Remedy for Scratches Near Wheel Well?

[David Comstock]

Hi All,

Hoping someone on here might be able to help... yesterday when putting my rear wheel back on the car and tightening with my torque wrench the knurling on the wrench handle accidentally rubbed up against the plastic piece surrounding the wheel well, scratching it. Is there anything I can do to clean make these scratches a little less noticeable? A bit frustrated with myself for doing such a stupid thing. thx.

 

[insightman]

Hi All,

Hoping someone on here might be able to help... yesterday when putting my rear wheel back on the car and tightening with my torque wrench the knurling on the wrench handle accidentally rubbed up against the plastic piece surrounding the wheel well, scratching it. Is there anything I can do to clean make these scratches a little less noticeable? A bit frustrated with myself for doing such a stupid thing. thx. View attachment 18156

Because the surface of the wheel surround isn't smooth, you can't repair scratches by sanding and repainting. Perhaps you could reduce the contrast of the scratches by wiping paint into them.

 

[CuriousGeorge]

Worst case scenario, just replace the piece? Being plastic, they can't be that expensive, can they?

 

[SameGuy]

Probably best to clean all the trim with diluted All Purpose Cleaner, then use a good trim restorer on all the trim. Most black trim restorers have a bit of black pigment in them that will help hide the scratches.

 

[David Comstock]

Probably best to clean all the trim with diluted All Purpose Cleaner, then use a good trim restorer on all the trim. Most black trim restorers have a bit of black pigment in them that will help hide the scratches.

Ok thank you, I'll try that... I'll look into some sort of trim restorer... have you used one in particular that you like or would recommend?

 

[SameGuy]

I’d try something cheap and easy to find first. I’ve had good results with Mothers Back to Black, as well as Meguiars Ultimate Black. The results on textured trim like our wheel arches are good and the products don’t look streaky. The downside is that these dressings don’t hold up for too long. There are more expensive coatings that will last a year or more, but again, I’d try the easy stuff first.

Oh, footnote to add that unpigmented Solution Finish is messy, oily stuff, but it brought a 2003 Honda Element’s ample dark grey plastic cladding back from the dead, and the darkened look lasted well over a year.