Vinyl dye is a product often marketed for use in recoloring vinyl upholstery in vehicles. It is also useful in recoloring soft plastics. Unlike conventional paint, vinyl dye seeps into the surface it is applied to, resulting in a color that will not peel or chip.
Those who perform 'casemods' on their computers favor vinyl dye for the professional appearance it lends to dyed plastic pieces. Raised print, such as brand names and volume increment markings on drive faceplates, are not masked by vinyl dye as they would be by conventional paints.
Only bare plastic and vinyl surfaces may be dyed. Painted surfaces prevent the dye from reaching the plastic, paint having filled in the microscopic holes the dye would normally occupy.
Dyed surfaces may even be re-dyed another color.
VinylDye.co.uk Vinyl Dye Guide with Examples
Mod the Box's Vinyl Dye Guide