Anyone who has been around a lot of Ferraris knows about the tendency for some of their interior plastics to become "sticky." It is like they have a thin layer of rubber cement on them. It's nasty. Well, the center knob on my HVAC controls -- the one that directs air to different vents -- is doing the same thing. It is sticky, and the silver finish is coming off. It is the one and only sticky plastic part I can find inside my MINI. Is it a fluke on my car, or is it common? CD
Never seen it on a MINI, but very familiar with it on Ferrari's. I've seen Mercedes steering wheel controls with that problem, too. I've had it removed/cleaned, but it came back after a few months.:mad2:
It may have been you got something on it that softened it. I had the soft touch finish on my mouse do the same thing after my wife used it. I think it was some kind of hand lotion. With Ferraris and some other cars it's an additive in the plastic leaching out. Like the film that gets on the inside of the windshield.
This happened to my glove box cover. The cover started peeling, felt sticky and looked like crap. I had it painted at my paint shop when they did my roof. It looks great now!
Thanks for the responses. It is so weird that only one part on my interior has done this, and from the responses, it seems like an anomaly. It is really nasty to touch, so I guess I'll replace it. It will probably cost more than it should, but hopefully not too much. CD
One of the chemicals in plastic is a "plasticizer"... On really hot days in a closed up vehicle it will "gas out" and redeposit itself on other surfaces inside the car, most notably seen as a film on the inside of the glass.... It also shows up as a sticky film on the outside of the plastic item... Over time, when enough of the plasticizer is driven out of the plastic, the piece becomes brittle.... Cracks in plastic dashboards show up as a result... On most hot summer days I'll lay a white towel over my dash to lower the temperature.... Lowering the windows a 1/4" also helps to lower the temperature...
I've found that most kinds of hand moisturizers and sunscreens also do not play well with automotive plastics - make sure you clean your hands well before touching any of the controls.
I was reading on one of the camera forums that people who use bug spray with DEET are having the plastic on their cameras melt from the stuff.
That's a very interesting theory, but perhaps there's a better, quicker, easier answer: Hey, caseydog - Where was your hand before you grabbed the knob? :eek6:
I have some high DEET bug juice I got in Canada a long time ago for fishing. You don't let it get on your rain suit or your line.