GM Service Manual Online
For 1990-2009 cars only

Saturn utilizes 3 types of plastics throughout the interior of the car. Hard or rigid materials are either polycarbonate (PC) or acrylonitrite/butadine/styrene (ABS). Soft covers use polyvinyl chloride (PVC) over foam. Following are examples of interior components and materials.

PC

    • The glove box door
    • The gage bezel assembly
    • The instrument panel top cover

ABS

    • The lower instrument panel trim extension (right, left, and center)
    • The upper instrument panel accessory trim panel
    • The console

PVC

For the purposes of finishing, PC and ABS can be treated the same. Saturn does not recommend painting soft PVC, however, as solvents will distort the foam used as padding beneath the vinyl covering.

Rigid or hard ABS and PC plastics require no primer. Conventional interior acrylic lacquers adhere satisfactorily to ABS and PC plastics.

  1. Wash the part with mild soap and warm solution to remove any waterborne contaminants.
  2. Rinse the part thoroughly with clean fresh warm water and dry off.
  3. Wash the entire panel with PPG D846 Multi-Prep cleaner or equivalent to remove any surface contaminants.
  4. Thoroughly dry the panel before the multi-prep cleaner evaporates.
  5. Select the interior color from the appropriate formulas and make a sample spray out to confirm that color and gloss levels match that of surrounding interior parts while the adhesion promoter is drying. This is an important step as interior colors often vary as the result of substrate texture and configurations.
  6. Apply 1 or 2 medium wet coats of color over the entire part ensuring that full hiding has been achieved and the surface is uniformly wet. Follow label directions for proper mix and drying recommendations based on the reducer used and spray conditions when the material is to be applied.
  7. After allowing the panel to fully dry, the part may be installed according to the service manual instructions.