Scratch or stress marks
 

Here's a good tip I posted in Interiors for a guy who scratched his stuff. It's also to make up for a smart@ss remark I made on another post in this forum.

This is an old stereo jockeys trick I learned many, many years ago when I got in the business and put my first scratch on a dash.

This also works on those dash panels that have been stressed while trying to pull them off and realizing there was one screw left holding it down. Doh!

If the scratch is white in color, it's probably because you stressed the plastic. Usually we would take the smooth, round handle of a screwdriver and rub gently it over the scratch/mark to return the color. In most cases it will smooth the gouge out as well. Try rubbing it a little harder if the mark doesn't come out at first.

You can also try a hair dryer to heat the scratch/mark while rubbing it with the screwdriver handle. But be careful you don't overheat it and rub the paint off (been there too :eek: ).

Tip: A Craftsman screwdriver handle works the best. It has the perfect ball end which is also very smooth.


Hope this helps. Good luck.