Soft Touch Plastics Restoration

[Kagan]

My Interior plastics were looking too grubby for my liking, I decided to give refurbishing them a go as I didn't fancy springing for new ones. I used Rustoleum Peel Coat which is a rubberised finish, looks VERY much like the OEM finish, although I have some concerns over longevity. I suppose the possitive this is that if it starts looking tired again, all I need to do it peel it off and paint again!

I used about 3 cans at around £7 each so a pretty good bang for buck refresh of the interior if you ask me. Here are the before and afters.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

 

Hope you guys like it! I think it looks amazing, and it's freshened up the interior so much!

 

[R11CH]

Looks like new!

I went down the new route with mime but this is definitely a great alternative.

[Kagan]

1 hour ago, R11CH said:

Looks like new!

I went down the new route with mime but this is definitely a great alternative.

Thanks mate  How much did the new parts cost out of interest?

 

[momo]

How does this stuff compare to plasti-dip? It's basically the same stuff, right?

[Kagan]

On 11/04/2018 at 09:30, momo said:

How does this stuff compare to plasti-dip? It's basically the same stuff, right?

It's very similar yes. The reason I went for this stuff was because a friend had a can knocking around. I used it for something unrelated to the car and then had a lightbulb moment thinking this could work really well.

It also self levels extremely well giving a flawless looking finish (if you've prepped the surface you are spraying properly of course). I'm pretty handy around paint, I've done loads of spraying, but this stuff would look good sprayed on by a novice, I can't tell you how beautifully it levels itself. But DO NOT get any runs, be patient and built the thickness gradually as you can't sand this stuff. You'll need to start again which will mean either peeling it all, or if you haven't put enough down for it to peel properly, sanding it all back.

I can't stress how important the prep is with this stuff, it's not water based, and will react if not sprayed onto a well prepped surface. Make sure you clean the part well after prepping with something like panel wipe or some rubbing alcohol. And definitely wait for it to properly dry between layers. Trying to get it on fast will cause it to start lifting as the layers below will still be out gassing of not fully cured (I found out the hard way).

I hope I'm not making it sound scary, it's very very good stuff and easy to spray, it's just important you take your time and do the job right.

I paid £7 a can and got through about 3 and a half cans. You need to build up the layer or it won't peel. That's important if you ever want to redo it if after a few years it start looking a bit crappy again so you can just peel, wipe and paint again.

If anyone has any questions just ask.

Edited April 15, 2018 by Kagan

[SixPotThree]

That looks awesome dude.....definitely going on the to do list (does it ever get smaller lol) 👍

[2clubsp]

@Kagan how is this holding up to normal wear and tear?

[Kagan]

12 hours ago, SixPotThree said:

That looks awesome dude.....definitely going on the to do list (does it ever get smaller lol) 👍

Thanks dude!

[Kagan]

3 minutes ago, 2clubsp said:

@Kagan how is this holding up to normal wear and tear?

I'll post a picture when I get back to the car later today on my way home from work to show you, but it's holding up well.

I'm being careful not to scuff it as much as reasonably possible, but it's my daily at the end of the day so it's seeing plenty  of use.

[CoupEdin]

9 hours ago, Kagan said:

I'll post a picture when I get back to the car later today on my way home from work to show you, but it's holding up well.

I'm being careful not to scuff it as much as reasonably possible, but it's my daily at the end of the day so it's seeing plenty  of use.

Very keen to give this a try on my "ashtray" console and its surround as it's very scratched and new ones are about £160 now.

Would you mind just listing what I need to buy as I'm a novice with paint tbh!

Have to say your stuff looks brilliant - hope its holding up well

[Kagan]

I've been fairly careful to not throw phones and keys down carelessly and avoiding my fingernails digging into the trays when opening. But it's going fairly well so far. 

[Kagan]

1 hour ago, CoupEdin said:

Very keen to give this a try on my "ashtray" console and its surround as it's very scratched and new ones are about £160 now.

Would you mind just listing what I need to buy as I'm a novice with paint tbh!

Have to say your stuff looks brilliant - hope its holding up well

Grab some 400 and either 800 or 1000 grit wet/dry sandpaper. Start with the 400 then work up to the 800. Just stick to what I wrote above and you'll be ok.

[Kagan]

11 hours ago, 2clubsp said:

@Kagan how is this holding up to normal wear and tear?

Just posted a pic, check it out.

[CoupEdin]

Thanks for that.

Looking at the photo it is holding up well.  I actually wonder if the OE coating just doesn't hold up well after about 15 years.  They can't, surely, have been getting marked out of the showroom, or within a warranty period.

Btw looking at you armrest, I'd really recommend getting a leather restorer kit.  Clean it, sand it, clean it again, apply colour-matched restorer and then apply conditioner the next day.  Comes up like (nearly0 new!

[Kagan]

52 minutes ago, CoupEdin said:

Thanks for that.

Looking at the photo it is holding up well.  I actually wonder if the OE coating just doesn't hold up well after about 15 years.  They can't, surely, have been getting marked out of the showroom, or within a warranty period.

Btw looking at you armrest, I'd really recommend getting a leather restorer kit.  Clean it, sand it, clean it again, apply colour-matched restorer and then apply conditioner the next day.  Comes up like (nearly0 new!

Doing the whole interior is on the "To Do" list. There is a company called furniture clinic, for about £150 to £200 you can get everything you need minus an airbrush to do all the leather in the car. I plan to take all the seats and door cards out and getting the whole interior looking like brand new.

I'll start a new thread for that as and when I get round to it

[Sukh Singh]

On ‎15‎/‎04‎/‎2018 at 09:29, Kagan said:

It's very similar yes. The reason I went for this stuff was because a friend had a can knocking around. I used it for something unrelated to the car and then had a lightbulb moment thinking this could work really well.

It also self levels extremely well giving a flawless looking finish (if you've prepped the surface you are spraying properly of course). I'm pretty handy around paint, I've done loads of spraying, but this stuff would look good sprayed on by a novice, I can't tell you how beautifully it levels itself. But DO NOT get any runs, be patient and built the thickness gradually as you can't sand this stuff. You'll need to start again which will mean either peeling it all, or if you haven't put enough down for it to peel properly, sanding it all back.

I can't stress how important the prep is with this stuff, it's not water based, and will react if not sprayed onto a well prepped surface. Make sure you clean the part well after prepping with something like panel wipe or some rubbing alcohol. And definitely wait for it to properly dry between layers. Trying to get it on fast will cause it to start lifting as the layers below will still be out gassing of not fully cured (I found out the hard way).

I hope I'm not making it sound scary, it's very very good stuff and easy to spray, it's just important you take your time and do the job right.

I paid £7 a can and got through about 3 and a half cans. You need to build up the layer or it won't peel. That's important if you ever want to redo it if after a few years it start looking a bit crappy again so you can just peel, wipe and paint again.

If anyone has any questions just ask.

did you sand off existing coating prior to alcohol wipe down?