Repaired: Scratched BMW interior trim piece.

AppliedColors

New member
BMW, Audi, and VW--for some reason--continue to apply "soft touch" rubber coatings to interior trim. It's nice when new because...well, it's soft to the touch. But it soon fails and becomes ugly.



Process:

1. Clean thoroughly with SEM Plastic/Leather prep.

2. Clean thoroughly with SEM Soap and grey scuff pad.

3. Mask off repair area.

4. Sand out damage with 220 grit, then 400, then 600, then 1000.

5. Apply SEM Adhesion Promotor.

6. Apply SEM Clear Texture Coating.

7. Sand with 800 grit.

8. Clean with SEM Plastic/Leather prep.

9. Mix dye (SEM Sure Coat). Find a matching color chip and mix per the formula. This color was 70% white, 20% yellow oxide, 5% red oxide, and 5% black. Add 20% reducer (to thin out the dye for spraying) and 2% Crosslinker (for durability and resistance to cleaning chemicals)

9. Apply SEM Sure Coat with 1.4 mm HVLP gun in light coats, curing out coats with a heat gun.



Price:

$85 retail.



Time:

45 minutes.



Pictures:

bmhandle1.JPG




bmwhandle2.jpg




bmwhandle3.JPG
 
stiffdogg06 said:
Nice job.



Looks like you cleaned the surrounding "leather" real well too. Because the 2nd makes it look very yellow.



Pics 1 and 3 were taken with the door closed. In pic 2, there is some sunlight highlighting the color of the vinyl.
 
Apollo_Auto said:
Nice work buddy, that's right on the money! How long did it take you to learn this trade?





40 hrs. to "learn". 100s of hours to master.



Get scrap parts from the junk yard (door panels, seats, dashes) and practice, practice, practice before attempting a customer repair.
 
It was out of warranty.



Owners have had mixed results getting warranty repair on "soft touch" surfaces. Many service managers say it's normal wear and tear and refuse the warranty claim.



I'd like to see the Germans simply stop using it on their interiors.
 
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