Dear Prius Friends, is there any recommended scratch remover which can be used to remove scratches from the smoked plastic face plates used in the radio and cd storage cover in the Prius? I got a few little scratches on the radio face plate and would like to see if I can get them out. I would say they are not very deep but noticeable. Any comments would be appreciated. thanks! Ira
This area is another issue I have with Toyota. What were they thinking making a shiny dash plastic part? Anything shiny, especially on the interior of a car will get scratched easily. If you want scratches to be less noticable you make them a flat or satin color, not glossy.
Get some of the Novus plastic polishes from TAP Plastics. TAP has stores all over the west coast if you don't want to order over the web. One rarely needs the No. 3. Usually 2 and 1 are enough for any situation. Look for local plstics suppliers who may stock Novus. I like the shiny plastic compared to the textured dash. Nice contrast. Shiny just requires care, like the paint. It's really hard to restore flat or satin finish.
Brasso and a soft cloth. Use light force and a circular motion. Have done it many times already on the shiny plastics of this car. The product even states that it removes scratches from plastics. DO NOT, however, try it on the non-transparent plastics of the Prius as it will leave cloudy white patches on it (glove boxes, door panels, etc.).
Brasso... that's interesting. I think the scratches are caused by ones fingernails, have also notice them in the door handle paint.
Thanks to all who answered..i used the Novous #3 and #1 ... it took the scratches out. BUT it did remove a bit of the shine in one spot, but overall it looks alot better. I've used the Brasso on my Ipod's screens over the years and it works great. Perhaps i should have used it here, but the end result looks like a finger print which looks alot better than a scratch and in no time the radio face plate has alot of fingerprints on it thanks to all who gave great advise here. Ira
<div class='quotetop'>QUOTE(Godiva @ Apr 20 2007, 09:10 PM) [snapback]427173[/snapback]</div> PlastX is way too abrasive for fine polishing interior plastics. It's more for restoring plastic headlight covers, plastic bug deflectors, etc. My suggestion would have been Meguiars #17 Clear Plastic Cleaner followed by Brillianize, both of which I picked up at a Tap Plastics years ago, but it sounds like they now stock other equally good or better plastic polishes.
Hmm, never tried Brasso, but don't wipe in circular patterns! When wiping this way, any micro scratches that are created are visible from all directions because the light can catch it from any angle. Wipe going side to side. If you were to micro scratch the surface, you'll be looking at the scratches end onand won't notice them as much as we do when our eyes are 90 degrees to them. Also, use a microfiber cloth. Get a good one. Test it out on a CD first. Use it to wipe across a CD. If it scratches the CD, it's gonna scratch this plastic. Best microfbers are at Waynestowels.com or detailersparadise.com. Old T-shirts are too rough for this plastic. Which means, paper towels and Kleenix should be kept far away from them. I use Zaino Z5, while not specifically made for plastic, the makers state that it can be used on plastic to remove/hide scratches. I've used it successfully on the soft plastic parts (radio face, cup holder covers). They do make a product specifically for plastic (zainobrothers.com). If the scratch is fairly deep then query on some car detailers forums such as: detailersclub.com Good luck.
