[SwingLo]

My car is an '08 which has the much nicer fancy pants 'softtouch' plastic.

As far as I understand, it's actually some sort of coating over the standard plastic parts from the older cars.

Here's the issue - I'm interested in a custom glove box solution, but I need it to match. Not a biggie in my last car which was all covered in alcantara - I'd just cover it.

So - has anyone with an '08 or higher car ever 'matched' something - anything - to the interior? SEM makes a rattle can paint which might work, but not sure. My only real option is to order it and sample, but curious if anyone has tried anything.

 

[LionZoo]

I thought the "soft touch" (which isn't very soft) was just a layer of plastidip on top of the normal plastic.

 

[SwingLo]

It's not actually Plastidip. Its' some sort of other industrial coating. I know Lotus goes on the cheap, but I'm thinking they go a little bit nicer than Plastidip in a can.

It's actually a bit more deep charcoal than black too. Just hoping to get it close.

 

[Me!]

I actually am happy my car doesn't have the "soft touch". That stuff just peals away in a few years anyways and then leaves the car looking like crap...

 

[Nessal]

I rather it be plastic. My old VW had that soft touch layer. Was nicr until it started to peel. Then looked like complete ass.

 

[scv]

Am glad to have only plastic. Soft touch coating eventually degenerates. Ask any Ferrari owner and late model Porsche owners. I experienced it with both brands; the coating became a horribly sticky mess. Required removing all parts (many, and some darn difficult to get out), stripping the gooey mess, and in my case, leaving the clean matte finish of bare plastic (did myself to avoid hugely extravagant charges by manufacturer to replace parts, or by after marketer to strip and refinish). They can keep the "soft touch" finish; for me, not desirable.

 

[MConte05]

Oddly enough, the guy that I sold my rally car to, he owns his own small business called "Plastic Dress-Up Service, Inc". I only knew of this because I saw it on the check that he wrote me for the car. I looked it up and maybe you could contact him to see what it entails?

http://www.plasticdressup.com/index.htm

At Plastic Dress-Up Service we provide coating processes for all Plastics, Vinyl, RFI/EMI, Texture Paint, Reflective Coatings, Graphite, Waterborne, Lacquer, Two Component Urethanes, Soft Touch, Conductive, Teflon and Under Engine Components, Pad Printing, Prototype and First Builds.

You would be contacting the very guy that bought my car, very small company. He is a good guy and will chat with you for quite a while. Let him know Matt Conte sent you!

*EDIT* I do have to say that whatever Ford uses for their soft touch in their new Focus and Escape interiors is impressive. Have logged well over 100k combined in my wife's car and the interior shows no sign of deteriorating unlike the Porsche Boxster I had with 50k on the clock, that stuff was peeling all over the place. So I'd say the soft touch stuff has gotten much better with 10 years of advancement.

 

[LionZoo]

To be fair, the new finish isn't really soft touch. If you touch it, it's still hard. It simply looks more matte (less shiny) than the plastics used in the earlier Eliges.