Cleaning Methods - Interior Scratch
 

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Hey all,

New owner of an ES350 - only had the car for about a week. Can anyone offer advice on how to clean the soft material just above the glovebox? A customer of mine accidentally scraped the sole of his shoe across it ,leaving a pretty substantial indention/scratch. Normal cleaning methods have failed so far. Any input would be much appreciated.

Photos attached. Thanks in advance.

That material is super sensitive to scratches. I see some on my dash.

Don't rub it, even with a dry microfiber cloth, because that scratches it even more. The most you can do is to use an interior cleaner like Aerospace 303 to clean it and darken it. Those soft touch panels are apparently made from recycled biodegradable materials.

Kinda sad for brand new car to scratch so easily.

If it was my car, I'd start by talking with an experienced detailer to see if he/she has some type of "magic" cleaner/conditioner that could bring back the color in the scratched area. If you can bring back the color, the scratch will still be there, but it will be less visible.

If you can't bring back the color or if the scratch is still bothersome, car dealers work with repair guys who do interior repairs on damage just like that. They would start by using some sort of filler to the scratched area, and they would also match the "grain" in the filled-in area. Then, they would spray some color on the repaired area and feather it out to a wider area. When done, the repair should be unable to be detected.

Typically, the people who do this kind of work will move from one dealer to another in an area, and, at each dealer, they will do things like making minor repairs to cars that the dealer has taken in as trade-ins. If you can work directly with the repair person and avoid the dealer taking its cut, the cost of the repair should be quite minimal. One of the companies that does this kind of work and that has franchises through much of the country is called Color Glo. You might want to check to see if they have a franchise in your area. If not, there should be others in your area who do those kinds of repairs.

I hate with a passion that part of the dashboard. :boxing:b Having kids mine has a lot more scratches, I would love to know if anyone has had any luck removing scratches from it.

Quick update - dealership was able to fix the scratch. It’s completely unnoticeable now unless you really get up on it.
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