Rubberized Coating on Interior Panels

[Vipervin]

I'm noticing some chipping on the panel behind the seats where the top layer of the coating is coming off. This is particularly noticeable in the area around the subwoofer. The layer underneath is more glossy than the matte top layer.

What are some recommendations to restore this coating? I'm not a big fan of painted interiors, but I'd be OK with re-painting a color similar to OEM if there's a method that's durable and will stick to this material.

Thank you.

[Steve M]

Once it starts, it won't stop. It is a soft touch coating of some sort, but there doesn't appear to be a way to recreate the finish, at least not easily.

In order to properly repair it, you'll need to strip the entire panel, and then use a suitable spray paint (I prefer SEM products) to get the color to match the rest of the interior.

Some folks have suggested using Easy-Off oven cleaner to strip the coating, but I've never personally tried it. If you do, just try it on a small spot first to make sure it doesn't harm the plastic before dousing the rest of the panel.

Good luck...if someone else has a better idea, I'm all ears.

[Fuel_Junkie]

Mine is all scuffed up, I thought it was do to prior owners pulling the seat out. I guess this is normal? I thought about having it wrapped in another type of upholstery.

[Vipervin]

Thanks, Steve. I ordered SEM paint and associated prep products. I'll see how it goes.

[Zubik]

I tried acetone and it was too slow to take off the finish. I ended up using fine sand paper and finished w/#000 steel wool before painting. I used SEM 38363/sand free adhesion promoter and SEM 39143/trim black. It matches fairly well to adjacent pieces. I wanted to paint everything, but got lazy. It takes a good bit to get the stock coating sanded down.

[Steve M]

I tried acetone and it was too slow to take off the finish. I ended up using fine sand paper and finished w/#000 steel wool before painting. I used SEM 38363/sand free adhesion promoter and SEM 39143/trim black. It matches fairly well to adjacent pieces. I wanted to paint everything, but got lazy. It takes a good bit to get the stock coating sanded down.

I ended up sanding the finish off of just the radio bezel when I did my double DIN install over the past winter, and it took FOREVER. I can't imagine doing a larger piece, especially one that you intend to paint. I took the "easy" way out by just doing a vinyl wrap, so the underlying finish didn't matter.

[Vipervin]

The rubberized coating is definitely not fun to remove. Luckily, my random orbital sander came in handy for the vast majority. I did the gauge cutout bezels by hand and it was exhausting. I'm going to paint soon, so hopefully it was worth the effort.

[jpmst3]

I was just pondering this as well. I have a couple of scuffs that I would like to repair/paint, but have no way of duplicating the factory coating on the panels.
I am amazed that there is no exact aftermarket spray that would replicate the color and feel of the factory pieces.

The thought of stripping it all off makes my head hurt.

I guess the SEM stuff is the best hope. Does anyone have any pix of side by side factory color vs. repainted?

[13COBRA]

I would buy a new one. lol

[Steve M]

I was just pondering this as well. I have a couple of scuffs that I would like to repair/paint, but have no way of duplicating the factory coating on the panels.
I am amazed that there is no exact aftermarket spray that would replicate the color and feel of the factory pieces.

The thought of stripping it all off makes my head hurt.

I guess the SEM stuff is the best hope. Does anyone have any pix of side by side factory color vs. repainted?

I tried spraying some SEM paint on a random piece of plastic to see if it could produce a nice, smooth finish.

It did not. I tried all sorts of different primers, plastic adhesion promoters, and lots of sanding...nothing gave me the finish I would be after. For that reason, I decided to not attempt stripping and painting the dash surround.

Based on that little experiment, I'll be trying a matte black vinyl wrap on the dash...I'll attempt a DIY first, but if I can't get the job done (it looks very difficult to do in one piece), I may send it out to a professional to have it done.

[jpmst3]

BUMMER!!
Damn, I just ordered a can in hopes of doing just that.
Man, that seems like something that should not be this difficult. Maybe I'll contact a body shop to see if they have access to a similar finish that can be sprayed on professionally.

Thanks for the feedback. At least I have my expectations adjusted accordingly.

Yes, that does look like a tough wrap to pull off. I wish you the best of luck, hopefully it works out at home rather than paying someone else.

[jpmst3]

I would buy a new one. lol

Yes, agreed. I would prefer to simply replace them as well. But at over $400 and up now for each piece, and still having to remove it all to replace it, it gets pricey and time consuming. If it were just the radio bezel, I would contemplate just swapping it out eventually with a carbon fiber replacement or painting it black. But, it is the cluster surround that is the major problem and they are pricey too, if you can even find them.

[13COBRA]

Yes, agreed. I would prefer to simply replace them as well. But at over $400 and up now for each piece, and still having to remove it all to replace it, it gets pricey and time consuming. If it were just the radio bezel, I would contemplate just swapping it out eventually with a carbon fiber replacement or painting it black. But, it is the cluster surround that is the major problem and they are pricey too, if you can even find them.

I think I bought one from X2 Builders for $600 or so. Took about an hour or two to swap it out.

[jpmst3]

Tearing my dash apart is how the damage occurred. Of course, I learned the hard way and what I did wrong.. Now that I know that, it would not be that bad to swap it. I just don't feel like parting with the cash at the moment so I was hoping for a cheapie solution.

I am not even sure that X2 even has any more on hand. I think Mopar has them for $425 ish each.

[13COBRA]

Tearing my dash apart is how the damage occurred. Of course, I learned the hard way and what I did wrong.. Now that I know that, it would not be that bad to swap it. I just don't feel like parting with the cash at the moment so I was hoping for a cheapie solution.

I am not even sure that X2 even has any more on hand. I think Mopar has them for $425 ish each.

Gotcha. $425 would be a great deal on a new one.

[Steve M]

BUMMER!!
Damn, I just ordered a can in hopes of doing just that.
Man, that seems like something that should not be this difficult. Maybe I'll contact a body shop to see if they have access to a similar finish that can be sprayed on professionally.

Thanks for the feedback. At least I have my expectations adjusted accordingly.

Yes, that does look like a tough wrap to pull off. I wish you the best of luck, hopefully it works out at home rather than paying someone else.

To be clear, I've had great luck with SEM products in the past, but all of the parts I've painted have been textured. It worked flawlessly on that type of surface.

I was a bit bummed myself, but I think a vinyl wrap might be a good answer here. I've been so happy with my radio/shifter bezels done in vinyl that it made me want to at least try wrapping the dash.

[jpmst3]

I hear ya, smooth on smooth is a tall order to get right with a rattle can.
Is the color a match, at least?

I agree with the vinyl as well. If you can do it well, there are some amazing possibilities and the finish is relatively durable too. Although, I typically don't have good luck with those sort of things.

[Steve M]

I hear ya, smooth on smooth is a tall order to get right with a rattle can.
Is the color a match, at least?

I agree with the vinyl as well. If you can do it well, there are some amazing possibilities and the finish is relatively durable too. Although, I typically don't have good luck with those sort of things.

Never took the time to check...I'll have to see if I can track down the piece I painted.

My gut tells me that the color wasn't even close, but I won't know for sure until I hold them up next to each other.

[jpmst3]

Never took the time to check...I'll have to see if I can track down the piece I painted.

My gut tells me that the color wasn't even close, but I won't know for sure until I hold them up next to each other.

Sheesh, probably another $22 wasted then. I was really hoping there was at least some color consistency.