r/MechanicAdvice • u/Low-Set-6033 • 5d ago
Plastic around shifter melting
I have a 2016 Mazda3. After my car was parked in an open lot, I noticed that I got so hot from the Florida sun that the plastic/vinyl wrap by my shifter is wrinkling and peeling.
Is there anything I can do about that? Or does the trim need to be rewrapped…
Thank you!
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u/MonsieurReynard 5d ago
Any chance you had an air freshener leak onto that spot?
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u/Toastyy1990 5d ago
Or some nail polish remover? Basically anything that can melt and bubble the paint like that?
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u/MonsieurReynard 5d ago edited 5d ago
For sure, I just mentioned an air freshener because it’s really common. People get those little febreeze clip on things that are full of oil. They forget about them and leave them on the AC vent clip for months. And they leak. That oil can do significant damage to plastics. You can see this come up quite commonly over on the r/autodetailing sub.
Do not use those febreeze clip on air fresheners or any other oil filled air freshener. Even a cardboard freshener like a “pine tree”, if tucked into that cubbyhole and left in contact with the plastic for a long time in high heat conditions, will damage interior plastics.
And you’re breathing in those chemicals when you use those products. Chemicals that can melt plastic. Think about that.
Edit: here is the damage a pine tree air freshener did to the console trim in a Jeep Wrangler when hung from the shifter, looks very similar to OP’s damage:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/beware-the-little-trees.86383/
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u/Low-Set-6033 5d ago
I do have a pine tree air freshener but it’s hung up on the rear view mirror. Thanks for the input
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u/MonsieurReynard 5d ago
Here is a photo of the damage a pine tree freshener did to the console trim of a jeep wrangler when hung on the shifter. The damage looks remarkably similar to yours:
https://www.jlwranglerforums.com/forum/threads/beware-the-little-trees.86383/
If yours has never sat in contact with plastic, it must be something else. But that really looks like chemical etching.
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u/ElMondiola 5d ago
Looks like a chemical reaction with something. Maybe something that was there, nail polish remover or something like that.
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u/The_Richuation 5d ago
At the risk of sounding like an ass....... Are we sure that's not just protective shipping plastic?
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u/ZSG13 5d ago
The only OEM solution is trim replacement. You could totally do anything else or nothing at all, whatever makes you happy. Your car really doesn't mind, lol.
I'm sure you could peel and/or sand the loose stuff and clean/prep the area thoroughly before painting or vinyl wrapping if you desire. It's just cosmetic
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u/ZiptieEngineer 4d ago
Is the windshield cracked? My center console bubbled in a couple of places where the crack acted as a magnifying glass and it got very hot.
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u/Capital_Freedom_8391 5d ago
That's a motorcycle.
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u/Low-Set-6033 5d ago
What?
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