So far I've used SEM on some hard plastics parts and I'm impressed. How does the stuff hold up on stuff like dash pads? Any prep tricks?

I've found it holds even better on soft parts. It will of course come off if it is scuffed repeatedly, but doesn't flake off with age like it does on hard plastic, at least hard plastic with chalking areas.

Prep... It's been a while but I think I scrubbed my seats good with purple power, then with Dawn and water, and finally a couple of wipes with water before allowing to dry thoroughly.

I think they also make an adhesion promoter, "Sand-Free" or some such but I've never used it.

I've used it on arm rests and sun visors with great results. Prep is key and I cleaned my stuff 3-5 times. When I sprayed the SEM, I did several very light coats. Still looks good years later.

I just used wax and grease remover, I've used sem black with good results.

I have a real problem spraying light coats - its a psychological thing !!!!

I've found that color retention, abrasion resistance, and clean up is even better if you topcoat with one of the following SEM products during the color change/redye, by using either SEM Low Lustre,Satin or Gloss clear coat depending on the desired finish, the Low Lustre clear is the most natural appearing of the clear topcoats for interior colors, invisible to the eye, yet preserves color retention and aids against scuffing esp on light colors

I'm doing black on black. Just want to spiff up the pads that have lost their lustre over time.

I have a couple of questions on shooting the clear over the color on plastic parts:
1. Do you have to do scuff up and clean the color again to remove contaminants prior to clear coating?
2. If it's been a few days since doing the color, what prep work do you recommend prior to shooting clear? - probably same as #1 question.
3. Do you just put 1 light coat of clear?

this is what I did on my '72 Challenger,

1- wash part with dish soap

2- wash part with SEM soap

3- dry thoroughly

4- wipe part with SEM plastic and leather prep

5- let dry

6- spray the part with 2 even coats of SEM adhesion promoter. 15 min. between 1st and 2nd coat.

7- before second coat is dry, dust on some SEM color

8- after 15 min. spray 3 even medium coats of color, 15 to 20 min between coats.

I also had my garage at about 80 deg. while doing this, it was early spring in NJ. it's been 7 years now and it looks as good as the day I sprayed it.

Apply the Adhesion Promoter per the instructions on the can. I believe you spray one light coat and wait 5 minutes. Then one med/wet coat and wait 15-20 minutes. Then you can start spraying light coats of color.

If you spray light coats, you don't have to wait very long between coats. Spray 1 or 2 light coats of clear after you have 2-3 light coats of color on the piece. You don't let the color completely dry before spraying the clear.

I like Landau Black for plastic interior parts. I use Trim Black for metal parts and plastic parts that aren't in the interior.

If you Google "SEM" they give full instructions on how to prep and what to use where.

So far on the few things I've done I've washed the parts well, wiped them down with grease and wax remover, tacked them and sprayed them a couple light coats. The landau black is such a good match and flows so well that on a couple items I could have gotten away with just spraying areas that needed it.

I've used SEM sprays on steering wheels, dash pads, hard plastics and door panels and it has always held up very well. Super high quality stuff, imo.

How does it work on carpet? I have a strip of carpet on my door panels that could use some attention.

I talked to the guy at the paint store about using it on carpet and he told me he's used it to restore the black carpet in a vehicle and it worked great. He said he'd spray the SEM and then brush it in while still wet and kept doing it until he had a uniform black.

That's exactly how SEM recommends it. Its not for color changes on carpets, its for restoring the original color.

I love how the stuff lays down - wish all spray bombs were that good.

I've used SEM on all surfaces including armrests, dash pad and rimblow center cap rubber and dash. I couldn't be more pleased. My paint jobber had me use POR Marine Clean to wash the parts to be painted. Then follow up with SEM Sand Free to prep the surface and give it teeth. Then I go 3 coats of SEM Color Coat. If I am changing color from black, I always shoot a couple thin coats of SEM white Color Coat. It covers the black and really makes your color POP.

Sorry. I'm a little bit proud of my work. Only car I've ever done to this extent.