That gooey sticky interior plastic

125059 Views 63 Replies 36 Participants Last post by Buggycarokina, 11 d ago

tampabaymarkey

Discussion Starter · Aug 2, 2011

Greetings from hot sunny Florida. My name is Mark, and I have just posted my 1st thread as a new Beetle owner in a different area of this site. I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a problem that I resolved this weekend. I just traded a vintage car for a New Beetle. I was a but apprehensive, as the interior of the car seemed destroyed by the Florida heat, or so I thought. I was not sure what the problem was, so i just attemped to clean it with "The Purple Power" cleaner available at Auto Zone. I have used this many times for different reasons. This stuff will take the crome off a trailer hitch!!! It cleaned all the black grime out of the gooey, stickey plastic interior, but every single piece of interior plastic still had that weird feeling of 3M rubber cement-like texture. After reading this forum, I tried a remedy that worked MIRACLES!!! Rubbing alcohol and the green scrungie pads from Walmart. The interior of my NB is sanatized better than the local hospital operating room now, from all the alcohol. It took a few days, but well worth the efforts. Thank you to everyone who posted their efforts and suggestions. I would not have thought alcohol would work. Alcohol belongs on ice in my cocktail glass, not on the interior of my car! (wink)

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Pushing Fifty

· #41 · Jun 4, 2014

For anyone out there like me that would have no idea or skill to remove dash pieces, the price for the pros to do it is even worse than I thought. I was told by a guy that used to work at a VW dealership who now has his own shop that the labor alone to remove and reinstall a complete NB dash would be about 15 hours.

Therefore, when I look for another NB some day, I'll focus on ones that still have decent-looking interiors.

boogety boogety

· #42 · Jun 5, 2014

Pushing Fifty said:
For anyone out there like me that would have no idea or skill to remove dash pieces, the price for the pros to do it is even worse than I thought. I was told by a guy that used to work at a VW dealership who now has his own shop that the labor alone to remove and reinstall a complete NB dash would be about 15 hours.

Therefore, when I look for another NB some day, I'll focus on ones that still have decent-looking interiors.

It's been a while since I installed my GPS antenna and the TollTag hidden under the middle section of my dash (and in the '03, when I installed the remote radar detector in the dash), and when I removed the radio to install the Parrot Bluetooth module. So I can't vouch for removing and reinstalling the entire dash... But there's no way it would take 15 hours to completely remove and reinstall the NB dash, never mind almost any other modern dash in virtually any vehicle (and I'll define that as 2000+). Methinks your buddy just wanted to blow you off...

I'll bet you can do the entire disassembly and reassembly, yourself, in two-three hours tops, taking your time, and not counting beer breaks.

britbybirth

· #43 · Jun 5, 2014

I am just doing the same thing to my door panels,and then coating them with vivid vynil wrap you can get it in all colours

Pushing Fifty

· #44 · Jun 6, 2014

One thing that sets me apart from practically everyone else on here is that I'm not a DIYer in any way, shape, or form. About all I know how to do is check oil. Even when I buy something at Wal Mart like a grill or a bookshelf, I pay extra to have it assembled. I have no mechanical or fix-it skills whatsoever. A VAG COM code or a Chilton's manual to me is like trying to read a foreign language.

cha2ga

· #45 · Jun 6, 2014

The panels are simply held in by screws. There's like 8 screws on each top panel. The center panel close to the windshield simply slides off with no screws. Hvac control has about four screws. Then the center dash has about four screws. The panels on. The grab handle and speedometer surround simply pull off.

Pushing Fifty

· #46 · Jun 25, 2014

boogety boogety said:
there's no way it would take 15 hours to completely remove and reinstall the NB dash, never mind almost any other modern dash in virtually any vehicle (and I'll define that as 2000+). Methinks your buddy just wanted to blow you off...

Well, now that I talked to the lead tech at my dealership, you're right! He says he could remove the center part (where the radio is) AND the flat top pieces to the left and right of that in about an hour. So $100 to have it taken out and another $100 to put it back in after a body shop refinished the pieces for probably another $200 is a lot better than $1500!

I'll definitely remember that when I start to look for a 2nd Beetle.

Beetlescott

· #47 · Jun 27, 2014

I bought my current NBC from a lady who lives near a beach, and apparently it is like Fla. I was scrubbing my dash around my radio and vents, and was afraid I had rubbed too hard on it. This thread seems to say I can get to the bottom of the "crud" that is left on? And if so, will straight alcohol bring it off?
If so, I will be thrilled!

Pushing Fifty

· #48 · Jun 28, 2014

Yes, rubbing alcohol and one of those Scotch Brite pads you get at the grocery store to scrub pots and pans will work. I just experimented a little with my daughter's already far-too gone-to restore Beetle, so I just left the panels in. To do it right, as someone else said and I've since concurred with, you'd have to remove those pieces, scrape that gunk off, and then repaint them, because even the bare black plastic underneath will get scratched as well.

glassbuggy

· #49 · Jun 28, 2014

4

I'm going to share my secret with you but 1) You may have to do this more than once as I haven't perfected it yet. 2) The process will discolor the plastic so you will need to repaint but the paint is easy to get ( go to an auto body supply and buy SEM paint in the spray can. ''Presideo'' is the exact match to the grey - you can find this online as well 3)I don't have as much luck with oven cleaner on the black dash parts,VW must have a different process to apply that soft touch.

Oven cleaner , wait 20 min and pressure wash, I wear water shoes so I can hold the parts with my feet. Bart

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scarabY2k

· #50 · Jun 28, 2014 (Edited)

2

007 said:
i can see scratches in the shiny black area behind the handle. if im doing that much work im using 3M adhesive remover and red/green pad and taking it to bare plastic and painting it. those pictures look horrible for a final outcome and for a show car thats not acceptable.

-jd

PRM502STREET said:
I saw the scratches too! And thought to myself, something along the lines of polishing a turd. The best, and only way is to strip it down to bare plastic. And either leave that,or paint it to your color preference.

Sent from AutoGuide.com App

Exactly.
And again I fall back to my skepticism. Best to use your energy and do this right the fist time (be it DIY or having someone else do it) instead of "polishing a turd". You'll feel a better sense of accomplishment, knowing you did it right the first time; plus knowing you don't have to go back to correct the job you should've done as suggested the first time.

Rule #1 for us DIYers: it's called work for a reason. #2 do it right the first time.

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scarabY2k

· #51 · Jun 28, 2014

glassbuggy said:
I'm going to share my secret with you but 1) You may have to do this more than once as I haven't perfected it yet. 2) The process will discolor the plastic so you will need to repaint but the paint is easy to get ( go to an auto body supply and buy SEM paint in the spray can. ''Presideo'' is the exact match to the grey - you can find this online as well 3)I don't have as much luck with oven cleaner on the black dash parts,VW must have a different process to apply that soft touch.

Oven cleaner , wait 20 min and pressure wash, I wear water shoes so I can hold the parts with my feet. Bart

Bart my man, you're hard core. How did things turn out man? Between the Easy-Off and the pressure washer, looks like you've got it licked.

Well, the "stick stuff" rabbit hole just got deeper.

My left door panel is cracked (bottom section- between the speaker and the net-pocket), so I decided to fix it with an ABS splice panel on the backside. Well, as I placed my hand on the backside of the panel, there's sticky stuff there too

. This stuff is equated to splatter texture used for drywall finishes in home construction; the splatter covers a multitude of imperfections. I know i'm using hyperbole, especially with a molded plastic panel, but c'mon VW! REALLY?!?! sticky stuff on the inside portion of the door panel?!?! What did you all do?...dip everything in a vat of this crud, and called it done?!?! What in the blazes?!?!:rant2: -Rant over?!?!

Anyhoo, looks like i'm gonna have to strip the inside of the door panel to bare plastic, so as to have a goo-free substrate to apply glue and the ABS splint panel.

The fun never ends:lol:

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glassbuggy

· #52 · Jun 29, 2014

I'm actually still in the middle of this as there is a lot of pieces to do and once I get the bulk of it off I'm going to try the alcohol and a green scrubbie or a soft bristle brush to get any stubborn spots (This **** is the pits and I believe they used some sort of pre application before the soft touch. The black panels I had some initial luck with the thin plastic scraper that come with the goo gone sticker lifter - till it dulled out. tried plastic razor blades and was disappointed. perhaps a real razor blade with dulled corners might work - ended up wet sanding. Here is another tip from the Bart file : USE A HEAT GUN to take plastic parts apart, just make it warm warm to the touch and you will be amazed at the flexibility of this crap plastic. And yes this soft touch is in on and under these pieces and you will find that while you think the pressure washer peels it right off, you spin the piece and MORE comes off !

Vince70

· #53 · Jul 24, 2014 (Edited)

I found the best solution was to just use wet and dry and soapy warm water..

The only way I know this was after trying all sorts of solvents and a plastic (ink) knife I managed to snap the knife and put a nice dirty great big scratch in my plastic door trim..

So I used a bit of wet and dry on the scratch to remove the scratch (I had nothing to lose) and the rubber just peeled away in minutes.

I found that starting with about a 400 grade wet and dry was best, and for the final going over I used 1200 grade (obviously using it wet at all times), Then I finished by using a plastic polish to get rid of any fine scratches and to give the plastic a good shine.

My biggest bug-bear was the radio surround as on mine it looked like the previous owner had gone at it with a machete to remove the original radio and I didn't want to keep spending out on the old girl.

So I removed the surround and went over the badly damaged areas with a course sandpaper and worked my way down to a fine wet and dry then polished it up and the results are amazing.

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qwikgta

· #54 · Sep 27, 2014

First post, new owner. Just picked up a 2001 NB for my daughter. After getting home and really taking some time to look it over, I noticed that the PO didn't really clean the interior, so I broke out some cleaner and a new cloth pad. Started on the pass side glove box door, and after a few seconds noticed that it was a) not getting clean and b) I was taking the gray "coating" off the door. I stopped and started looking the car over and noticed that the whole damn interior had been painted. I thought "why would someone paint the gray plastic with gray paint". So I figured that something was up, was it a flood car? What happened? SO before I went "high and right" I got on the interweb and found this forum. Did a search and found this thread. WOW!!! spent a few min reading this and I am blown away, what a ****ing stupid idea to cover the plastic with this rubber/coating CRA*. Anyway, wanted to bump this thread in case any other new owners like me are wondering what the heck is wrong with their interior.

Thanks Forum.
Rob

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vdubbeet

· #55 · Jul 4, 2017

njjoeg said:
Hello and thanks to all for your comments.
I live in FL, and I guess the heat contributes to the sticky breakdown of the plastic interior. In addition, this car has always smelled crayons! Did any of you ever notice that?

Yes about crayons. I have a vert and thought that might be the cause. Haven't parked in a garage in 5 years and noticed the other day the waxy, crayon smell is gone. Could be the age, it is 11, could be it is in the sun more. Odd about it being the adhesive for the carpet. Glad it is over. Now I'm trying to remove the icky stuff that formed on my grab bar in front of the passenger seat, the scuffed up VW symbol on the steering wheel and a few other things that are driving me crazy. While I bought the vehicle gently used so I don't know what previous owner used as far as protectants but I've only used water-based UV protectants without any shine.

HUGHESDESIGNLLC

· #56 · Nov 27, 2017

Cleaning Info

Thanks for all the previous posts - I tried them all, but to no avail. My daughter bought a 2000 beetle that, on the outside looked fairly solid, but on the inside was a different story completely.

The sticky interior (soft touch) panels drove us insane trying to clean them off with anything from purple power, simple green, and even citrus cleaners - none of which worked very well.

I resorted to a razor blade, and stood it up 90º to the surface, and scratched it all off. Of course, this leaves a scratched appearance. Next, take medium/coarse steel wool and scrub the whole thing down. Lastly, hit it with fine steel wool.

Wipe it all down and it should look like a smooth gray and dry plastic. I next used MacGuires plastic revitalizer and wiped that on, and back off a few times. It brought back a shiny plastic appearance without the gummy, sticky look. 100x better in my opinion.

Warning though - it takes some effort and finesse. But the outcome is pretty awesome. I'll post some photos when I'm completely finished, but so far I have one door done, and the entire dash and A/C heating controls area.

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Tdattomo

· #57 · Dec 10, 2019

tampabaymarkey said:
Greetings from hot sunny Florida. My name is Mark, and I have just posted my 1st thread as a new Beetle owner in a different area of this site. I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a problem that I resolved this weekend. I just traded a vintage car for a New Beetle. I was a but apprehensive, as the interior of the car seemed destroyed by the Florida heat, or so I thought. I was not sure what the problem was, so i just attemped to clean it with "The Purple Power" cleaner available at Auto Zone. I have used this many times for different reasons. This stuff will take the crome off a trailer hitch!!! It cleaned all the black grime out of the gooey, stickey plastic interior, but every single piece of interior plastic still had that weird feeling of 3M rubber cement-like texture. After reading this forum, I tried a remedy that worked MIRACLES!!! Rubbing alcohol and the green scrungie pads from Walmart. The interior of my NB is sanatized better than the local hospital operating room now, from all the alcohol. It took a few days, but well worth the efforts. Thank you to everyone who posted their efforts and suggestions. I would not have thought alcohol would work. Alcohol belongs on ice in my cocktail glass, not on the interior of my car! (wink)

Bigredcar05

· #58 · Feb 7, 2020

I

tampabaymarkey said:
Greetings from hot sunny Florida. My name is Mark, and I have just posted my 1st thread as a new Beetle owner in a different area of this site. I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a problem that I resolved this weekend. I just traded a vintage car for a New Beetle. I was a but apprehensive, as the interior of the car seemed destroyed by the Florida heat, or so I thought. I was not sure what the problem was, so i just attemped to clean it with "The Purple Power" cleaner available at Auto Zone. I have used this many times for different reasons. This stuff will take the crome off a trailer hitch!!! It cleaned all the black grime out of the gooey, stickey plastic interior, but every single piece of interior plastic still had that weird feeling of 3M rubber cement-like texture. After reading this forum, I tried a remedy that worked MIRACLES!!! Rubbing alcohol and the green scrungie pads from Walmart. The interior of my NB is sanatized better than the local hospital operating room now, from all the alcohol. It took a few days, but well worth the efforts. Thank you to everyone who posted their efforts and suggestions. I would not have thought alcohol would work. Alcohol belongs on ice in my cocktail glass, not on the interior of my car! (wink)

Im going to try this today!!! Hopefully I can get something similar in aus

scarabY2k

· #59 · Feb 14, 2020

Im going to try this today!!! Hopefully I can get something similar in aus[/QUOTE]Greetings from Jacksonville!
Glad the Alcohol did ya right- I've heard the alcohol works good. I went with acetone and a green scrub pad. Gotta be quick on the draw with the acetone and not let it soak..it'll melt the plastic if you do

Sent from my SM-A205U using Tapatalk

Johnboneman

· #60 · May 14, 2020

4

tampabaymarkey said:
Greetings from hot sunny Florida. My name is Mark, and I have just posted my 1st thread as a new Beetle owner in a different area of this site. I wanted to take a moment to tell you about a problem that I resolved this weekend. I just traded a vintage car for a New Beetle. I was a but apprehensive, as the interior of the car seemed destroyed by the Florida heat, or so I thought. I was not sure what the problem was, so i just attemped to clean it with "The Purple Power" cleaner available at Auto Zone. I have used this many times for different reasons. This stuff will take the crome off a trailer hitch!!! It cleaned all the black grime out of the gooey, stickey plastic interior, but every single piece of interior plastic still had that weird feeling of 3M rubber cement-like texture. After reading this forum, I tried a remedy that worked MIRACLES!!! Rubbing alcohol and the green scrungie pads from Walmart. The interior of my NB is sanatized better than the local hospital operating room now, from all the alcohol. It took a few days, but well worth the efforts. Thank you to everyone who posted their efforts and suggestions. I would not have thought alcohol would work. Alcohol belongs on ice in my cocktail glass, not on the interior of my car! (wink)

Greetings; had same problem & researched many options on internet/almost all involved tedious/lengthy cleaning with some type solvent. Initial trials were messy,etc.
Here's what I ended up doing - yes the taping is somewhat tedious, but no mess/no fuss once that's done. Cover all non-sticky areas - spray several coats of clear acrylic finish over sticky areas & be done. So far is holding up great. I ended up srpaying about 4-5 coats just to use up can.

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