Soft touch paint removal

DidJettarun

Veteran Member
Joined
Nov 16, 2008
Location
South Carolina
TDI
A5 2005.5 Jetta A4 2003 Jetta
During rehab decided to rid the jetta of the gooey soft touch coating on the interior parts. After searching the threads I thought I would post my recent solution given to me my VWSPFMAN from Gunther VW in South Florida

Easy Off oven cleaner on all of the ABS ridged parts such as the driver's side door control panel. Coat completely and allow to work. While wearing chemical gloves and safety glasses scrub with scotchbrite to remove the softened soft touch coating and rinse with clean water immediately. Some pieces required more time with the Easy Off to dissolve the coating. Most of the remaining coating I found to be easy to remove by rubbing with my finger after rinse.

WARNING: Check the part for the plastic id code. ABS is fine with Easy Off....POM is not. I completely removed the interior and sorted plastics by type for cleaning. I have the beige leather interior and the heat and age turned it yellow.

The Radio frame, center console (not the armrest lid), window control panels, overhead handles, glove box/door lower dash panels all are ABS (MK4) and work great with the easy off treatment. Parts are now ready for a coat of SEM Color Coat (never had any luck with other brands)
[/IMG]

I will follow up in a few months to report on any issues
 

powerfool

Veteran Member
Joined
May 25, 2012
Location
Indianapolis Metro Area
TDI
None anymore
What kind of Easy Off did you use? The heavy duty one contains lye, which the one that folks use for chemically cleaning their turbos. It is diluted, but I don't play around with lye... wear some goggles when you work with it and have some vinegar at the ready (it will neutralize it if it gets on you).

Most of my soft touch is gone as the PO brought his large dog with him everywhere and he pretty much scratched it off. I have some residual to take off, or simply replace all of it with something new. Good to know there there is an option like this.
 

Curious Chris

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 11, 2001
Location
Pineview GA
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2003 RIP Rockford IL
Actually TSP does the same thing and it is safer and you don't have to take the components out of the car.
 

dremd

Veteran Member
Joined
May 31, 2007
Location
South Louisiana
TDI
06 sprinter. 03 jetta wagon premium with 6 speed ALH swap, 14 JSW
Actually TSP does the same thing and it is safer and you don't have to take the components out of the car.
So, what is TSP?

My current ride has nice soft touch, so I'm not there yet, but I'm sure I will be.

Subscribed:
 

Curious Chris

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jun 11, 2001
Location
Pineview GA
TDI
Jetta Wagon 2003 RIP Rockford IL
So, what is TSP?
My current ride has nice soft touch, so I'm not there yet, but I'm sure I will be.
Subscribed:
TSP = TriSodiumPhosphate which is practically banned due to the phosporus in it. TSP will dissolve chalked paint on siding, take all the grease off you kitchen ceiling AND when the soft touch is foobared a little scrubbing with TSP and off it comes.

I buy it at Home Depot as they seem to have all the chemicals that industry can't buy any more.
 

flash9

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Location
North Carolina
TDI
Jetta Wagon GLS 5-Speed, 2003, White
I know is is quite an OLD Post

I am going to be removing the Soft Touch from my 2003 Tan Interior and was wondering which SEM Color Coat Paint color is the best match?
 

flash9

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Location
North Carolina
TDI
Jetta Wagon GLS 5-Speed, 2003, White
I know is is quite an OLD Post

I am going to be removing the Soft Touch from my 2003 Tan Interior and was wondering which SEM Color Coat Paint color is the best match?
Just to follow-up I never did find the "tan" paint code.
I spend a few hours this weekend using oven cleaner removing the soft touch coating on all four door handles.
The "tan" color of the plastic is very close to the original color, and I have no idea why anyone would even want to bother painting these. :confused:
 

tongsli

Top Post Dawg
Joined
Jan 31, 2000
Location
Baltimore, MD
TDI
2000 Jetta TDI, 2004, Jetta Wagon TDI PD

flash9

Veteran Member
Joined
Jul 1, 2003
Location
North Carolina
TDI
Jetta Wagon GLS 5-Speed, 2003, White
Thanks for the post. Always bothered me. Just ordered the no soft replacements!
Using Oven Cleaner really made quick work of removing the "soft touch" from all four door handles. Even the wife is happy and says it looks good.
So, for ~2 hours of work, I think this was worth the work and saved the money for different projects. :cool:
 

Sky King

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Location
Pearl River, LA
TDI
2006 New Beetle DSG Trans.
Thought I resurrect this thread rather than start a new one. That funk is hideous and while I am waiting on parts I figured I do some detailing. :D I'm currently using fine steel wool and 409 to remove the funk and am a little leery about the oven cleaner. I hadn't planned on painting the panels as the look pretty good. I may do a little compound and wax and see what that looks like. I am a little leery about the oven cleaner suggestion :)

I have a 2006 TDI... Gray interior.
 

oilhammer

Certified Volkswagen Nut & Vendor
Joined
Dec 11, 2001
Location
outside St Louis, MO
TDI
There are just too many to list....
I use our shop floor cleaner here... it is green, but smells a lot like Castrol Super Clean and other similar water soluable degreasers. Spray it on, scrub with a small brush (toothbrush for smaller pieces), takes it off easily enough. Some pieces require a couple times and some patience.

I just did this to my Golf's dash/center console bits while I had it all out replacing the HVAC case. Not looking forward to doing my Beetle...

A local interior shop can actually respray the soft touch, and they do a really good job, and they swear it is more durable. In some (most) cases, though, just removing it and cleaning it and running it "naked" works just fine too. But there are some pieces that the color of the plastic and the color of the coating is not exactly the same. I notice the gray on one of my Passats' consoles, near the gear selector, is like that. If I took the coating completely off, that part would for sure be a different color than the rest.
 

Sky King

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Location
Pearl River, LA
TDI
2006 New Beetle DSG Trans.
Great idea. I am gonna give it a try. I don't care if it matches perfect... gotta look better than what it is currently. :)
 

where2

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 1999
Location
North Palm Beach, FL, USA
TDI
One '13 JSW_TDI & One '04 Variant_TDI
Used a green scotch brite pad and simple green to scrub the old soft touch off my center console shortly after I bought my 04 Wagon (in 2011). Painted the cleaned up parts with Krylon Fusion black plastic paint in 2012, and it's been holding up fine ever since, especially on the console and shifter surround. I didn't do the glove box, and that continued to deteriorate to the point it was literally tacky. However, no love lost when the latch broke and I replaced the glove box.
 

Sky King

Veteran Member
Joined
Jun 20, 2008
Location
Pearl River, LA
TDI
2006 New Beetle DSG Trans.
Used a green scotch brite pad and simple green to scrub the old soft touch off my center console shortly after I bought my 04 Wagon (in 2011). Painted the cleaned up parts with Krylon Fusion black plastic paint in 2012, and it's been holding up fine ever since, especially on the console and shifter surround. I didn't do the glove box, and that continued to deteriorate to the point it was literally tacky. However, no love lost when the latch broke and I replaced the glove box.
I got a little too rambunctious with my soft touch removal and tried Turtle Was Sticker removal. :) That actually worked pretty good but I had to apply several times with much elbow action. The soft touch....mine was really tacky and a fingernail easily scraped a deep groove in it. I didn't do the whole interior, just the dash center section and cover and all the smaller bits. It was impossible to wipe the dirt of these panels as it just become part of the finish. Pitiful.

My glove box latch broke years ago and I use my thumb to open it. Did you purchase new or used and did you replace the whole unit or just the door?
Since I am keeping the car I plan to make it nice. I am also looking into upgrading the front seats.
 

where2

Veteran Member
Joined
Oct 29, 1999
Location
North Palm Beach, FL, USA
TDI
One '13 JSW_TDI & One '04 Variant_TDI
My glove box latch broke years ago and I use my thumb to open it. Did you purchase new or used and did you replace the whole unit or just the door?
Used through the classifieds on this forum. Replaced the whole unit. The dash portion of the original cracked on the passenger door side shortly after the latch broke, so just replacing/repairing the door was not an option.
 
Top