Looking for some tips on how to buff out scuff marks on my plastic interior.

S

speedyboy13

:
2016 Mazda CX-5 Touring
Took my car on a 2 week road trip with some friends and my interior took a bit of a beating. Mainly the plastic interior is scratched up.

The plastic on the inside of my trunk ended up with the most damage. There are several gnarly scuffs/scratches (from a plastic ice cooler rubbing against it while driving). Is there any tricks to blend these scuff marks in? The don't seem to deep, but it may be somewhat of a challenge blending them because the plastic material isn't smooth (has a rough coating). If you own a cx5, you will know what I mean.

I will try and post some pictures tomorrow but any advice in the mean time would be greatly appreciated!
 
Not sure how you can repair that kind of plastic. I can offer two wild suggestions though:

Install some speaker carpet (ei. woofer boxes)? Could cover up the scratches while preventing future scratches.

Bedliner spray.


You can also look into something like this:
2015-Good-mats-Special-trunk-mats-for-Mazda-CX-5-2015-waterproof-durable-boot-carpets-for.jpg
 
Coincidentally, I was cleaning out my vehicle last night after a weekend camping trip, and noticed similar damage to my back liftgate interior plastic panel. Mine also appears to be rubbing-type damage built up over time from suitcases, beach chairs, cooler and other hard items stored in the back while traveling.

I also briefly brainstormed ways to fix it, including covering that whole panel with some type of black material, but decided against that approach as it won't exactly match (and that might annoy me more). I'm planning on now placing an old beach towel between larger stuff in the cargo area and the back gate to try to prevent further damage, and eventually, I may just replace that panel with a new one. Not at all cheap, but not obscenely expensive. Then again, one could expect this type of damage given that it is, after all, the cargo area. On the other hand, I also know damage like this will eventually start to drive me crazy.... :)

Here's a link to the 2015 part for the GT trim, but I am unsure if the 2016 is identical/same part # or not:

http://onlinemazdaparts.com/parts/2...mber=KD4568960&vehicleid=417851&siteid=214264
 
RLCarrington said:
Coincidentally, I was cleaning out my vehicle last night after a weekend camping trip, and noticed similar damage to my back liftgate interior plastic panel. Mine also appears to be rubbing-type damage built up over time from suitcases, beach chairs, cooler and other hard items stored in the back while traveling.

I also briefly brainstormed ways to fix it, including covering that whole panel with some type of black material, but decided against that approach as it won't exactly match (and that might annoy me more). I'm planning on now placing an old beach towel between larger stuff in the cargo area and the back gate to try to prevent further damage, and eventually, I may just replace that panel with a new one. Not at all cheap, but not obscenely expensive. Then again, one could expect this type of damage given that it is, after all, the cargo area. On the other hand, I also know damage like this will eventually start to drive me crazy.... :)

Here's a link to the 2015 part for the GT trim, but I am unsure if the 2016 is identical/same part # or not:

http://onlinemazdaparts.com/parts/2...mber=KD4568960&vehicleid=417851&siteid=214264
Click to expand...

Good idea on the panel. I would call local pick and pull car yards if they have any totaled CX-5's.
 
CX-5um said:
Good idea on the panel. I would call local pick and pull car yards if they have any totaled CX-5's.
Click to expand...

Now, why didn't I think of that?? Great idea, and even more likely to be found if that part is identical to previous years. Unsure of any differences in trimlines (probably not), but I just checked on that same website and the part number is the same for the 2014 & 2013 GT as well. Can't find any online part listings for the 2016 yet, however.
 
RLCarrington said:
Now, why didn't I think of that?? Great idea, and even more likely to be found if that part is identical to previous years. Unsure of any differences in trimlines (probably not), but I just checked on that same website and the part number is the same for the 2014 & 2013 GT as well. Can't find any online part listings for the 2016 yet, however.
Click to expand...

I would consider the cargo area to be a wear item, since the trunk area already gets a fair amount of wear from someone who carries anything other than a plastic shopping bag.

In addition, the parts that fall off in the crash are usually tossed in the back, so I am not sure you will have luck finding an unscratched one at a wrecking yard. If it wasn't already scratched from everyday use.

I think the best methods I have used for removing these types of scratches are to use the back of the fingernail, or old credit and gift cards to scrape, form, and push the raised part of the scratch down into the groove of the scratch, and if it needs it, follow up with a heat or flame polishing.
 
Spray on Bed-lining would be an interesting solution. Cures to a flat black. Scratch resistant from a load of rocks. Cheap. Potential drawback is I'm not sure how it will bond to plastic.

sddefault.jpg
 
It's no fun at all! Didn't think it would scuff so easy. Let me know if you ever find a solution. I will continue searching for some..
 
Hi, I have been in the auto industry for 21 years (retired now and proud CX-5 owner). We used to fix interior plastic scratches this way. First, get some latex, cling wrap and a cookie ring. Place the cling wrap down on an undamaged plastic area, then place the cookie ring on, affix with some masking tape. Mix up the latex and pour into the cookie ring. Let is set then remove. This will give you an impression of the plastic texture.

Use a heat gun ON LOW SETTING!. Gently warm the plastic up around the scratch until you can se it becoming slightly ductile. Place the latex template on and apply mild pressure, wait for it to cool and viola! scratch is gone.

Best to practice on some piece of interior trim from a wrecker first though to get your method right!

Hope this helps.
 
You can scratch up the rest of it so it all matches and is consistent.:D
 
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