Originally Posted by racerrl

My wood trim on my dash shows very fine marks like you see on a car that needs waxing. I'm wondering if it would be safe to use regular car wax on it? I think it would fill those low spots and restore the shine, although it looks fairly good now. Thats an expensive chunk of wood and I don't want to damage the finish on it. Also, any ideas on carnuba or synthetic?

Originally Posted by Chas2

You have to follow the use of real wood through the years at acuranews.com through the archives, comparing year by year. In general, the use of real became less and less over time. As I recall, the only real way to figure it out was to compare the dot charts in each brochure on a yearly basis. As time went on, real wood became more scarce unless you got the ACC/CMBS/PAX model. I believe the wood trim on the door panels was always plastic wood ("plood" as used in numerous posts). At some point, they started using a gray colored wood/plood with the gray leather (taupe?), in addition to the brown colored wood/plood, but I don't have the details on that.

In 2005 and 2006, they said

STYLING AND MATERIALS

The quality of materials, fit and finish have received close attention to reflect the spirit of the new RL. Genuine curly maple wood trim sweeps across the instrument panel...


Wood Gear Selector Knob...

In 2007 they said

STYLING AND MATERIALS

The quality of materials, fit and finish have received close attention to reflect the spirit of the RL. The large, bright navigation system display is positioned up high, in the center of the instrument panel within easy line of sight of the driver and passenger. Below the navigation system screen, the satin metal finish of the climate, audio and navigation controls has a clean, technical look. And an available upgraded wood interior sweeps across the instrument panel...
[I added bold emphasis, and recall that the brochure said that only the ACC/CMBS/PAX had the genuine curlywood maple...]

In 2009 and 2010 they said

STYLING AND MATERIALS

The quality of interior materials, fit and finish have received close attention to reflect the discerning nature of the RL owner. The large, bright navigation system display is positioned up high, in the center of the instrument panel within easy line of sight of the driver and passenger. Below the navigation system screen, the satin metal finish of the climate, audio and navigation controls has a clean, technical look. An available upgraded wood interior sweeps across the instrument panel, is fit to parts of the steering wheel and adorns the shift knob.

Two offered accessories are the shift knob, made out of real wood, and the steering wheel, made out of plood...You can see this on the Acura accessories site...

the Wood Select Knob has a description
...Made of the same wood featured in the RL interior...

while the steering wheel is described as

...Wood-look and leather steering wheels are available in all three interior trim colors to complement the RL interior...

Acura did not make a distinction between real and fake wood in the accessories in Acuranews

INTERIOR ACCESSORIES

A variety of high-quality genuine Acura accessories is available for the 2005 RL. Designed specifically for the vehicle, they add to luxury and improve the car's usefulness. The accessories include:
...
Wood-Trim Steering Wheel (available in three colors to match interior colors)
...

You can also trace the wood/plastic through on-line catalog part numbers. You will see a piece for the front fascia in a 2006 Tech Package (ACC/CMBS/PAX) says Dark Curlywood Maple, $1400+, and in a 2008 base model, just the same front fascia, now plastic, described as, New Dark Olive, is only about $500+.

The real wood is a thin veneer, these are not complex shaped blocks of maple...someone pointed out, that in an accident, you do not want wood shrapnel spalling off into the passengers, as in the old wooden warship days...

Originally Posted by SSjTrunks112O

Correct me if I'm wrong but I've always thought that:

All 2G RL's have fake wood trim on the doors..

All 05's & 06's have genuine wood trim on the dash..

07's & '08's

Base: Fake wood on dash.
Tech: Genuine wood on dash.
ACC/CMBS: Genuine wood on dash.

'09's & '10's

Base: Fake wood on dash.
Tech: Fake wood on dash.
ACC/CMBS: Genuine wood on dash.

anyone else noticing a pattern here?!?

Originally Posted by Ballinger

I just got TSW "Pioneers" in 20x9" and they're wood, too.



It's also okay to wax these.