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Trim Refurbish Project, From Rags To Riches!

5K views 6 replies 5 participants last post by  tmgrdon 
#1 · (Edited)
I've had a lot of trim sets come through my hands, but there are always a handful that I swear look best suited in a trash can than an E39 sometimes. Sometimes I know I'm getting a rough set, others it's a surprise...a costly one.

I wanted to share the a sample refurb process on what is probably one of my dirtiest sets to date. Thanks to an inventory of spare Technical Graphite pieces I was able to bring this one back to somewhat livable conditions.

Much work goes on behind the scenes way before you guys see the end product :). If you're a neat freak, these pics will freak you out.

First off, the horror shots! This thing must have been buried under a pile of dirt, rather than the car I took it out of.



Lovely Center Console...The door refused to open, so I had to strong arm it!



A better look, you'll love the transformation later.


Toggle switches are nice, but not in trim... Thankfully I had exactly 1 spare without any holes


Now comes the fun part, Technical graphite is not like wood where the whole thing is held together by screws... no no no, it's held by double sided tape. I absolutely loath having to do this procedure since I have to separate it using a knife and it is just downright dangerous as can be. I just recently started having to do this since I had been getting many sets with broken ash trays.


A quick shot of initial clean up and examination. Lots of time put into scrapping / removing the old tape in addition to even more dirt. The ashtray door seemed to be loose, and fell of when I checked it out... Nothing some Industrial adhesive couldn't fix.



Given how horribly dirty the trim was I decided to use cut compound on the entire set, instead of select pieces.


After first pass of compound. Looking better, but still very dull. I know there is shine hiding in there, a bit more work.


Very frequently the center console clips break. It's a bit annoying, but still very fixable with some work. Luckily I took out the trim myself, so I had the exactly plastic bit that broke off, so I only had to do a bit of dremel work. :)


Gotta have a test rig to make it 100%!


Fitted and good as new! I like function over form, it's not like you see this everyday , so excuse the mess.



Next is a lil Dking special I do for all my sets. Very often the plastic holders for the door panel screws come off due to either fracture or the cheap "glue" they used from factory. Again, bonding material makes this nearly indestructible for future use! (Before - After)



Remember that ash tray? If not, I'll remind you! I think an animal blew up or something.


Yup, that's pretty ugly... Now for some crazy chemical cleaner and some polish. Result: good as new!


Now to get the center console all buttoned up again, like I always do, I used good ol' 3M double sided tape just like the old factory one did, except mine isn't pre cut :(


The Final Result: After a round of good ol' hand polishing, this is what you guys get to see!


In the end it's a ton of work, usually sets aren't this bad. Most of the time it's a simple clean and polish, but this is like my all-in-one refurb that takes all my skills and tons of trial and error.

For now I wont be listing it since the center console finish has some pretty bad scratches and I want to combine it with a set I have on order... i just used my last good ash tray so I wont chance it

Hope you all like this project!
 
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#4 ·
The only way to possibly lessen the scratch is with a rotary buffer and some cut compound, but since the clear coat on this finish is extremely thin, the scratches usually don't come out unless they are very minor.
 
#5 ·
Dking078,

You've done a great job refinishing that trim. I wish I had purchased from you but I didn't and regret it.

I had dialog with another board member (not located in the US) and was assured the trim I was considering to purchase was "9.5 out of 10" and "the fine scratches are wipe marks."

Here is the center console I received.

Almost every piece I received is scratched and/or gouged. One has a broken tab.

I have refinished the wood trim in my car and thought perhaps I could fix this. I was wrong. Wood trim has an extremely thick clear coat that is easily wet sanded and polished. If the clear coat isn't cracked, I think I could get almost any gouge out.

Not so with this trim. Just as you stated, the finish is the thinnest I've ever seen leaving almost no room for repair.

It's nice to see an honest seller. I wouldn't hesitate to buy from you and wish you good luck with your sales.

.
 

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#6 · (Edited)
Wow, that line looks almost crusted on if I saw it. It sucks that some people do that. I usually take people up on their bluff and ask to send pics w/o the "wipe marks".... I usually don't get a response!

I'm really picky, so i tend to overstate a ton of things about trim down to minute details to the point of underselling XD.

While trim can be had pretty inexpensively overseas, there is always a catch. I often end up having to combine 2-3 sets just to make one GOOD set :(.
 
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