~* Custom interior. . . any ideas? *~

~* Custom interior. . . any ideas? *~

I was thinking. i am tired of looking at the multiple colored interior of my car. i want to unify the interior a lil bit. In case u don't know, i have an Le (they have the ugliest interior of all 3 models). It's like 2 shades of gray with a black/wood grain center thingy and with woodgrain everywhere. Get the point??? (should've gotten the S, but my mom didn't like the S). I've seen some people with colored interiors. Like the doors were of a different color. Does anybody know how to do that kinda stuff?? Like change the colors of the door panel and the dashboard and stuff like that? i figure i would get some tips before i do something i might regret later. -thanks!

hey snuggles,
sorry i assumed that you have an S in the other post. i plan on doing my interior as u probably saw from my other post. i'm gonna take it appart and cover it in vinyl b4 i paint it. that should happen in the next couple of weeks. once i get that done, i'll put up pics and a DIY for that too. other than that if u have any questions u can always email me or IM me on AIM.

stonetempel03
stonetempel@hotmail.com

hope that helped.

Achint

snug-- the easiest way to 'color' your interior is by using Vinyl Dye or Fabric Paint on vinyl'ed areas and Spray Paint on plastic trims (available in automotive stores) But this should be done professionally since uneven spots will look LY. You also have to consider the quality of the paint since the cheap ones will fade easily.

Another method is using fabrics such as Vinyl, Carpet, or Tweed over the stock one-- but be forewarned that this requires EXTENSIVE experience with these materials because fabrics (esp. Vinyl) are very unforgiving to small mistakes.

If you REALLY want to modify your interior, I suggest going to a professional Automotive Interior Shop, but this will cost a LOT. Also keep in mind that this is an irreversible process-- that in an event that you need to sell your car, you will have to repaint and/or replace the painted trim panels.

This is how the center console looked when I customized the interior of my Camry, but keep in mind that it took me tremendous amount of effort to bring it back to stock before I was able to finally sell it:


The doors were modified to encase a pair of Crossovers, covered with plexiglass:


Unfortunately, I never had a chance to take pics when it got done-- but I will definitely post pics when I get done with the Rolla

So there.. (in your case) Start with small plastic trims-- like AC vents, doorlocks, etc. If you have more Q's just ask.

Well that sounds a lil risky "non irreversible" that scared me. Do u think they make like little plastic caps that u can put on the car panel, so u can take it on and off??? that would be nice. u would change the color all the time. But the car look soooo much better with a different interior.

And the dashboard, how do u color it yourself??? I really hate the woodgrain. Like i am ok with it, but sometimes it looks sooo ugly. i asked the toyota people if i could have a new cover, like i "accidently" broke the woodgrain door, would they give me a black door and they were like "ahh no, we would have to replace the whole center peice and that's gonna cost u about $150 dollars". I was like "year right, for $150 i can get that metallic dashboard kit.

The first thing I would ditch, in the interior, would be the mushy driver's seat. I guess I'm used to firmer cushions and seats with more thigh support. A Recaro or Sparco adjustable bucket (vs a non-adjustable racing bucket), would be a good upgrade...