The opener button for the upper glove box in my 2005 Prius gets lots of use, and it seems that the original dark gray matte finish is wearing off, showing a shiny black plastic finish underneath. I had assumed that the matte finish was the color and finish of the plastic, but no, it is apparently some kind of coating. Does anyone have any suggestions for repairing this so that the finish of the worn, shiny spot can be the same color and matte finish as the rest of my car's dash panel? I did some searching before posting, and didn't find anything. If I missed it, I'm sorry, but I could use some help here. It isn't tragic, just looks odd. Thanks. -Roger
I saw several posts on this topic on Prius On Line. If I remember correctly, the only fix was to replace the part. It seems that all of the issues were with the 04 and 05 models and was attributed to oil on the skin, suntan lotion being the biggest culprit.
Hmmm...I don't use suntan oil and am pretty much the sole driver of the car, but do have natural oils on my skin (of course). Seems kind of early for the finish to wear off (2.5 years old), and the car is still under warranty. In fact, I just had my 30K tuneup, missed an opportunity there...I'll give the dealer a call and see what they say about warranty replacement. There may be an issue with this in later models when they are old enough to experience it... Any ideas for repair? Thanks. -Roger
No ideas for repair other than replacing the part or getting it painted, unless you'd like to go with an appliqué. Some people like a "burlwood" or "carbon fiber" look, so they get an appliqué plastic to put over the smooth parts of the dash. On the 2006+ models, Toyota went with a textured black plastic for all the parts that are smooth and painted in your car, other than the silver painted plastic around the vents.
If you have access to spay equipment, you sould be able to buy custom matched vinyl dye at auto parts stores that deal with automotive paint. You would want to remove the glove box door from the vehicle for painting. I tried searching for an online source and couln't find one, but you might check with paintworld.com at their 800 nuber during the day. THey put good quality paint in spay cans and might do the same for the vinyl dyes.
