the form of supply – aerosol or spray. This category also includes ink for the plastic of the car interior. With it, you can not only polish defects, but also restore the color of interior elements.
Heating with a hair dryer
A regular hair dryer will help get rid of minor scratches. Its power is quite enough to remove small defects. The principle of use is simple – during the heating of the plastic, scratches and scuffs under the influence of hot air are tightened, becoming hardly noticeable.
Scratch control tools are also household burners and a building hair dryer.
First, wash the area to be treated thoroughly and allow it to dry. In the process, it is important not to bring the hair dryer close to avoid damage to the plastic elements.
Folk remedies
If you need to eliminate a small scuff, you can use improvised means, such as toothpaste. It is also an abrasive that can easily cope with small scratches.
Some people use a regular lighter, but the plastic is easy to melt.
When Cap is Required repair
The process of restoring badly damaged plastic is costly in terms of time and effort. It requires careful preparation, puttying, priming and painting the surface to be treated. With it, you can achieve the complete removal of any defects and avoid the need to replace the decorative plastic element.
In this case, it is better to entrust the work to the masters.
In this case, you can change the color scheme of the interior, add notes of individuality. An important condition for a high-quality overhaul of plastic is the dismantling of the element from the car.
This ensures that the interior of the machine is kept clean. If you see the photo before and after the overhaul of plastic, you can see a significant difference.
Results
Cars that have been in operation for a long time, no doubt, have signs of wear. They are especially visible on plastic. It ruins the look of the car. To avoid this, you can polish the plastic interior elements with your own hands, using inexpensive tools for this.