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Piano Black Trim Replacement ?
- Thread starter SRBLV
- Start date
My goal was to pull out all the parts and take them in to get PPF. Just don't know how to pull them out. In the meantime I plan to apply strips of clear vynil over them. That thing is so scratch prone, that even regular dust will scratch them if wiping dry with microfiber. Heck at this point I would even put those cheap glue on ebay trims, but they dont have any for L.
I took mine to a good PPF detail shop and had PPF applied on the entire center stack...from the cupholders up to the screen. No disassembly was needed, a good shop can download the patterns, cut them in house and then apply directly to the panels. It took about 2 hours and cost $200. I have to look really hard to see the edges. There was a few tiny moisture bubbles right after application, but they all disappeared after a few days out in the sun. A PPF expert will also tell you to expect some bubbles for the first week or so. The screen smudges much less than before, and a quick wipe with the cloth cleans it right up. I'm extremely happy with mine...best $200 I've spent in a while.
Sixspeed60
Member
Photos?
TampaHoosier
Well-known member
What PPF did they use? I was considering doing the same, or just getting some cool gloss black wrap and doing it myself. I did the hood, around the tail lights, and the tail gate of my gladiator and it came out great. This wouldn't be any more difficult than that. PPF for only $200 out the door... well hell you have me highly interested!
MrBreeze
Well-known member
Did you have them use a satin PPF or something else (like a CF or matte black wrap)?
I had clear XPEL installed. I'll take some photos tomorrow and post them, but honestly, you really can't tell it's there. When the sun catches it just right from the side....it has a very, very light orange peel to it instead of a slick gloss. Is that what you're referring to as matte?
It has a slightly different feel to it when you touch it...but in a good way. Instead of the hard plastic feel...it's more of a soft tactile feel. They did a light paint correction before installing to remove the light scratches that had already accumulated. It's a self healing film, and in 2 months there's not a scratch on it. Everything wipes right off with a soft cloth. I'm pretty particular about my vehicles, and I can't say enough how happy I am with it. The shop I used is a high end shop that normally deals with luxury type cars, so I guess the quality of your installer will make a big difference. I'll try to post some pics later.
It has a slightly different feel to it when you touch it...but in a good way. Instead of the hard plastic feel...it's more of a soft tactile feel. They did a light paint correction before installing to remove the light scratches that had already accumulated. It's a self healing film, and in 2 months there's not a scratch on it. Everything wipes right off with a soft cloth. I'm pretty particular about my vehicles, and I can't say enough how happy I am with it. The shop I used is a high end shop that normally deals with luxury type cars, so I guess the quality of your installer will make a big difference. I'll try to post some pics later.
big10purdue
Well-known member
If he afraid of all the water that’s used… did it not bother you that all the water seeped down into the electronics?
Here's a couple pics. You can kind of see the edge on the screen. On the console panels, the PPF edge goes so close to the panel edge, it's virtually impossible to see.
I had it put on after only 2 weeks of owning it. I was getting scuffs from just the black screen cloth that comes with the Jeep. With the PPF, no scuffs or scratches....it would take a much harder scrape to leave a mark.
Someone mentioned moisture...they don't soak the panel during application. It just take a light mist for these small pieces. If you have an XPEL dealer that stands behind their work, I would definitely go for it.
I had it put on after only 2 weeks of owning it. I was getting scuffs from just the black screen cloth that comes with the Jeep. With the PPF, no scuffs or scratches....it would take a much harder scrape to leave a mark.
Someone mentioned moisture...they don't soak the panel during application. It just take a light mist for these small pieces. If you have an XPEL dealer that stands behind their work, I would definitely go for it.
Attachments
ElijahCart
Active member
So they did the console around the shifter, the flip cover for the media inputs then all the way up to the hazard button row even over the screen? No problems with touch sensitivity or anything?
It looks like there are bubbles under it, but I take those are a reflection of water on your sunroof. At this point, with the nearly unanimous distain for the piano black console, is there any aftermarket product that exactly fits a duplicate size matte finish, or even some other, (brushed aluminum or other pattern), textures?
MrBreeze
Well-known member
Bringing my GC74 SR for window tint and PPF in a couple weeks (first appt available) and I've already asked about PPF or wrap on the piano black - they said they will need to look at it to determine what/if they can do. Good to know there's at least one shop that managed to do it. Thanks JMFLY30 for posting.
Yeah, those bubbles are a reflection of raindrops on the sunroof
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I personally didn’t want to try an install myself, the panels are so small and not much room to squeegee and work out the bubbles during install. My installers did a near perfect job, there’s only 1 little dot, about the size of the writing end of a ballpoint pen, where moisture got trapped. I bet when the weather turns hot next summer it’ll disappear. I can’t recommend it enough.
. I personally didn’t want to try an install myself, the panels are so small and not much room to squeegee and work out the bubbles during install. My installers did a near perfect job, there’s only 1 little dot, about the size of the writing end of a ballpoint pen, where moisture got trapped. I bet when the weather turns hot next summer it’ll disappear. I can’t recommend it enough.
Maxwellfish
New member
Goofy question. If light we’ve already gotten some light scratches on the black, would this film help hide them or make them more noticeable?
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I had a few light scratches as well. My shop did a paint correction/buff on the piano black pieces before installing the Xpel. It took them all out.