Flightwriter

Hi all - I've always been a fan of wood accent trim on the dashboard, and was wondering if anyone knows of a manufacturer of woodtone replacements for the silver accent strips that run across the ILX panel?




I'm not talking about the adhesive wood accents you stick on to various surfaces around the interior, but ideally replacement accent panels that are molded in woodgrain plastic (or dare I dream, made from real wood) to replace the dash accents.


Thanks!

neildam

hey


see attached.


i was bored on my day off ... a quick mock. it's okay i suppose but i prefer the mordernity of the silver.


carbon fiber would look stellar.

Flightwriter

Yep, that's what I have in mind! Thanks for the mock. I didn't consider including it on the storage bin cover, but I like how this highlights the fact that the cover continues the sweep down from the accent trim.

CF would look good, too, but I've always been partial to wood. I think it would look especially nice with the Parchment seats and lower dash coloration like mine.

Now, just to find someone who makes the real thing...

Flightwriter

For just a bit more than $120 all-in, I'm willing to give this a shot. Replacement interior pieces are available for less than $50 through Acura (minus the $117 and change they want for the center bin) and it looks like something like this would work to wrap the pieces:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/3M-DI-NOC-Bu...-/270795818517

If I can't get a "factory" look, I won't mess with replacing the trim pieces... but I think it's worth some experimentation. I'll keep everyone posted!

Flightwriter

Update - All ordered parts have arrived:



I was surprised to find that the trim piece containing the ignition switch included the button assembly... as well as that this button is FIRMLY held in place by two screws, one of which is proving exceedingly difficult to remove!





As for the wood wrap, it's a bit thicker than I anticipated so I'm unsure of how well it will bend and curve around the complex shapes of the trim. (According to 3M it may be heated to assist with this process.)

I also wonder if water transfer printing of a woodgrain pattern directly onto the pieces may be the better way to go. Does anyone here have any experience with this process, and perhaps know of a shop that does it?

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

in a "sporty" car like the ILX, i dont think the wood trim "fits"

in a Lexus GS, sure.

Flightwriter

I hear what you're saying, I just think the interior badly needs something to dress it up better than painted plastic "aluminum" regardless of whatever sporting pretensions the ILX carries (and when it comes to the 2.0L, the answer to that is "not many.") I like wood in small amounts, which is why I think it would work nicely for the dash accents.

aksilx

I got hazelnut wood in my Saab. Love wood grain too lol

Personally I'd do black carbon on my trim, I think it's look better with the black accents.

usdmJON

I want to do woodgrain. I was thinking a really dark almost black colored woodgrain if I go gloss or a flat/satin dark brown like this..


This would look good with a nice shine.



For the 2.4 since they have some added accents in the cluster as well as with the push starts I think a redwood would look good. Id imagine a redwood vinyl over all the aluminum accents mixed with some carbon fiber here and there around the center console would look killer.


Myself, I like the first picture I uploaded best. Very classy.

Flightwriter

Great ideas! I especially like the natural grain in the VW.

I think a "lighter" wood, but with more orange/red accents, would look good with the Parchment interior in mine. To my eye, it would help 'balance' the transition between the black upper and tan lower surfaces.

4cruizn

I'll be anxious to hear how this all turns out. Neat idea.

Look at the interior woodgrain wrap on this Accord belonging to a friend of mine (scroll down for interior pics). Shall I ask him what he used?

It's more of a matte finish than what you initially posted, but I think it seems like it might be more moldable given the curvature on his dash pieces & ours.

http://drivetofive.wordpress.com/201...coupe-concept/

Flightwriter

Thanks, and yes - please ask him! That looks more in keeping with what I originally had in mind.

Neat idea he had, BTW.

4cruizn

He said "it's a matte 3M woograin vinyl wrap."

Which seems to be almost exactly what you already used.

How is your install going?

Flightwriter

Yep, it's the same stuff but with a gloss finish. I haven't gotten around to starting things yet; I'm waiting a bit to see what the $$ would be for water printing the pieces instead, though businesses that do that kind of work appear to be few and far between.

usdmJON

My buddy did some hydrographing in his garage. You just buy a tube large enough for the pieces to dip in nicely and everything else you can order online as well as home depot.

Id love to give it a try but frankly just dont have to time to drive for that. lol

justnspace

iTrader: (1)

Oh lord!


that is something beautiful! would trade my carbon fiber for that!

Zonian22

@flightwriter: I was actually thinking of doing this myself, except I was going to go with the brushed aluminum 3M vinyl. Are the trim pieces held with clips only? Is it just a matter of pulling them out by hand until they unclip? Thanks!

Flightwriter

From the look of things, all three pieces should pop straight out without much difficulty; there are no other retainer clips or tabs apart from those attached to the back of the trim, so there's nothing to snag against the surrounding dashboard:




That said, I haven't worked up the courage yet to remove the trim pieces still on my dashboard (I ordered new ones to experiment on) so I'm not sure how easily they'll come out. I also wonder if the white alligator clips will separate from the trim on the way out, fall into the depths of the dashboard, and lead to rattles.

Also, does anyone know if any reprogramming is required when disconnecting the ignition button?

Flightwriter

Thread update - I went ahead and had the pieces hydrographed, and just picked them up today. They turned out very well! Here's an example:





Now comes the task of removing the existing pieces from the dash. The passenger side popped out without any difficulty, but I'm not sure about the pieces framing the steering column. Has anyone removed these pieces before? Any tips?

Flightwriter

Voila!

xdtownx

Awesome job!!! It actually looks good and I am not a fan of wood grain in cars at all. How did you get th trim off around the start button? I have been wanting to wrap mine in carbon fiber but cannot get that part off. The passenger side trim is easy to pull. Any tips would be appreiciated.

Flightwriter

Thanks! A local company called Custom Hydro Graphics gets all the credit for their work; I can't believe how well the pieces turned out, and the price was quite reasonable ($85; including ordering new trim pieces from Acura, all-in cost was less than $130.)

All three existing pieces pulled away from the dash pretty easily; I only lost one retainer clip, but it quickly fell out from under the dash.

The chrome trim ring around the start button is part of that assembly, which is held on by two Phillips head screws. A new button came attached to the piece.

xdtownx

Cool thanks for the info Ill have to give it another go

ipribadi

That looks great!!
I see ur photos on Custom Hydro Graphics' FB page dated 6/23.

Hey I might be interested in this too.
Which trim pieces did you have to order from Acura? Why?
My thoughts were to have them do this on the original pieces.
Thanks!

Colin

I think it looks awesome, but why do I have a feeling that it would cost 4x that amount here in Hawaii?

usdmJON

My only issue is that the pieces around the e brake and under the console are still grey. Id want those to match so I think Ill vinyl wrap mine. Hydrographing Im sure will withstand the test of time over vinyl.

weather

...because it probably would! *LMAO*

That is the only thing Canada and Hawaii have in common!

Flightwriter

You certainly could use the original trim pieces. At the time, I wasn't sure which route I wanted to take (wrap or hydrographing) and I didn't want either process to be rushed due to my frustration over staring at missing pieces of my dashboard. I was surprised to find all three trim pieces available for around $40 through Acura; the mounting clips come already attached (no need to order spares, though they're cheap) as does the start button assembly.


Quite possibly, though you could definitely save money by using the existing trim pieces.


I went back and forth with doing at least the center bin lid, but in addition to the piece cost (you can't order the cover separately, and the entire bin assembly is around $150 if memory serves) I decided that, for me, woodgraining that and the shifter/cupholder surround would be overkill... like something GM would do, LOL. There's enough gray and dark silver trim around the cabin that having those pieces left stock doesn't stand out.

usdmJON

Agreeable.
Ill still do them all vinyl. The RLX has wood grain in those areas and I like it.

ipribadi

After more thought I think I'm going to hold back for now.

I have the black interior and with the wood grain it seems to be missing something to contrast the break between the upper and lower dash.

Looked at the wood trim in the TLX and RLX and what they have (which looks great on their ebony interiors) is the metal strip with the wood trim.
It adds a touch of modernness and contrast.

So I'm now looking to see how and where this can be done.
Another area that seems missing some form of trim is the door arm rests. The plastic mold around the window buttons seems to be made with a trim piece in mind to be laid on top of it. Funny that Acura doesn't have these (at least in US).

usdmJON

I agree on the silver with the wood grain.
Id rock it like this if it can even be wrapped this way.

Flightwriter

I have to admit, that does look damn good.

usdmJON

Im just not sure if someone can vinyl wrap like that. Leaving part of it blank. Not sure how the edges will lay or if they would peel easily.
Possibly laying down a clear vinyl over the entire thing would fix any issues of peeling.

Id love to make my interior look exactly like that. However, I think yours looks great since you already have the two tone cream/black. The color you chose break those up well. On my all black, Id need that silver accent just to achieve the three tone look you already have.

Flightwriter

Thanks - Yeah, I wanted a clear visual break between the dark and light interior colors.

For what you have in mind, I don't think wrap would work; it just doesn't adhere well to complex curves. Also, I suspect the edges would eventually lift regardless of whether or not you sprayed clear over it - and if you wrapped a clear layer over it, that would bubble as the underlying layer began to lift. Hydrographing is the best way to go IMHO, and well worth the money.

usdmJON

Can't hydrograph the center pieces though. I'm not Uninstaller those. For me it'll be vinyl or nothing. I'm fairly certain if the vinyl laid down how I want them a clear layer over it all would surely hold.

ipribadi

You guys are awesome. Yes this is exactly inline with what I'm thinking.
With the TLX and RLX the silver trim is below the wood accents but perhaps utilizing the crease along the existing trim would be more possible to do.

So technically, I'm not familiar with the process here. Would Hydrographing not work on the center console items? Why?
OTOH with vinyl wrap, how precise can you possibly get the break between the wood and the metal accent? With such complex shape I would say it would be almost impossible.
Even with Hydrographing I'm not even sure if this can be done.

usdmJON

Hydrogtaphing is a fairly easy process if you have the right size tub.
You make bath to submerge the item. The film you want on the item gets laid across the water surface. You spray a chemical over the film on the surface of the water then dip your item into the film. The film will adhere to the item and prettyou much won't ever come off.

If will work on any piece you can remove and dip into a tub of water.

Vinyl wrapping get they can do in your car bit still best process requires removing the parts to fully wrap.

usdmJON

P.s. my buddy has all the materials to hydograph. He does gun parts. Also done like a cell phone cover and some other small items.

distortionilx

Thanks I am going through this now. i tried a hair dryer first and it was not hot enough.

Going to try again with a heat gun. if this doesn't work I'm thinking a mix of dash kit and hydrodipping