Piano black plastic interior scratches - help

[Topic98]

Hi everyone,

 

Car is new and I was not aware of the fragility of plastic piano black finish. I tried to clean with a microfiber (not new) and scratches appeared. I then did an attempt in a small area to remove the scratches but a small discoloration appears (last photo). Do you know any product which could help? Thank you

 

Edited August 6, 2023 by Topic98

[The Guz]

Cheap microfibers can definitely scratch this soft piano material.  The scratches look pretty deep and it looks like you will need a new piece.  You could make it look better by compounding or polishing.  That will remove the light scratches.  

 

 

[Topic98]

Thank you for your feedback, are you able to explain what is the difference between compound and polish products? I have heard of Meguiars plastx for piano black, also 3M. Any advice on products? What kind of pad to use if doing manually? Abrasive / non abrasive, microfiber? 

[RayS]

Based on how deep the scratches look from the picture, it is doubtful that just just using polish will do, but I will still recommend starting with the level.  You always want to use the least aggressive method as the first attempt and that would be polish.  If polish does not do the trick, then go purchase the compound use it followed by polish.

 

You can find both products on the Adam's site and most likely at your local Chevy dealer:  https://adamspolishes.com/collections/exterior-polishing-liquids

 

The link above provides the information on what each does and when to use them This is an Adam's forum, so you will not get recommendations for products other than Adam's and I can attest to the fact that they are exceptional.  

[falcaineer]

The video above will help guide you including pads and chemicals on your trim.

 

To your question on differences, in short, compound is for cutting and correcting the surface, while polish is used to bring out the luster and finish off the surface. All of Adam's chemicals are color-coded between pads and chemicals to make them easier to use.

 

If you want to try manually, you can always get smaller pads on the website or something like the orange Hex Grip and Scratch and Swirl Remover. But the hex grip is bigger and taping off the areas around the trim is recommended whatever you use.

 

Be careful, piano black trim both on the inside and outside is usually soft and can be very thin, risking burning if polished too much. As @RayS said, start least aggressive.