My wife's purse made a long scratch on the glove compartment door on the passenger side. It isn't deep - you can't feel it when running your finger over it - but it is almost white in color so it stands out.

I was hoping Armor All wipes would make it look better but now it's actually more noticeable since the black area is now darker and shinier.

Is there anything I can do to remove or hide them better? I'm afraid to try anything else (wax, exterior scratch remover?) because I don't want to ruin the door and make the whole thing look worse. Any advice is much appreciated.

 

Seems weird, but try a Mr. Clean Magic Eraser. If that doesn't get it, you probably need to get a better product than Armor All, it's pretty crappy stuff anyway. Get a Meguiars APC and dilute it down and give it a go. It will get rid of the Armor All crap too.

 

I thought of that but wouldn't that remove too much color/texture like sandpaper would?

 

Shouldn't, it's not abrasive at all, it's very soft. If you want to make 100% sure, try it under the dash, where you can't see it, just to make sure.

 

Magic eraser is made up of foam and at the microscopic level is almost as hard as glass, it essentially works like really fine sandpaper.

 

I can't imagine it would sand down the dash, without considerable effort. However, I would bet, if this is a surface scratch, you will be able to gently scrub the scratch directly and remove it, without affecting the dash at all. Again, try it in a spot you don't see, just to make sure first.

 

Or, start with a good APC, diluted, with a gentle brush to get down in the texture of the dash. I clean all my leather with diluted APC and a horse hair brush, so you have no worries of hurting anything there.

Plus, it'll help you get rid of that Armor All

 

Yeah man don't worry you won't hurt your glovebox. Just rip a horse of its hairs and make a brush out of it to scrub the scratches off of your glovebox. Who cares about horses

 

Not sure if serious......

 

ArmorAll is the devil. Get some nice soapy water and a sponge - not magic eraser - and clean the armor all off. Then, you should post a picture of the offensive "scratch" assuming the soapy water hasn't removed it.

If - as I suspect - it is mostly gone, then you can finish it off by using Aerospace 303 diluted 50/50 with water to restore the matte finish and sheen without getting ArmorAll greasy, shiny and squeaky.

 

 

I was trying to post a meme for mine as well, but on mobile I was having a hard time, so I gave up.

I keep my horse around, just so I have a new interior brush handy at all times.

 

 

Let us know when you decide that the only way to get rid of the scratch is to replace the door.

 

Fixed it for you

 

Can you use magic eraser to get rid of scratches on your car's paint or vinyl, as well?

 

No, I fixed it for you.

 

The magic eraser is abrasive and will likely change the texture or finish of what you are trying to clean.

Vinyl maybe, but I wouldn't let it close to paint.

 

 

It will put more scratches in the paint. I wouldn't use it on vinyl either.

 

I did this and it did not end up well. I scrubbed it with a sponge with soap and water and at first it looked great. The long scratch appeared to be gone. However, once the water dried the black paint had faded where I was using the sponge. I didn't use any chemicals, other than soap, and I didn't think that I was pressing very hard. It's not just a haze or film, it actually removed some paint!

Anyway, to hide the damage, I tried Mother's Back to Black and black tinted wax but once they dried it didn't look much different. I am thinking maybe a bit of black shoe polish might darken it to make it look better? Does anybody have any other ideas? The only thing I have going for me is that it's the lower portion of the door so if it doesn't come out perfect it will be hard to tell.

 

Try Aerospace 303. Also post a pic.

 

Post a picture. I don't know of any "painted" plastic there. Using random products to try to fix this is counterproductive.

 

Here is a pic with some of the Mothers and black wax still on there. I didn't take a before pic but it looked a little worse.


On the bright side the original long scratch is harder to notice.

 

That's not painted plastic. It is molded that color. Accordingly, any "white" marks are either paint transfer, dirt or a scratch that has changed the finish.

Me? I'd remove all of the "back to black," shoe polish and what not and clean the entire door before using Aerospace 303 on the entire door.

Right now you have so much crap on there that it is a hazard to anyone sitting in the front seat wearing anything but black pants.

 

I ordered a bottle at the new O'Reilly's by me and it will be in as early as tomorrow. I'll give it a try and let you know how it goes. This will be a good test to see how well that product works. Thanks for the tip.

 

You could also try something like this,



Or the Meguirs MegX. The Meguiars one is more for clear plastics though.

 

I agree with iseeyoutwo, the only permanent solution to this problem is to remove the source of the scratch, i.e. girlfriend. I'm sorry it has to be this way.

 

Danger, Will Robinson, Danger!

Any plastic polish will do just that - polish. That is not what you want when you are starting with a matte, textured surface. Using any kind of polish will just leave a nice shiny spot.

 

Here is a pic of what it looks like after washing it with soap and water and applying Aerospace 303. It's a definite improvement but still not perfect. I'll chalk it up as a victory since I can live with it. Thanks for the suggestions.