Help! I scratched Frosty's door panel with key!

[808 Vibes]

I'm so mad at myself! Is there something I can do? It's the (inside) plastic side of the door (I was reaching for the seat belt) And is there something I can apply to help prevent future scratches? I'm ordering a dashcover soon, so at least I won't have to worry about that part! Thanks!

[ColonelPanic]

You could check with the dealer and see if they have anybody they use for trim repair. Or, maybe a detail shop could help perhaps... I had quite a few "oops" moments with my Vibe's plastic pieces inside that I had fixed at the dealer, they took care of it for free. They can mix up this stuff color matched to the plastic (sort of a 'putty' for lack of a better description) that they can use to fill in the scrapes/etc on the surface. Once they fill it in, they can add texture to it to match the grain of the plastic. You'll probably still be able to tell it is there, so it will be far from perfect. All depends on if you want to see a scratch or if you want to see a scratch that was fixed. I've found DIY kits of similar stuff for vinyl at Wal*Mart and the like but it only appeared to be for vinyl and not plastic...Aside from replacing the door panel, that's the only thing I can think of. Do they have junkyards in Hawaii? lol! I really did a number on my dash when the car was all of 2 weeks old or something like that, I know how it feels. But don't feel bad about scratching the plastic up, it happens. It is one of the weaker spots on the car, so this probably won't be the last time. It looks like it is durable but looks can be deceiving...

[tcam]

I too have many scratches in my Vibe. Particularly on the trunk floor. I think I'm just going get a cargo mat to protect it.

[ColonelPanic]

The mat is well worth it for the "stuff not sliding around" factor alone.

[tcam]

lol, definately. That sliding can really get on my nerves because I'm always carrying some sort of cargo it seems.

[Jahntassa]

Ugh, those inner back door panels are so crappy! I have all kinds of scratches and gashes in mine. I think I stopped caring.. So sad..

[808 Vibes]

Thanks...at least I know I'm not alone! I'll try to be more careful from now on!

[Frosty2005]

I feel your pain. I brought some lumber home and didn't tie it down. The wood ends made a nice dent on my interior plastic by the rear side window. Now I know what those tie-down straps are for. An auto-detailing shop might be able to help you disguise the scratches.