PlastiDip Removal Nightmare 2003 Plastic Cladding

[wahoossi]

Think twice before putting PlastiDip on your 2003 plastic cladding. I have had it on for about one year, adding to it in spots where it wore off. Finally I got tired of looking at it as it never looked great. I originally put it on to cover a few scratches my 16 yo son put on it side swiping an attorney's brand new F250. He's off at college in New Haven , Ct. (We took him on the 2,000 mile + round trip journey in the 12 yo 140,000 mile 4Runner without a problem). When I tried to PlastiDip, most peeled of easily, but some of the lower cladding acted more like paint. I had to use acetone to dissolve it which then left a black swirly film which I had to rub off with multiple magic erasers. I am considering getting the scratches out similar to the way I have worked on boat gelcoat, wet sanding with progressively finer sandpaper and then finishing with Wipe New. Anyone have a better idea on removing scratches (a few fairly deep) in the original 2003 Plastic Cladding?

 

[CookieRoe]

sounds like those scratches are deep. No chemical will remedy that. Unless of course you find plastic cladding on fleabay (try avoiding the dealer for they will destroy your wallet). If not, take to a body shop and ask for an estimate on filling and painting them (body color). A body shop will only make it look better, but it might cost ya.

good luck!

 

[brianhuntRVA]

If you have deep scratches I don't think there is anything you can do. Panels can be replaced with decent aftermarket oem style parts that aren't too expensive. I just replaced one of mine. But don't expect them to be perfect either. In your position, I might consider filling scratches and sanding and then painting them with a trim paint or a paint made specifically for plastic.

 

[Range]

another reason for Bushwacker to make us Fender flares

 

[CXS]

Unfortunately a good body shop is your best bet to get it looking like new.

Think twice before putting PlastiDip on your 2003 plastic cladding.

Sorry to see you experiencing this, I hope others will heed your warning.

I had to use acetone to dissolve it which then left a black swirly film which I had to rub off with multiple magic erasers.

You could use more acetone and clean rags too. I don't mean to hijack your thread but I think this is a good time to make people aware of acetone as a cleaner.

I'm a fan of it after using it to clean my leather interior which had gotten pretty disgusting. While using acetone to clean stuff like tree sap, road tar, etc off my exterior I decided to try a small spot on my interior with great success. Within 10 minutes all the leather was clean. Apparently the fast evaporation prevents it from doing the damage I expected. Standard disclaimer goes here.

 

[TechWrench]

If I am not mistaken, a while ago there was a thread on this, and several people mentioned using heat on the plastic panels to soften the material to blend out scratches. Might be worth looking that thread up.

 

[T4R2014]

Sanding will ruin the texture. Get new pieces or try a shot at bedliner since there isn't much to lose.

 

[Be_Original]

What panels do you need, I took mine off and have sold three so far to members here. Let me know, I may have what you need, not trying to make much off them.