sibmx

Everyone seems to be complaining about scratches on interior plastic, however some people don't even mention anything about it (e.g. Edmunds' customer reviews)
How bad are those scratches? Is it something new and prospective owners should worry about?

PLEASE POST PICTURES OF SCRATHES IN YOUR CAR!!! And tell us how to deal with them.

( I have looked at dozens of used XBs on eBay and Craigslist and did not notice any significant scratches on the interior)

sibmx

I guess nobody has scratnes....

AAG

iTrader: (1)

The reason you aren't seeing them in those ads is because its hard to tell in pics. I have a few on mine, but as of late the plastic doesn't scratch very easily. Not sure if it's because I'm more careful or if in fact the plastic has become more durable over time.

sibmx

Are those scrathes pretty noticeble? The reason I am asking this question because if I buy XB I am planning to keep it for 7-9 years and I am just wondering how badly it will be scratched overtime. If you can, please post the pictures.
Which areas get scratched more often? Door panels? Dash?

AAG

iTrader: (1)

Are they noticeable? Yes, but they don't really bug me that much anymore. You could always try buying a can of clear coat that adheres to plastic to help prevent scratches.

DAILYXB-TYPE-R

just becareful when your loading things into the car

SLO-BOX

Cheap car = cheap parts...The scratches used to bother me when my box was new...But after 36K miles in 14 months, there are so many scratches I just grin and bear it while being as careful as possible. Good luck not scratching her up too much.

L33TFooMaster

There's one thing I've always been curious about in the 10 months that I've had my first gen box: Are the scratches fixable? Some of the interior plastics in my car have scratches, in particular the plastics on the base of the seats (suffed up by jean buttons and pocket knife clips, &c. when getting in/out)

I've built a bunch of plastic models and I know that it's an old model builder's trick to mend pieces using a solvent, like acetone. However, that being said, I also know that depending on what kind of plastic it is a solvent might bleach the piece or make it brittle or otherwise simply ruin it.

Could one get a textured cloth or some such, wet it with a solvent and press it onto the scratched surface to fix it?

cobb

Ive wondered about this too and was thinking to myself that some of you would have to follow me as if you can scratch up the xb with daily doings, you would not be allows in my car.

I had some scratches on the lip of the trunk of my xa and I just rubbed that plate down with armour all and they went away.

L33TFooMaster

I know what you mean! I'm super paranoid about my car, people pick on me about it. But it's unavoidable. As a daily driver little things happen no matter how careful I am. That why I've just decided that I'll grin and bear it and fix what I can.

BTW, does anybody know anything about the plastics used to make the interior parts? I'd be interested in knowing if my idea would work....

shinobi

Armor All is terrible and will dry out your plastic. Meguiar's makes an interior vinyl/rubber protectant that is actually good for your interior. I have personally used this stuff to get rid of light scratches in my xB's dash and door panels. You just wipe it on, then wipe it off right away with a clean dry rag. It really works great and doesn't leave any weird shiny spots or discolorations.

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/produc...?T1=MEG+G10624

xbmike

Yeah, I have some scratches in the back of my box. I was angry at first, but its my daily driver. So whatever...

cobb

The cargo cover thing has a flap you can pull out to cover the rear deck lid to help prevent scratches.

I backed my xa into a light pole in a parking lot one day. It looked nasty from the scratches, but some wax and it looks like nothing even happened.