Hey guys and gals..
I have been reading on here about the complaints on the interior wood trim scratching too easy.

I have the wood and I have been VERY VERY careful in my car not to scratch it but it still has some minor ones that when the light hits just right you can see.

A co-worker of mine is a clear bra licensed 3M dealer/installer. I just took him out to my car and he said that piece of clear bra on that wood will cover all scratches and protect it.

He is going to install peices on all my wood trim tomorrow and if all works out well I think I will have him template it so if anyone else wants to purchase a pre cut peice, I will be able to put you in contact with him so you dont have to worry so much when your in your ride.

I will try to post pics but being that it is clear you wont see much. I will keep you posted.

 

awesome. its funny because i was thinking of doing just that a few days ago.

 

how much did he say it would cost?

would it be cheaper if we just got heavy duty plastic wrap and cover every part of the car like we did with our couches in the 70s?

 

lol ....wonder if they use different wood trim in the IS. I have an ES330 that is wood trim and the wood trim still looks pristine after two years...however the metal near the gear shift is all scratched...I ordered the IS350 with the sports package metal trim and wonder if it is going to be getting scratched easily and looking bad. Has anyone with the sports packaged cars been having a problem?

 

its plastic trim, exactly the same as the base model and yes it scratches easily.

 

The scratching makes me sad. It cant even handle my jacket touching it without scratching

 

Oh great. Thanks for the info....guess all passengers will have to be "metal detected" before entering my vehicle and wear gloves.

 

I'm not licensed ClearBra (tm) dealer, but have a vinyl cutter and made my own. It works well, but pulled it off after a few days (too shiny), maybe it wouldn't look out of place on the wood trim. I have some other low tack vinyls I want to try (carbon fiber, alu, etc).

 

Not sure how much it will cost..but it will be cheaper than the $1800 to replace your center piece once it is all scratched to hell.

He will have them all laser cut so you can just unscrew the shifter, peel off and place in on. As for the shine, the wood trim is a glossy as lexus could get it..thats why they used a plastic consol instead of real wood.

Most of the minor scratches that you have now will all dissapear and the clear bra when scratched(definitely NOT as easy as the trim) can be polished.

He is going to make the template tomorrow and cut a slew of them over the weekend. For people who want them, he is going to sell them in 5 piece sets, so you will have all the wood covered.

He has had his cell phone covered with clearbra for 6 months now and drops it all the time, not a scratch on the thing...not saying this stuff is scratch proof but since it is a flexible clearcoat is just doesnt really scratch. i am sure if your hitting rocks and bugs at 80 and the clear bra on the outside still looks brand new, someones button or watch wont do a damn thing...I am just so happy that I dont have to walk on eggshells!!!!!!!!!!

 

The problem with the 3M material, is that it's quite permanent. Once you put it on, you're pretty much committed. Sure you can get it off, but you might take some of the wood lacquer/finish with it, or leave a lot of residue.

Or you could use...

 

Hmm, this is something to think about. I haven't scratched mine yet, as I'm VERY careful thanks to the heads-up from others here who have unwittingly scratched theirs. Despite how careful I am, however, I am sure it will only be a matter of time if I don't protect it, since it seems to be so easy to scratch.
One question - I'm no clear bra expert. I understand that it would prevent the wood from being scratched, but how would it make any existing minor scratches disappear?

 

I creates a new clear coat over the wood and just like any minor scratches you have on your car prior to a clear bra application is makes them pretty much invisible, it will not fix dings, but the scratches to the top layer of the plastic will be covered by a new clear protective coat

 

oh yeah as for it being permanent, The 3m product is self adhesive but it peels off anytime you dont want it there, if it was to remove any of the wood lacquer/finish, they would not be selling this for cars that have a painted on coat. It removes without leaving any residue..I have used it before and never had any residue left on the car nor has it taken any paint/clearcoat with it.

Being that the wood trim is a one-piece plastic, you wont have to worry about that.

 

best solution is to not get in the car period, leave it inside a sealed crate which you should stash away in a warehouse which is inside a bunker.
this will guarantee a scratch free environment.

 

I'll give it a try....can always take it off (like on that 70's sofa before the quests arrive!).

Please post his name, phone number or other contact info.

How much does he want for a set?


Thanks!