Trying to color match gray trim with vinyl dye

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Bill Bruck, Apr 30, 2016.

  1. Bill Bruck

    Bill Bruck Junior Member

    Joined:
    May 10, 2013
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    Vehicle:
    2010 Prius
    Model:
    III
    I scratched up the cargo area of my Prius v (lowercase v for the Prius v wagon) pretty thoroughly, with several gouges and scratches that affect 3-4 different panels. I would like to repair it. From YouTube, it looks like one can do so by:

    1. Sanding the area with 220 sandpaper
    2. Filling the scratches/gouges with superglue or various types of vinyl filler
    3. Sanding again until smooth
    4. Spray painting the area

    There are enough of these that spray painting appears to be warranted; the video I watched said to use "Vinyl Die".

    I have two questions:

    1. Does this seem like the best approach to fix the problem?
    2. My trim color code is LA18. I have had NO luck trying to search for vinyl die with this trim color code. Any ideas on how to find such?

    [Also posted in Prius v forum)
     
    #1 Bill Bruck, Apr 30, 2016
  2. Stevewoods

    Stevewoods Senior Member

    Joined:
    Jun 10, 2014
    651
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    Location:
    Seattle, WA
    Vehicle:
    2008 Prius
    Model:
    II
    This is a question that comes up somewhat frequently in auto forums.

    The best answer I have ever seen is take the car to a body shop and ask if they could mix up a small can of paint to match -- at a cost of about $40 for a small can.

    The cheapo answer is to get testor's model paint, or some other hobby paint, or a permanent marker (Sharpie) and try to buy a color that is close -- try it on a spot that no one really sees first and if it seems to work, then try it on a very small patch in the area in question.

    Know that just because your repair job looks bad to you, most likely it will look perfect to someone who does not know that you did the repair.

    I usually do it then challenge my wife to find the spot in the "dash" that I fixed.
     
    #2 Stevewoods, Apr 30, 2016
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