I got into a 2007 Chevy Avalanche today at one of my dealers to clean and repair the drivers seat. When I got done with the seat and was wiping up some dirt on the carpet, I happened to look up and directly under the steering column on the dash panel were 2 screw holes in the dash from a trailer brake that had been removed, I about choked. This truck didn’t have but maybe 30k miles on it and screws had already been put in the dash, I couldn’t believe it. There has got to be a better place to mount those things, but whats done was done and now I had to fix it.

This repair is not that hard to do, and can really make a difference in the appearance of an automobile. Automotive plastic no matter where it is in the vehicle can be repaired the same way, this repair works for all screw holes and small holes as well. Now the holes say the size of pencil eraser are about the biggest you can go with this one. The holes you see where a toggle switch has been are really too big for this fix.

First and foremost is getting rid of the burr’s and raised area left from the removal of the screw. Most of the time the holes have not been pre-drilled so there’s a raised portion around the holes and burrs left from the threads of the screw as it is screwed into the plastic. To remove this and make the holes level you will need to trim this off. The way I do this is with a brand new razor blade. I use a new one because you will need a very sharp edge to cut the plastic, and not your fingers. Take your razor blade and lay it flat up against the plastic piece and push it through the plastic that is raised up, making the screw hole level with the rest of the area.

Here’s the fix… Its a product you’ve seen on TV called Mighty Putty, you’ve probably seen it, it’s great! Just slice a small amount off knead it into a ball to get the two parts combined, tear a small amount off then push it into the screw hole. Now leave a little bit above the hole, don’t push it all the way through, basically a little glob on top. Grab your 240 grit sandpaper and sand lightly over the glob until it’s level, finishing with a finer grit like 400 or 600. You have to kinda work fast this stuff sets up pretty quick. Inspect the hole and see if it’s all filled in, if not pinch a little more off and push into the hole, sand and inspect. If it’s level and all filled in, your done filling and now it’s time to clean the area thoroughly with your prepping solution.

Sometimes depending on the size of the screw hole and where it’s at, you may need to texture the area a little. Now I use the heavy body water based spray grain for dashes and door panels. I do it the old fashioned way with a mouth atomizer, I have a little more control with it that way. If you have a smooth piece of plastic, then no need for the texture. Sometimes you may need to apply a surface primer to help fill in the small imperfections on the smooth plastics.

Lastly, apply your grip base then dye the area to match with your water based dyes and then topcoat with the appropriate sheen of topcoat.

When your done the screw holes in the plastic should be gone and look at the difference it makes on the appearance of the automobile, wow.

This fix is a great way to eliminate those unsightly screw holes in automotive plastic dashes and plastic trim panels. As far as that 2007 Chevy Avalanche it turned out pretty good, you could still see the areas just a little, the grain in those dashes are pretty hard to imitate, but it still looked better then two big holes sitting there staring at you on pretty much a new vehicle.

ITW #44229 2OZ Repair Epoxy Putty 2 OZ, Magnum Plastic/Marine & Fiberglass Repair Epoxy Putty, 15 Minute Set Time, 1,500 PSI Bond Strength , Adheres Above Or Below Waterline, Fresh Or Saltwater Application, Dries White, Will Not Shrink And Is Rustproof, Uses Include Plastic, Fiberglass, Plastic, PVC Pipe. *Manufacturer: ITW CONSUMER *Model number: 44229 *UPC Code: 078727442298 *Length: 2.88 *Width: 1.25 *Height: 7.88

Mighty Putty As Seen On TV Mighty putty bonds to almost any surface Easy to use epoxy resin will fix fill and seal almost anything Can be painted sanded machined tapped or drilled when fully cured Easy to use instructions included 3 tubes

One little trick that we keep in our bag of pixie dust, is the art of texturizing a repair.

If you look in your automotive interior you see many different textures on the surfaces of the plastic trim pieces, vinyl covered door panels, and your leather and vinyl seats. All of these textures you see we have to imitate in someway to repair whatever has been damaged.

Texturizing a repair takes knowledge of products to use, skill in using them, and a lot of patience. Yes patience, when doing any automotive interior repair, patience is a virtue, if you get in a hurry you will fail, I promise.

The Grain Pad- This is one tool that makes our magic work so well. A grain pad is a rubberized material made from a two part epoxy like substance. The grain is achieved by mixing the two parts together and spreading the mixer over a piece that your wanting to get the texture from. When the mixture cures you peel off the grain pad and poof theres your texture right there in the grain pad. You then use this pad to replicate the texture in your repair. For you techs, when mixing up a batch of graining compound follow the directions as far as drops go for the catalyst, to many drops and you have a mess, and not enough well it won’t cure. Tape off an area that your wanting to replicate the texture of, about 3″ x 5″, spread the compound over the area then peel off your tape immediately, this will give you a nice rectangular pad to work with. Let cure for about 15-20 minutes, you’ll know when its cured by the feel on top, nice and smooth. If you did it right you should have a nice grain pad that will last for years to come. Making a good impression in your graining pad is the key to a good automotive interior repair. A good grain pad should have a good even texture on one side and smooth on the other, if there are any lumps, uneven places, or a bad impression in the pad these places will transfer into the repair.

Texturizing plastic- Plastic is one automotive interior part that I have the most trouble with, theres only so much you can do to some of the plastic pieces. Scratches in plastic are about the extent of a repair that I will do on an automotive interior plastic, and the scratches can’t be too deep either, or I’ll usually recommend they replace the piece. Scratches in plastic can sometimes be melted and textured with your grain pad. This technique takes finesse though. Heat the scratched plastic with your heat gun with a tip that concentrates the heat to a small area. Melt the scratch until the plastic shines (but do this slowly) then press your grain pad to the plastic very lightly by using your palm, never use your thumb or finger, this will keep a level repair without your thumb impression in the repair area. Repeat the process if needed until the scratch blends back in. Then dye the plastic to bring back the original look. If you can still see where the repair was made you may have to heat the whole panel until it shines….sometimes melting spots leaves shinny spots, so by heating the whole panel and blending the shine with the heat gun helps. If the scratches are too bad you can use Sems Texture Coat or your water based spray grain to help hide. But when sprays are used, you will lose the original look, I’m not big on spray grain, but it does work as a last result. Sometimes on say, Pontiac dashes, the spray grain almost matches exactly. In fact I have even taken my grain pad and pressed it into the Sems Texture coat after it flashes and been able to get pretty close. Really this one is up to you, like I said before it’s all in the magic to trick the eye. Experiment around a little if you can, and see which technique works the best. I look at it this way, you can’t screw it up anymore then it already is. Plastic repair is a tricky one, this is one area that I myself could probably learn a little more about.

Texturizing a leather repair- Leather repair is one that doesn’t take much texturing at all. Most leather repairs I do the only texture I will use is my leather dye. Leathers in today’s automotive interiors are for the most part smooth. The key is to get the repair area level with the surface. This is your best hiding technique. But if a texture is needed, use your water-based spray grain. Don’t go hog wild with it either, just a light coat will usually work. I like to apply mine the old fashion way with the spray grain in a small jar and sprayed with a mouth atomizer. I have more control where it goes that way. I have used a low heat compound also when mending holes or with large scratches, using my grain pad to achieve the texture. Be careful though when using heat on a leather repair, don’t pucker the leather by putting to much heat to it. Here’s an article on repairing torn leather, this gives you a good idea on using a low heat compound in a leather repair.

Texturizing vinyl- Or graining vinyl as we call it. This is where your little magic tool comes in, your graining pad. This is achieved by melting the vinyl then pressing the grain pad onto the repair area to achieve an imitation of the grain that was there. This technique can either make or break you in the vinyl repair business. To get maximum results, first you need a good grain pad that has the exact match to the grain your trying to achieve. Before you apply any compound keep in mind the smaller the repair area the easier it will be to hide. If your cut is say a 1/2″ then your repair should not be any larger then 1″, keep your repair areas as small as possible. Not all vinyls will require a vinyl repair compound though so identifying, what kind of vinyl to use it on, comes with experience. This technique takes a lot of practice and patience, in one of my previous articles I give you a step by step on vinyl repair.

Texturizing your repairs is a very tricky thing to achieve. With some practice and knowledge of products, the texture can be imitated. There are so many products out there that can be used to get where you want, I have mentioned a few here that have worked for me, but I’m sure there are more. If any of you techs have a suggestion feel free to put a comment up.

Just remember to take your time with your repairs, get your color right, keep your repair area as small as possible, and use the right grain pad for your automotive interior repairs and you should have success in texturing a repair.

Steinel – Steinel 34859 – Limited Edition Silver Anniversary Heat Gun Kit

GOT A CRACK IN YOUR SEAT?

Let me show you how the problem started, how to fix the problem, and how to prevent the problem from happening again.

Well of course I’m talking about your leather or vinyl car and boat seats.

Hi…my name is Mike Warren, the owner of The Interior Guy, llc. Est. 1999, Excellence is what I give my customers, the highest of standards in quality and workmanship. All the materials I use have been researched for many of years and through alot of trial and error I’ve perfected the art of vinyl and leather repair. Whether it be factory or custom, if perfection is what you want you have come to the right place.

The problem started with either a stupid moment by a freind or just the normal abuse we inflict on our vehicle everyday. If a small hole or wear mark has developed due to these factors don’t freak out and kill your friend or bang your fist on the dash and compound the situation with a cracked dash, then you’ve really got some issues. Vinyl seats are probably the easiest and most durable of the repairs that are done. Leather can be the hardest but the most forgiving of materials to work with. Velour seats, well, don’t ever burn your cigarette in it because the only fix is glue and fuzz, which can be a great fix to hide the burn from unsuspecting eyes.

How to fix the problem depends on you, you either take the car or boat to an upholstery shop, leave the vehicle for days or even weeks, your vehicle is subject to god knows what, torn apart, materials ripped out, repalced with not so factory looking material, that may match or not,or …you get it repaired on site, with no parts removed from the vehicle, compound and dyes of the highest quality being used, colors that match, and a repair that lasts.

Prevention is the key to all. I can’t stress enough how important it is to keep your leather seats conditioned. Leather is skin, when your hands are dry and cracked you put lotion on them, right. Leather is the same way, when it dries out it cracks and with time the dye will crack also, so keep it soft! I suggest using Lexol or Leather Rejuvenator, both of which can be purchased from me. Another huge tip is entering and exiting your vehicle. Look in your pockets, and look in the seat before you sit to make sure there isn’t a hole poker in sight. Next don’t slide into the vehicle, the dyes on the leather are not that thick and will wear off, you would’nt slide across your hood would you, well I guese if you were Bo Duke, but your not so, your clothes are like fine sandpaper and after time will wear through the dye. Most of the vehicles I work on are from the butt slide factor. Cleaning the leather can be tricky, I’ve heard everything from laquer thinner (which i do not recommend) to GoJo handcleaner, to srubbing bubbles bathroom cleaner. Well some of those might work ,but what i recommend to all my customers is use a mild detergent mixed into a spray bottle, and i would use palmolive or some other grease cutting soap with lotions for your skin, spray the seat top first working in small areas, scrub the seat with a soft bristle brush and wipe area with clean terry cloth towel, wiping seat clean. Sometimes a small amount of dye will be removed so it is key to seal the leather with a good conditioner. Keeping the seats soft helps to ward off the little butt slide gremlin but after time all seats need to be rejuvinated with new dye.

Automotive interior repair is a craft of skill and knowledge of product and project. Through years of experience The Interior Guy,llc. has become a company of respect and knowledge to be shared with all.

Come back and see the large amount progress i’ll be passing on to you my customers.

Thanx, Mike Warren