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Customer's expectations are increasing in the competitive automotive market. In an effort to enhance marketability, interior and exterior trim parts that are comprised of plastic, paints, and films are being assessed for scratch and scuff durability. There are many different methods used inside and outside the automotive industry to determine the performance of these materials. However, the majority of these methods do not correlate the performance of the material to the customer's expectations. This paper reviews existing scratch/scuff methods and advancements in scratch/scuff performance test methodology from analyzing driver and passenger zones, customer expectations, and part design.

A resin fuel lid capable of being electrostatically painted on-line with the vehicle body-in-white was developed to achieve a light weight fuel adapter assembly with improved color match to surrounding body panels when compared with outsourced painting. The fuel lid was molded out of a conductive, high heat capable PA/PPO resin, and painted with automotive body paint systems. Key development items for this part included validation of part conductivity, on-line capability of the resin material, development of an attachment scheme to achieve proper grounding of the part, determination of paint jig location for proper paint coverage and color match to the body, and evaluation of the final fit & finish. These studies were conducted in combination of both lab and on-line trials. Additionally, the final painted part assembly was extensively tested to achieve the appropriate quality of the surface treatment and strength and durability of the design construction.