BestGear

Guys

I am surprised that I could not find anyone asking this before.... having seen some well worn E60s...

Has anyone refinished bits of the interor trim, such as door grab handles, switch panels etc...

Having just bought a 130K mile car, there are a few bits looking scruffy, and I am sure replacements parts would be ££££.

The paint looks like that "rubbery" paint and not a flat finish.

I have repainted several vehicle interior trim parts before - and the nearest to this was surprisingly a Peugeot 307 door control panels - the rubbery finish was removed by nitromors easily and then repainted.

So - thoughts?

David

jaycal3

Its all in the prep work... and also depends on the finish of the paint. Are you asking for opinions about painting them or replacing them?
To replace them check here: RealOEM...

To paint them, I would just prep really well and make sure to give nice smooth light coats. I have had great success with my Jeep restoration using Krylon Fusion spray which bonds well to almost anything, and goes on smooth.

mmitev

David
I have the same problem - steering wheel trim and the window switch surrounding piece have this rubbery paint coming off in a nasty way.

A local guy who specialises in vehicle upholstery restoration said he is repainting these bits all the time and it won't cost much at all. He said there are two options:
1) using the same OEM "silicone" finish, which however will come off again after some time and usage.
2) using matt black paint for plastic. it will look 99% the same, will not feel quite as rubbery, but will also hold on much better and wont come off.

I guess your best bet is Halfords then.. and if it does not work the first time, you can always try again.

danno530

David,

Firstly, welcome to the forums, and I hope that you enjoy your new toy. I think that at 130k, you're probably out of factory warranty, but I'd imagine the engine is just about run in! I'm sure that you'll find lots of ways to part with cash and get new parts, but for refurbs, there are a couple of different ways.

Look for low milage crashed examples in breakers yards. If you've got a BMW breaker close to you, let them know what you're after. Interiors tend to fare poorly in sunny scotland if the windows have been put in from the accident, so you'll need to be quick.

If you look in the detailing threads, you will get hundreds of examples of gear to use.

Or search the threads for tricks that others have done. Next on my list is fixing the peeling m-sport steering wheel following azstar's tutuorial here

Good luck & enjoy!

Croket

Hey David,

I'm experiencing the same issue, this seems to be a problem with BMW, Mercedes,some VW's and possibly other foreign vehicles. My Bimmer is an 06 with 50k miles and I"m already noticing it on the windows control panel and some places around the center of the steering wheel.
I"m not going to worry too much about it right now but when it does get to the point where I can't stand looking at it I'll attempt to refinish it.

In the past Ive used a product by SEM (Classic Coat). Its designed for vinyl and leather and comes in a spray can; I used it to spray head rests on a Lexus (color change from gray to beige) and it turned out great. I went to a local body-shop supplier and the counter person showed me all available paint chips for that product, I chose the closes match and I have to say it was on the money even though it was a ford interior color.

Probably too much info but the point is, its been over a year since I've sprayed them and till this day they haven't chipped or pealed while still remaining flexible to the push of a finger into the vinyl.

like one of the member mentioned before, its all in the prep. I hope this helps

Sincerely
Candido..

BestGear

I am intending refinishing the parts, as replacement will be £££...

Krylon Fusion - thanks - will go look at that - I had looked around for similar paint to the original finish... with no luck...


Yes, looks very scruffy for a nice car! I have not seen anything like it in Halfords.... I did refinish a peugeot 307 trims - ended up replacing the rubbery finish with PJ1 satin Silver... sadly PJ1 had a fire and dont make it any more!

Do Halfords have a similar paint, or are you suggesting a normal paint finish?

Do you know what your paint guy uses to remove the old rubbery stuff? I used Nitromors... which is always a chore!


Thanks for the advice...

David

BestGear

Thanks for the welcome! - I have had several BMWs over the years... last being an E39...now E60....as you say...lots of ways to part with cash... you just cant avoid ebay can you! My car has very good paint and seats, just needs some trim smarytened up really.


I have checked a few, and no E60s at all...locally. The BMW specialist breakers all wanted ££ or wanted me to take the whole dash!

I really think refinishing is the only option.

I am thinking about using 3M DI-NOC (look on you tbe for loads of how-to)film to refinish them... and if I do, I was thinking about refinishing the wood in aluminium finish, and the rubbery bits in black carbon fibre effect.... think that will look ok?!?!?

I have reached the end, even before I bought the car! I must do something now. I guess some pictures would show its not *that* bad, but it bugs the c*ap out of me when I see it! Mine is "bad" on drivers door panel, light switch and radio volume.

Is that product a rubber like finish as original? That is what i would really like to find.

As mentioned earlier, removing the original finish is a pain, as it cannot really be sanded off or removed with a heat gun (have seen some come off that way like an "elastic" sheet.


Thanks again for all the advice and pointers...

David

Croket

Hi David,
No, the SEM product doesn't give you that rubbery effect. It gives you a factory like look that stays flexible. For my application it worked great as the headrest are a soft vinyl. Ive used the Krylon Fusion and its is a great product for plastics, however, your limited on colors. The SEM Product is geared more for Vehicle interiors and you can choose from a variety of vehicle makes and /or Color chips, Ive had great success with it, if you'd like I can send you a picture of the product and the head rest I sprayed.
by the way I'm in NO WAY affiliated with SEM just in case anyone is wondering. Having worked in the bodyshop industry for many year and being a master vehicle re-finisher I have to say I've had my share of many different refinishing products.

Candido

tonyb635

This paint is called "soft touch paint" and if you google you should be able to locate a source near you or via the post. Most of this type of paint requires it to be sprayed form a gun, but there are some places out there that sell it in spray cans but not sure how well it works...

BestGear

Well, that statement is a major endorsement!

There are so many products out there and a professional recomendation is great advice... thanks!

David