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Body Wrap for Interior Trim

65K views 63 replies 19 participants last post by  SenseiSmash 
#1 · (Edited)
The grey trim pieces in my FJ were starting to look a little worn in a few spots. After 8 years of use, the steering wheel and door handles specifically were showing their age and I wanted to freshen them up. But also decided it would be nice to give the interior a new look, so I started looking at ways to refinish the trim.

I didn't want to use rattle can paint because its too difficult to remove or repair if I don't like the results. And in my experience/abilities the finish you get from a rattle can is fine for the exterior but isn't smooth enough for parts that will be within arms length every day. I guess I could have bought an air gun and learned to paint better but I wanted to keep this inexpensive.

Another option that many people here have used is Plasti-dip. It's easy to apply and can be removed, but isn't very durable for parts that will be touched and scuffed everyday, so I didn't want to go in that direction either.

So I thought I would try vinyl wrap. Wrap has gotten common enough that it seems to be replacing Plasti-dip as the cheap, easy way to add accents and details to the exterior. And lots of companies are now making interior kits for cars that cover the flat or gently curved surfaces. But if you've ever looked closly at the grey trim in the FJ you'll see that most of them are pretty small and actually have quite a lot of contours and details to them.

To be honest, I'm just a beginner at this and thought it would be something fun to learn (old dog, new tricks, and all that) I've watched a few YouTube videos and invested less that $100 in tools and material, so I don't pretend to be an expert. But what I've noticed in the videos I've seen is there are very few that show smaller detail parts, so I thought I would share as I go through the process of figuring it out.

Edit: ***Warning: There is a chance that the vinyl wrap will damage the thinly applied grey paint on the plastic interior pieces when you remove the wrap. See post 36.
 
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#40 · (Edited)
Awe man, sorry to see that happened! I wasn’t expecting that for sure. I keep thinking about wrapping my exterior in a brushed black aluminum or a satin orange, one reason is to preserve the paint..I would hate to run into issues when I have to remove it in the future[emoji848].


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#41 ·
Awe man, sorry to see that happened! I wasn’t expecting that for sure. I keep think big about wrapping my exterior in a brushed black aluminum or a satin orange, one reason is to preserve the paint..I would hate to run into issues when I have to remove it in the future[emoji848].


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Yeah, it's weird, because I've unwrapped other pieces several times and haven't seen this problem. Makes me wonder if I got a batch of badly painted handles, the paint just wasn't adhered to the plastic at all.
I don't think I would worry about the exterior pieces. Lots of people have wrapped the exterior including the silver/grey parts and I've never seen a post claiming the wrap damaged the paint.
 
#42 ·
I really like the orange accents. I'm trying to bring back a 2008 TTSE that has a very well used interior, and your thread has provided a solution to help revive it. I've used 3M vinyl before on interior dash parts, but always for smooth pieces. I'm pleased to hear that it will adhere to and cover well some slightly textured parts.

Great thread, very impressive work!
 
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#46 ·
Looks great OP. I was just looking at the silver on my steering wheel today and noticed it was getting a little used looking. Did you take the steering wheel apart for yours or did you wrap it still mounted?
 
#49 ·
CRay and others fabulous job on the wrap and really turned out great! I'm not very "handy", so probably could not manage it. While my 11 TT AG only has 23k miles on it: but there are some "scratch marks" on gry interior pieces; and I'm pretty gentle with interior.
Was wondering if Duplicolor or other made exact shade of charcoal gray that would match? Hate to do all the papering and taping: but if I have to, I have to! Wish there was a dye that could be applied using a small fine bristle artist brush to fill in scratches, anything like that available? What do Toyota dealer's body shops use? They would have likely ripped out old parts and replaced with new: but likely would not match material not replaced?

Appreciate any help, as I kinda "fussy" with my low mileage, well cared for truck?

Thanks in advance!













tt
 
#50 ·
CRay and others fabulous job on the wrap and really turned out great! I'm not very "handy", so probably could not manage it. While my 11 TT AG only has 23k miles on it: but there are some "scratch marks" on gry interior pieces; and I'm pretty gentle with interior.
Was wondering if Duplicolor or other made exact shade of charcoal gray that would match? Hate to do all the papering and taping: but if I have to, I have to! Wish there was a dye that could be applied using a small fine bristle artist brush to fill in scratches, anything like that available? What do Toyota dealer's body shops use? They would have likely ripped out old parts and replaced with new: but likely would not match material not replaced?

Appreciate any help, as I kinda "fussy" with my low mileage, well cared for truck?

Thanks in advance!
tt
Unfortunately, I can't help you with the color, just not something I've ever looked into. Do some searching, I'd be surprised if you couldn't find a thread about it here somewhere. You'll probably need to use an airbrush or something similar to get the same stock finish though, the original paint is very thinly applied. If you decide to buy new parts to replace the scratched ones the color shouldn't be an issue. I've purchased new silver parts for the exterior and they were still an exact match to the old parts. The gray color holds up really well.

I completely understand the "fussy" thing, but don't let fretting over a few scratches get in the way of enjoying your truck. Keep it clean, let it get a little worn, and THEN replace or refinish the parts so you can appreciate the refreshed look. New parts will still be available for years to come. Just my opinion.:smile
 
#51 ·
CRay, admittedly "fussy"; but not "anal"! Just not used to letting something like this go, anymore than I would something mechanical.
Given production run only 7 years and comparison to most others in terms of units built in pretty limited, so don't think there are that much of an inventory of interior parts and less worried about mechanical, as many interchange with Taco.

Thanks for reply and suggestions.
 
#52 ·
OK - lot of reading to catch up on here, but maybe an opportune time to check this out if you've never seen it.

Google hydrographics or water transfer printing.
If you have a local shop this stuff is amazing, you can dip practically anything in hundreds of designs and colors, and the coating is said to be more heat and freeze resistant than powdercoating. Your dash, your grill, your wheels, your taxedermy, your motorcycle -- check it out !


Just one clip, but check out others for wild stuff:
 
#56 ·
I'm having some sort of mobility strength and feeling loss in my right hand so this is a little more difficult for me atm. But I got a few pieces done that im satisfied with. I cant get the window switch area perfect yet, I just don't have the dexterity right now. I'm about to attempt the inside door handle, just hopped on to see how I take it apart to do the silver handle.
 
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