ScratchX Left Mark

**blinkme323** · 03-09-2009, 09:23 PM

Hi everyone,

Recently I discovered that I had a small scratch on the black plastic door panel on the interior of my car. I was told by a friend to use ScratchX, even though it`s mainly for the exterior. So I very lightly rubbed on a dab of ScratchX with my finger and then wiped it off with a cotten cloth. The scratch has been minimized, but the area where I put on the ScratchX seems shinier or darker than the rest of the panel.

I`m thinking that this is just the residue left by the ScratchX because I don`t think I rubbed hard enough for it to act as an abrasive. My question is how can I remove the residue? Someone suggested using rubbing alcohol? Your help is appreciated.

**BigJimZ28** · 03-09-2009, 09:27 PM

sorry as I know how this is going to sound but...

if you did not rub hard enough for it to act as an abrasive, how was the scratch minimized?

could you post a pic?

**blinkme323** · 03-09-2009, 09:32 PM

"Less noticable" would probably be a better description. It`s dark out, so I can`t get a pic at this moment. The best way I can explain it`s appearance is that it looks like a shiny blotch on the trim.

**Setec Astronomy** · 03-09-2009, 09:49 PM

Sorry, it sounds to me like you damaged the trim. You can`t really polish scratches from areas that aren`t shiny to begin with...because you`ll make them shiny. Possibly you could sand the affected area to try and blend it, but likely it will just get worse. Can you describe what kind of trim it is? What texture?

**blinkme323** · 03-09-2009, 09:55 PM

It`s dimpled, black plastic door panel trim.

**Scottwax** · 03-09-2009, 10:41 PM

ScratchX isn`t meant to be used on interior plastics.

**blinkme323** · 03-10-2009, 08:12 AM

I got a chance to look at it in the light today and you can`t see the blemish looking at it straight on, however from certain angles, you can see the "shine".

I`m hoping it`s just the residue and not discoloration, maybe I should take a toothbrush to the area later.

**Lumadar** · 03-10-2009, 08:35 AM

You sure the shine isn`t just the removal of the texture?

**blinkme323** · 03-10-2009, 08:39 AM

I thought the same thing, but the texture is still there.

**blinkme323** · 04-07-2009, 02:47 PM

Well, I tried lots of your suggestions and the immediate appearance of the mark is pretty much gone. However, when looking at the spot at certain angles, I can again see a very distinct shine where the spot looks brighter than the rest of the panel. Any advice on why this is or how I can remove it?

Thanks again

**Setec Astronomy** · 04-07-2009, 04:24 PM

I think it`s simply that you`ve "polished" that area to a better finish than the rest of the panel. I don`t think you`re going to find a way to "retexture" it that will match the original texture of the panel. What about if you polish the whole panel to make the rest of it match?

**motobuild** · 04-07-2009, 07:41 PM

Originally Posted by blinkme323

Hi everyone,

Recently I discovered that I had a small scratch on the black plastic door panel on the interior of my car. I was told by a friend to use ScratchX, even though it`s mainly for the exterior. So I very lightly rubbed on a dab of ScratchX with my finger and then wiped it off with a cotten cloth. The scratch has been minimized, but the area where I put on the ScratchX seems shinier or darker than the rest of the panel.

I`m thinking that this is just the residue left by the ScratchX because I don`t think I rubbed hard enough for it to act as an abrasive. My question is how can I remove the residue? Someone suggested using rubbing alcohol? Your help is appreciated.

Scratch-x isn`t designed to be used on interior trim. You "damaged" the area around the scratch.

Chalk it up as a lesson learned.