Vinyl trim peeling paint.....any solutions ?

[Ivo]

Several trim panels in my multivan are peeling. They are grey panels that have been coated/painted/some sort of treatment at the factory to change them 2 shades of grey different. I would be happy to just removed the peeling stuff completely and go with the colour underneath.

Is there a way of getting it off by wiping with a chemical like accetone etc?

[DMS_Dan]

Is it like a paint thats peeling or is it like a vinal cover that coming off? This will determin the plan of attack

[Ivo]

It looks like a paint that is coming off the vinyl. I will try to get a picture in the daylight tomorrow as it will probably explain it better. It looks like they make the standard vinyl/ plastic trim pieces then paint them to match the interior trim colour selection.

[Russ59]

Whatever you do don't wipe over any plastic trim with acetone or any other solvent because it will probably end up dissolving the plastic trim in the process. If there is not too much trim and it can be easily removed, you could try spraying with a matching colour to the one you want. It is usually OK to use normal car enamel in a spray can but you will have to use plastic trim primer first, then give it several light coats of the desired colour to finish it off. You could always try spraying a section on the back of the trim first to make sure it doesn't have a reaction with the spray paint.

Russ

[Ivo]

I have been super busy the last few days and have not had a chance to get any photos. I understand what your saying Russ about the accetone thing....It could turn something slightly ugly to very ugly!

I will try to get a pic today but the weather at the moment is more suitable for ducks then taking pictures outside.

[Russ59]

I have been super busy the last few days and have not had a chance to get any photos. I understand what your saying Russ about the accetone thing....It could turn something slightly ugly to very ugly!

I will try to get a pic today but the weather at the moment is more suitable for ducks then taking pictures outside.

Or it could get rid of your problem all together if you use enough of it !!!

[Ivo]

A few pictures of the peeling paint??.

[DMS_Dan]

I would try using a heatgun or hairdryer to see if you can get the rest of it to peel. If not go and see a trimmer and get it resprayed

[Russ59]

The heat gun may work but you will have to be careful not to give it too much heat as you may distort the plastic or it may have the opposite effect and bake it on as well. I just did a quick Google search on the subject of removing paint from plastic and a couple of suggestions that I found on a site about Model Cars are to soak stuff in methylated spirit or they are also using a product called Simple Green which is an all purpose concentrated cleaner / degreaser and is available from Bunnings stores for between $10 - $20 for a 500ml container. It is supposed to work really well for removing paint from intricate plastic model parts so it should be safe enough to use on your plastic trim. A toothbrush or stiff scrubbing brush will probably be required as well to do the job. Keep us posted on how it goes.

Cheers
Russ

[DMS_Dan]

the only problem i can see with that is it may remove the underlying paint as well.

Keep the heatgun on low and at least 30cm away from the lastic. you will know if its getting to hot. Just heat it lightly as your pulling it away

[Ivo]

I will give it a go and let you know my results. Got a busy week this week so will probably be next weekend before I can have a go at it.

[Russ59]

the only problem i can see with that is it may remove the underlying paint as well.

Keep the heatgun on low and at least 30cm away from the lastic. you will know if its getting to hot. Just heat it lightly as your pulling it away

That all depends on whether it has another coat underneath the darker colour that is peeling. The light grey that is showing under the peeling paint may well be the colour of the plastic as it came from the mould. You should be able to determine that by looking at the colour on the flip side of the trim. I don't really know why they needed to paint the trim in the first place cause there's not a lot of difference between the two colours anyway.

Russ