nuraman00

I'm having a hard time finding a shop that will paint the interior trim like this:

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...ml#post6391626

Most shops are declining the request. I'm contacting them through email and linking to the picture above for reference of what I'd like done.

A few suggested vinyl wrap.

Only one has said they would do it, and I haven't heard back yet how many hours they estimate the labor.

chromedome

Vinyl wrap is the only way to go for the interior. I have a base piano black interior (no wood anywhere) and it's a nightmare to keep scratch free, although it looks stunning when clean. That stuff gets scratched when you look at it funny.

nuraman00

Are there any pictures of someone who has vinyl wrapped their interior?

Can they do vinyl wrap of non-standard shapes, like the center console with the gear shifter in the middle?

How was this person able to make it look so good with paint?

https://www.clublexus.com/forums/is-...ml#post6391626

lesz

I don't think that the problem is with "making it look so good with paint". Instead, the problem is keeping it looking good. I'm sure that the painted black is very susceptible to scratching. Dragging objects over the surface are likely to create scratches, and even swiping the surface with a cloth when the surface has dust on it could create fine scratches.

nuraman00

What do you think of vinyl wrapping the trim portions of the interior?

I've never heard of something like that being done before.

But that's what few of the shops suggested.

chromedome

It has been done, at least on other cars. You can even buy pre-cut interior vinyl kits online. It shouldn't be hard to get an interior modder to custom cut vinyl to cover the shiny trim bits, although it would look better in a dark matte color.

Here are some vinyl bits from a Chinese site:

nuraman00

Thank you for the pictures.

How does it physically feel to touch a vinyl wrapped interior part, compared to the OEM trim?

Does it feel weird? Or like plastic wrap? Or like something else?

chromedome

Matte vinyl should feel like a slightly rough plastic material. It won't have the same cold, shiny smoothness as the original lacquered wood or piano black trim. Best thing is to choose your vinyl material to see what suits your tastes.

nuraman00

Here are some quotes I have:

1) Paint on Trim Panels $1250
Vinyl wrap $850

He won't do the steering wheel because he says it wouldn't last due to sunlight and daily use.

2) Wrap: $700-$1200+

3) 4.5- 5.5 hours to wrap ($445.50 - $544.50) plus material ($45)


What does everyone think?

Is the first shop right about the steering wheel not being a durable thing to wrap?

nuraman00

Good point.

I should go to the shops to feel the material to see how comfortable I am with this. I would assume they have different kinds of material to choose from.

SW17LS

I think its a total waste of money, and I would just leave the wood trim.

lesz

I agree. If I had an extra $700-1200 that I wanted to put into a car, I could think of many other things that I would choose to spend that money on. And, if the wood trim was a deal breaker for me, I'd be looking at a different car choice other than the ES.

Also note that, while most options are going to return only a fraction of their original cost at re-sale/trade-in time, none of the money spent on wrapping or refinishing the wood trim will come back at re-sale/trade-in time.

On the other hand, it isn't my car or my money, and I don't want to presume to tell the OP how to spend his money.

SW17LS

IMHO this would detract from the vehicle's value at trade in time since most ES buyers actually like the nice wood trim. Personally, for me it would make me cross the car off my list if I were shopping.

lesz

When I made my previous post, my thought was that, if the trim pieces were re-finished, it likely would decrease the re-sale/trade-in value of the car, but, if they were wrapped, at least, the wrap should be able to be removed (at some additional cost).

Another downside of either refinishing or wrapping all of the wood trim pieces that comes to mind is that, to either re-finish or wrap those pieces, it would be required to disassemble all 4 door panels, the dash, and the center console. If it was my car, I would not want those panels to be taken apart unless it was absolutely necessary because, when you start removing and re-installing interior panels, there is the risk of introducing squeaks and rattles in the process, and, with that many panels needing to be removed and re-installed, the risk gets multiplied.

Maikerusan

Totally agree. Not sure why people obsess over changing everything in the car. Why buy it if you don't like it that much? I think those pics of changes to the Chinese Interior look terrible.