How to Repair Car Interior Scratches, Scrapes, and Blemishes

DIY

Interior

Mark Bach

February 09, 2022

Mark Bach

February 09, 2022

A scratch in your car’s interior is painful. Unfortunately, even a small nick or scrape on the dashboard, door panel, or seatback can attract your attention—and undermine an otherwise enjoyable ride.

Many classic and luxury cars use natural wood, chrome, and thick metal trim. But carmakers these days often resort to thin plastics and vinyl. These cost-savings make interiors more prone to scuffs, scratches, chips, and cracks. Car keys, boots, fingernails, and aging are the usual culprits.

Don’t despair. As with fixing exterior paint chips - opens in new window or tab., it’s usually relatively easy to fix interior damage with a bit of info, effort, and the right car-care products.

Three Common Sense Rules

A plastic detailing protectant can hide a minor scuff or scratch.

Be gentle: The first rule of interior cosmetic repairs is to go slow. It’s too easy to make the damage worse by aggressively scrubbing or picking at the damage with anything sharp or abrasive.

Clean the area: Many scuffs are merely dirt residue that needs to be cleaned. eBay offers lots of interior car cleaners - opens in new window or tab., or you can use a household all-purpose, non-abrasive cleaner. Spray it on, let it sit for a few moments, and gently wipe away with a soft cloth or microfiber. A little cleaner goes a long way to removing a scuff mark.

Add protectant: If the damage is still visible after cleaning, try applying a vinyl/plastic interior protectant. That restores and maintains the luster of plastic pieces. Sometimes a scratch will magically disappear after spraying the protectant and rubbing it in.

Remedies

Leather repair kits come in a range of colors that can be blended.

Chips

If an interior piece chipped off, it’s worth trying to fill in the space with a few coats of color-matching paint. Use a small paintbrush to slowly add layers—letting it dry between coats. After you level off the surface, you might want to lightly apply paint polish to match the sheen.

Cracks and Gaps

You can repair deep splits, cracks, and gouges in plastic material. But it takes time and effort.

Apply filler putty to the gap. Then, while the putty is still soft, use an embossing tool to replicate the existing surface texture. After the putty cures and hardens, mask the surrounding area and apply paint to the putty to match the car interior.

If there is a severe crack is in the dashboard, consider a fabric dashboard cover - opens in new window or tab. or see if an overlay dashboard cover skin can slip on top of the damage.

Hard Plastic Damage

A low-cost heat gun warms up surfaces so they can be smoothed down.

For damage to a hard plastic piece with a grain texture, applying a little heat can help. Start by letting the car sit in the sun to warm up the material. Then, slowly apply heat from the heat gun.

The idea is to let the heat soften the plastic material. Finally, rub the area with a microfiber cloth to smooth down any raised edges.

Plastic Scratches

Novus makes a popular plastic cleaner and scratch remover.

The plastic face of a gauge cluster can easily get scratched. eBay offers numerous plastic scratch repair kits - opens in new window or tab., primarily intended for motorcycle windshields and other surfaces.

The kits usually come with a cleaner, a polishing compound with a mild abrasive, and a buffing material. If the scratch is not too deep, it will disappear. And a deep scratch will become less noticeable.

Vinyl and Leather Tears

A good leather repair kit has all the necessary tools.

If you have a rip or tear in your car’s vinyl, search eBay for a vinyl or leather repair kit - opens in new window or tab.. The kits usually provide a creamy material in a color that matches the shade of vinyl. Apply the material and let it cure.

These repairs work best on small rips—and where there is no stress and stretching. If the rip is longer than three inches, you might need to visit an upholstery shop for an assessment.

Wraps (to Cover Scratches)

Some plastic pieces come with a shiny chrome-like material that can peel off or get scratched. But you can buy a small piece of wrap in the same color/texture and re-wrap the item. These are small pieces, so it’s essential to be patient.

You can usually get a reasonably accurate match to the existing trim. If possible, remove the interior part so it’s easier to apply the wrap.

About the author

Mark Bach

Mark C. Bach has oil in his veins and remembers feeler gauges and brake springs. He has a love for all things that move, especially old-school muscle cars. Bach writes for a variety of outlets, including Chevy Classics and FuelCurve.com, and maintains Route66pubco.com.

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This article is meant to provide general guidance only. Automotive maintenance, repair, upgrade, and installation may depend on vehicle-specifics such as make and model. Always consult your owner's manual, repair guide for specific information for your particular vehicle and consider a licensed auto-care professional's help as well, particularly for advance repairs.