How do you remove sticky residue off interior controls?

Paint Thinner works, but please remove the control from the panel before you apply it (or isolate the leather around it very well). My car had all the controls very sticky, so I removed one by one and restored them. I took the risk, because in my case the buttons were so bad, that if it didn't work, I would replace them anyways, so I had nothing to lose.

Removing it and working on the part alone makes the job easier. It is still a pain in the a$$ to do it, will probably take a whole morning to do each part.. Instead of using my nail, I used the tip of a wide screw driver, properly covered with tissue, to avoid damage to the actual black paint underneath the vinyl. You will need to scrub it several times, until you get good results.. so don't feel desperate if it actually looks worst after the first scrub!

Final note, this vinyl finish on the panels of the Ferrari cars is one of the most stupid things Ferrari has done, ever. Depreciate the cars very fast, and to be very honest, I actually prefer the shiny finish without the vinyl.. someone should send a message to Ferrari engineers in Italy!!!

 

I have not tried this and I have not seen anyone state they did either.

My tech tells me two methods to remove sticky ... of course this will not preserve graphics on things like the A/C vent rings.

Hot Auto Parts Washer ... a conventional auto parts washer that heats the solvent. Typically these parts washers use water based detergents to dissolve oil and grease. My tech says he washes the parts in the hot solvent which softens the sticky stuff and then brushes the parts to remove the residue from the base plastic.

Dishwasher ... my tech says you can throw the parts into your home dishwasher. The hot water will soften the sticky and the detergent will remove some. Stop the dishwasher when in the final rinse cycle. While the parts are still hot the stick stuff is softened, use a brush and some detergent to remove the remaining sticky stuff.

Now, I have not tried these techniques, but I am going to try on something small like the ash tray. Just wondering if anyone has tried any of these techniques.

Steve

 

I'd encourage you to look thru this thread and watch some of the videos

http://www.ferrarichat.com/forum/technical-q/520454-understanding-ferraris-sticky-interiors-technical-guide.html

 

I'm betting your Techs wife will NOT appreciate this one. Call your dishwasher ruined after that....

 

I am just reporting what he said. Me? I will be a bit more restrained in doing that at my house.

Steve

 

I don't blame you, I would also.

 

Your tech was making a valid point but I would not use a dish washer (I actually don't own one).

All these little tricks like using over cleaner, blah blah blah, only work on failed coatings. These things do nothing to parts that have not begun to fail - that's where razor blades and sand paper come in

 

Why on earth would anyone use their dishwasher for this?

Should I use a steak knife to chop down a tree?

 

I have used isopropyl alcohol with success. You have to be careful around the white accents. If you don't have patience, send them in.

 

I have used alcohol as well. I tried both isopropyl and denatured ... they both seemed about the same. I great success with the shroud around the steering column. My A/C vents are just starting to go a bit sticky. Don't really care much about the graphics on the vents, but if it comes down switches and such, I do have a concern.

Steve

 

To each is own but bare plastic (IMHO) looks terrible - that's why these parts are coated and not as-mold.

Many of the high end car companies use a hard touch similar to what we offer, such as McLaren, Porsche, Land Rover, etc..

 

Does Ferrari still use the same crappy coating that turns into goo on the latest models,? If so it shows they don't give a damn about a long term owner,their reputation as a competent mnfgr. or most of us that are the 2nd or 3rd owner. GTS Bruce

 

Yes they do. We are refinishing 458's, California's, etc and even did 488 parts a couple months back.

 

I have a 2010 599GTB with the stickies. I removed the sticky mess from the rear of the seats, seat control panels, overhead dome light console, garage door opener, door tweeter box and HVAC control panel. I did this with Easy Off and a box of Costco baby wipes with tencel, which are very strong. I folded the wipe twice and used each side to do a single pass, especially on the seat large area. However, I did fail on the display/mode panel and the headlight/mirror control panel. The white lettering came off along with the sticky residue. I will tackle the dashboard/windshield heater trim and the rear shelf straps soon.. I hope this info is useful.

 

Luxury car buyers continue to like the perceived quality of the soft touch thermoplastic elastomer plastics, even though they will all degrade with time, and the manufacturers know this. It suprises me that they don't get called out for this, and get hit with recalls but I guess absent safety impacts it is viewed as normal wear and tear after the warranty period. Alcohol is the typical temporary solution, but the plastics will continue to bloom the oils over time. The soft touch compounds are often a thin layer over a more stable hard plastic, hence why if you can remove the coating completely you can solve the problem, but unfortunately any graphics go with it.

I don't know what sticky no more does, but I presume they might use some of the silicone coatings which have more stability, which I understand some OEM's are starting to use now. Personally, I want them to go back to Bakelite, which will last essentially forever. We need to move away from disposable products. Make Ferrari's restorable again!

 

I agree with your assessment. Ferrari is probably the worst culprit. The Ferrari exhibited the problem after 4 years, although garage kept. I have not had any such issues with high end MB or BMW although they too use something similar. Ferrari, shame on you!.

 

Porsches did it too. Robbie redid some 987 Boxster switches and panels for me way back when. Same panels on the 911.

 

Use Any good car polish, like Turtle Wax, will come out like a charm.

 

My old R230 Mercedes also did this too; its was common across many of the post-merger Benzes.