Robert Doss

I have a 2008 Cayman S with the standard black interior and the soft touch paint is damaged and peeling in several places, especially where you hands come in frequent contact. Most of the suggested removal procedures included rubbing alcohol or nail polish remover. These solutions/methods are weak, incomplete and labor intensive at best. Most repair procedures use a type latex paint mixed to match your interior color. If done well, this may be a good repair. But, latex paint can be difficult to apply to achieve a uniform surface.
I didn't care much for the "soft touch" effect. I just need a clean durable surface that matches the interior color.
This is my solution...

I figured the original paint is some form of latex type paint. So, I tested a few latex paint strippers. I chose a citrus based stripper I bought at Home Depot.



It removed the "soft touch" paint after about 5 minutes easily. I then scrubbed it with soap, water and a green scouring pad.



It left a white chalky surface. This is not easily removed. It didn't melt into the surface but, if you don't intend to repaint your trim pieces, then you shouldn't use this stripper.



I then used a trim paint I bought at Auto Zone.


It matches the color and visual texture of the original paint pretty well. It dries pretty quickly and seems pretty durable after drying over night. I tested it's chemical resistance by using rubbing alcohol with no noticeable reaction.

ayoung911

Great write up. I was able to remove the paint with a very aggressive scouring pad, but I will remember to use CitriStrip to keep elbow grease in reserve.

chris8382

Thanks for sharing this!!!!! Saved me hours....this time! Wish I had found this a year ago before the first round of repainting interior pieces.

friendly

Nice write-up!

RedDragon

I used microfibre towels, isopropyl alcohol and elbow grease to clean the rubber paint off my interior

FHal11

Wow, looks great! How's the durability of the new paint?

BLU997

I wonder how a "Caramel Wheel" or sometimes called a "Decal Eraser" would work on the terrible cursed soft touch paint?
Has anyone tried this method in combination with some sort of solvent?

Lizard King

I’ve always had great success with 90% rubbing alcohol.
Cheap, clean and effective. Best attribute is no residual oils penetrating the plastic that can cause future issues involving lack of adhesion when re-coating with any paint system.
I have painted the door pull surrounds, ignition key surround, steering column, even the instrument cluster (basically anything that could have been spec’d on the long order form. I use 2K body color coded urethane paint.
This involves disassembling, stripping the gummy old slime off with a plastic scuff pad and the alcohol. This also accomplishes the required scuffing of the plastic surface. Then,I finish the part as Porsche would, using a plastic bonder aerosol product (Bulldog), some 2K primer, the base color coat, and 2K clear coat. all supplies are available from automotive paint supply shops, like FinishMaster.
For painting small parts like this, you can actually use an airbrush and a small compressor.
Looks great, hard as a rock, last long time.
For black buttons and ***** (or even A-pillars and the like), strip the same way, but re-coat with the SEM brand aerosol black trim acrylic paint.
Be sure to let both paint systems cure at least 24 hours before re-assembly. Don’t forget to wear a mask.

nicetheory

Subscribing! I am very interested in how this turns out.

FlipE

Another member has used Easy-Off brand oven cleaner.

hoster

Late to the party here but I actually referred to Rennlist postings when repainting the center console (and trims). I second the usage of Citristrip which I used to prep / strip my center console. Surprisingly worked well.

The first application probably got rid of 90+% of the coating / paint. Applied another coat of Citristrip to get rid of the other 10% but probably got 9%. Elbow grease to let it dry then sand to remove the rest.