Glove box repair: Suburban. 5 pictures.

A

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Materials:

2 oz. SEM Sure Coat

SEM Primer Filler (Gray)

SEM Plastic/Vinyl prep

Masking tape and paper



Time: 20 minutes



Cost: $4



Charged: $100. Retail Customer.



General Motors often dyes their plastics instead of stamping them--the wrong way to do it. The owner's children had a habit of resting their feet on the dash and glove box, causing the dye to fail.



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Step 1. Clean and mask off repair area. Sand edges of chips with 600 grit sandpaper.



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Step 2. Spray primer over repair to fill sand scratches and blend edges of chips.



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Step 3. Spray color-matched plastic dye over repair area and cure with heat gun.



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Done:



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what kind off skills do you have to have with a spray gun to make this tyoe of repair look right. does the dye lay down and level itself. Basically I'm asking how much practice you need to do this type of repair right. looks really good!
 
integritydetail said:
what kind off skills do you have to have with a spray gun to make this tyoe of repair look right. does the dye lay down and level itself. Basically I'm asking how much practice you need to do this type of repair right. looks really good!
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This kind of repair could be practiced and learned in 5 hours of repeated exercise: clean, mask, sand, prime, mix dye, fill gun, spray, cure, unmask, clean gun.



The dye is layed down in 5 - 10 very thin coats--the HVLP spray gun is calibrated to spray a thin mist. Each coat is quickly cured with a heat gun. On warm days (70 degrees and up) no heat gun is needed. The dye lays down thin and levels itself--I don't think I've had a run in 100 repairs.
 
gtpaul said:
Looks good!



How does it feel, texture wise compared to the rest?
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It feels like the OEM finish. GM used essentially the same materials and process originally, so the feel matches.



Now, if there were scratches or gouges in the dash or glovebox, I would have to fill them with superglue or Bondo, then spray a texturizer to blend in the repair. That would not 100% match the factory feel of the plastic, though it would look great. But, how often to people run their hands over their dash or glovebox? Mostly, they just open the latch on the glovebox and that's the extent of their contact.



This kind of chipping is not common in vehicles, but scratching and scuffing of panels in the rear of station wagons and SUVs is quite common: ever clean these areas perfectly only to have the customer complain of all the scratches caused by hardware store and grocery hauls? Simply sanding out the scratches with 600 grit sandpaper and redying the panels cures the eyesore. Many dealerships have panel scratches repaired on their $10k+ inventory, and it works great--the interiors look new.
 
Fantastic work! I have a dye guy that I used to fix stuff like that. Instead of a spray gun he uses a bottle of paint with a straw like item and uses his breath to power the sprayer. Kinda wierd but it works. :eek:
 
David703 said:
Fantastic work! I have a dye guy that I used to fix stuff like that. Instead of a spray gun he uses a bottle of paint with a straw like item and uses his breath to power the sprayer. Kinda wierd but it works. :eek:
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:LOLOL



That's a mouth atomizer...basically an airbrush that uses your lung power as an air compressor. Old school guys like it because they don't need electricity to do small repairs. This repair was far too big for a mouth atomizer...you'd be blue in the face when done.
 
Is that a permanent repair? I know the Dallas area Color-Glo rep and he says seat re-dying starts to show wear after a few years.
 
Scottwax said:
Is that a permanent repair? I know the Dallas area Color-Glo rep and he says seat re-dying starts to show wear after a few years.
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This will be permanent, assuming kids don't kick the dash with their shoes frequently.



Seats will look great for a couple years, then the dye starts to wear off. We use a crosslinker that adds longevity. Consider the abuse seats take: 4 - 8 entry/exits a day (bolster wear), and 150 - 250 lbs. of pressure from the occupant for 1 - 3 hours at at time. Passenger and rear bench seats last 5+ years.



Also consider that seat replacement--with labor--varies from $350 - $1000 a seat depending on whether the parts are new or used.



Time/money/convenience considered, $100 to dye a leather seat every 2 - 3 years makes great sense for dealers and owners.
 
JoshVette said:
How about overspray??



What does the guages and instruments look and feel like now?
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1. The dye is water based, which makes it heavier than air and less prone to the misting and overspray you see with solvent-based (bodyshops) automotive paint. Use a piece of cardboard in your left hand to control overspray and spray with your right hand. I almost never have to clean up overspray elsewhere in the interior.



2. Only a small part of the dash and the entire glovebox were dyed. The gauges and instruments were not touched. Sometimes we dye worn radio and heater buttons and switches. Customers don't notice a tactile difference.
 
Interesting, now, would this be applicable to say, an entire door panel? My Cobalt came with a Black on Grey interior, and I would love to make the bottom halves of the door panels match the black top. I've seen people paint their doors with mediocre results and horrible longevity.



Just wondering if dyeing them would be applicable here.



Thanks :D
 
I've never seen something like this locally! Superb! Something that costs a lot more cheaper than replacing the damaged item, and lasts at least 2 - 3 years is good to me.
 
JBSpeed said:
Interesting, now, would this be applicable to say, an entire door panel? My Cobalt came with a Black on Grey interior, and I would love to make the bottom halves of the door panels match the black top. I've seen people paint their doors with mediocre results and horrible longevity.



Just wondering if dyeing them would be applicable here.



Thanks :D
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Certainly.



The do-it-yourself method is to use alcohol as a cleaner followed by an aerosol can of vinyl/leather/plastic dye. The alcohol isn't an adequate cleaner, and the aerosol cans don't coat evenly. The result is a patchy repair that flakes off.



Ask local car dealerships for the phone number of a quality "interior repair tech." They'll refer you to several. You'll get a lasting finish and OEM look to your door panels.
 
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