So you bought a brand new jeep wrangler. The exteriors and the interiors are all shining, shimmering and splendid and the sparks are just all over your jeep. You take good care of it as much as you can, but then suddenly, a friend of yours scratches a part of your dashboard accidentally. What should be your reaction? Well, you might be shocked and eventually become upset afterwards, but then, what choice could you have? It’s already been done and there’s nothing that you can do but fix it if you still want your jeep to look like brand new.
So to resolve this issue, let’s discuss on how to fix scratches on a plastic dashboard. Below are the easy steps on how to fix this and the dos and don’ts that you need to carefully consider when doing this DIY fix.
When faced with this kind of situation, you are given two options:
- Bring your jeep to the dealership or an automotive service repair shop
- Or just learn how to do it and do-it-yourself (DIY)
If you want a hassle-free fix, then you may choose the first option. However, you also need to know that this requires you to shell out some bills off your pocket. But for this article, we are to talk about the second option and provide instructions on how to carefully fix scratches on a plastic dashboard or how to remove scuff marks from jeep dash. Also, if you want to learn how to remove scratches from hard plastic, this instructional material might also help you. Therefore, you must follow the instructions carefully for this jeep interior plastic scratch repair so as not to experience problems after which. There might be tools needed for this DIY instruction, but these tools can be acquired easily in hardware stores.
To start with, here are the tools that you will need for this DIY instructional material to remove or fix scratches on your plastic dashboard:
- Heat Gun or Hair Dryer – provides heat to the plastic dashboard surface so that its shape can be modified to look like the other dashboard areas
- Car Cleaner (Interior) – this should be a cleaner designed for jeeps so as not to damage the surface of your dashboard and be careful to choose a high-quality cleaner to ensure that inner dirt from the plastic is totally removed
- Cleaning Cloth – this cloth should be made up of microfiber
- Grit Sandpaper – should be fine to easily finish up the surfaces not totally cleaned and blend-in after which
- Grain Pads – also called a textured automotive finishing, these pads should be for the interior. Make sure that you get the closest pattern the same as that of your dashboard to match all of the surface areas
- Gloves – Lint-free (optional) – it depends on whether you would like to use this when doing the fix, but this helps in protecting the dashboard from unnecessary marks brought about by your hands on the dashboard, creating a much cleaner result afterwards
So here it is. Brace yourself and remember to carefully follow the instructions and never miss a step. It is important to read all the steps first before doing anything in order for you to understand the whole picture and will give you an idea on how to approach every step in the right way, through the techniques that you can come up depending on what’s a lot easier for you.
Step 1: Using The Jeep Cleaner, Clean The Interior Meticulously
Being meticulous won’t hurt you or your jeep wrangler, but instead, that will ensure that the entire dashboard surface with the scratch and its nearby surroundings are thoroughly cleaned well. Make sure to use the microfiber cloth to wipe the surface. Let the surface dry and after which, you are on to the next step.
Step 2: Using The Grit Sandpaper, Shave The Affected Surface
Because of the surface being scratched, there might be remnants or bits and pieces left on the surface, so this requires to be removed by a sandpaper. Carefully shave it off to resurface it.
Step 3: Using The Heat Gun Or Hair Dryer, Heat Up The Affected Surface With The Scratches On It
This is done to soften the affected area, making it glossy afterwards. Set either of these tools to the middle heat level and carefully place it near the surface for a few minutes until you see some changes (glossy as what I’ve mentioned earlier). If you heat the surface more than what’s intended, this might deform the surface and will be hard to fix.
Step 4: Using The Grain Pad, Finish It Up To Make The Surface Even With The Entire Dashboard
Apply a very light pressure or force to the affected area in order for it to smooth out evenly and blend in and match with the rest of the dashboard.
Step 5: Let It Dry And Observe If You Like The Results
After doing the first four steps, leave the treated surface for a while and then observe the results. If you are satisfied with it, then that’s good news. If not yet, then you can redo the whole process on to areas which are not that treated well.
Conclusion
Taking care of your jeep from the engine to the interiors is very important when you are planning for a trade-in in the future or if you want to sell it after how many years. If the jeep has been properly taken care of, the resale value would be much higher. Therefore, learning how to fix scratches on a plastic dashboard is a help for every jeep owner to save repair cost and more importantly, to maintain the new look of the jeep.
Learning how to do these jeep repairs on a basic level is fun to do especially if you are still new in this area. Aside from saving a lot of money because you are the one who’s doing it, you can also help other jeep owners by sharing your knowledge and eventually pay it forward.
