My maxima has this coating of something all over all the dash trim pieces like the window switches and around the ac vents and stuff. It scrathes really easy and looks horrible. My friends maxima does not have this problem and I havent heard any of you all talk about this. Well it got so bad that I just took off one of the door switches and used rubbing alcohol to remove the coating and now I am left with a plain black plastic piece. I was wondering if I could paint these with a good quality plastic paint that would look nice. And if it turned out good I could do it to all the dash trim. If anyone has any advice they could give me I would appreciate it a lot. I guess I am looking for anyone who has had this type of dash before and how you fixed it, or if anyone knows of good plastic paint that would look good. Also if there are any writeups on how to remove all the dash trim around the radio and vents and shifter, that would also be appreciated. This is on a 2000 maxima SE automatic. Sorry for the long post and thanks in advance.

 

Unfortunately, the radio facing is 1-piece...the only way to paint the radio and climate control trim would be to get the faceplates off (fairly easy), pop all the buttons out (easy, but high risk of breaking the little back brackets on the buttons), and mask off the display screen.

I would sugget maybe seeing if you could get your hands on a broken head unit/climate control (maybe from a dealer-warranty return, or a junkyard) and test it out before you try to do it to YOURS....

I have no idea what this "coating" is though....

 

ok thank you. Does anyone have any good writeups for removing the trim pieces around the shifter, ashtray, ac vents etc. And also a good plastic paint to paint them with? Thanks

 

http://www.vqpower.com/v2/modules.ph...howpage&pid=55

 

Great Link Kash, Thanks

 

my drivers door control/handel panel is like that. it is suposed to be this dul silver/gray vut parts of it have rubed off to the black plastic.

SHow me some pics whe nyou are done. I would like to see how it turned out if you could.

Greg

 

the write-up is great. i would like to see once you paint them. you could always get the molded dash kit..

 

Thank you very much Kash for the link. I will try this project when I get some time. And Zippin, I have been looking at molded dash kits for over a year and a half now and cant find one I like. If I do this, this way I get all the pieces I want painted and it should look nicer if it all goes as planned. I will post pics of this when I am done but it might take some time. Thanks again. And if anyone else has any more advice or opinions on this it will be appreciated.

 

ok. i have painted quite a few interiors. All Plastic. Never done vinyl and don't recommend it. I will try to give a breif but detailed writeup.

Materials NEEDED:
Sandpaper (grit 400,600,1500,2000)
AutoPrep (Actual name of product)
BULLDOG - USED AS A PLASTIC PRIMER
Regular dish soap
Paint (I am not much for using anything other than eurathane paint (paint used to paint cars - Good quality) but you could go with a laquer like some kind of interior paint (ex. Krylon)
Tact Cloths (a few)
Clear Coat (can also be purchased in a can)
Finishing glaze (ex. 3M Rubbing Compound 1500 grit)

PErsonally I would take it to a body shop to be painted if I was you or if I did not have a paint gun and air compressor. BE ADVISED - If you used spray paint (paint in a can) do not expect professional results. The only way to get professional results is to use a paint gun and compressor. Anyways

1) Wash parts to be painted with dish soap and rinse well.
2) With part under running water wet sand with 400 grit sandpaper until all areas are equally smooth. BE VERY CRITICAL ANY DISCREPENCY WILL BE NOTICABLE AFTER PAINTING
3)Wet Sand with 600 Grit Sandpaper until "smooth as a babies ***". Make sure every square inch is as smooth as possible. Rinse and feel with your fingers to make sure you did a good job.
4)rewash with soap and water and scrub to make sure it is clean.
5)let dry
6)read directions on can of autoprep and follow them. Spray it on, wait a minute or so and wipe with a LINT FREE cloth. Paper towels work well. Get the cheaper ones that are a little bit rougher.
7)Gently wipe with tact cloth to make sure all lint/hairs are off of surface
8)Spray 3-4 LIGHT coats of bulldog on surface. LEt dry about 5 minutes in a warm place (like the sun) in betwen coats. After final coat let dry around 30 minutes before next step
9)Begin painting by appling SEVERAL (4-6) light coats of paint until you reach your desired color. 5-10 minutes in between coats.
10)Before Clear coating wait about 1-2 hours for paint to dry
11)spray clear coat starting lightly and getting progressively heavier(4-7 Coats). The basic idea of clear coat is to put enough even layer on the surface so when you wet sand it later you WILL NOT sand into the paint. Again wait in between coats.

12) After a few days it should be safe to wetsand (VERY VERY LIGHTLY) the painted pieces with 1500-2000 grit sandpaper. After wetsanding apply small amounts of rubbing compound onto surface and rub in a circular motion like your buffing a car. You could use a regular buffing cloth for this. The better you wetsand and apply to compound the better the finished product will SHINE.

Tips:
If you are happy with the look of it after you paint skip steps 10-12.

If your paint drips or runs wait for it to completely dry and sand, wash, and spray again.

BE PATIENT. Prepping is 90% of the job and if you do not do it right or try to do it under a time restriction the finished product will look like ****.

When sanding after you have clear coated the piece be EXTREMELY careful of the edges of the piece as the paint will come off easily.

I could write twice this on painting interior parts but my fingers now hurt and it is late. Sorry for the poor spelling and capitalization, I am trying to rush and get to bed. Email me at mdloops83@hotmail.com if you have any questions...

Good Luck,

Mark