i have a minor sratch on the side panel of my center console. the new one costs about a $100. i was wondering if i do end replacing it, is it a good idea to paint the whole thing ? i have already painted the water fall (black/silver) and i think it looks pretty good.

anybody has any pics if they have done something similar ? i did search but didn't really have much luck. thanks.

 

Hmmm.. being on the side panel.. that can be good and bad. Good, at least it's not a scratch on something at eye level. I haven't had that piece scratched/scuffed/nicked on my ....yet... ( <---the yet is to ward off the original Murphy. lol)
Anyone that's actually done this repair chime in... In fixing similar issues on other vehicles I can toss the following idea out for what it's worth.
I'd say maybe very fine grit piece of sandpaper or emory (say maybe a 1200 grit or higher). And very lightly "feather" it out. Depending on how deep the scratches/scuffs are, it may not take them out entirely but could make them at least a lot less noticiable to where you are happy with the result or at least better until you can get a replacement piece for it. If it's the latter, hit up Murphys Law (link in my sig) he's a good guy and can hook you up w/ a replacement at a very reasonable cost.

However, if you are considering just simply painting the entire side panels of your console to match your waterfall... then I'd just use a little body filler/plastic filler to repair the scratches before priming and painting it.

 

Looks small enough that you could just sand the whole thing and paint it, a little filler if necessary.

 

lol... ^^^yeah, kinda confirming what I said but in fewer words.

 

thanks for the reply guys. well, to clarify it is not really a scratch :--) i was trying to take that panel off (don't ask me why) and it broke from the corner (i think it is some plastic clip which came off). the 'scratch' you see is actually the bent portion of the plastic.

i still think that what you suggested might work.

 

Painting textured plastic is very hard, even for an experience auto body painter! Good luck shooting it, your best bet is replacing the body http://www.trademotion.com/partlocat...layCatalogid=0
or B. knocking it down with some steel wool, but even then you will have a large rough spot...you can also fill it in with a black sharpie...

 

Replace it, it'll be almost impossible to replicate the stock texture and get a good paint on it.