How to fit a car dashboard with your own hands
Content
The Russian market of auto accessories offers an abundance of materials for torpedo and car door panels. Here you can find modest styles on a rubber or synthetic basis, which are identical to the previous coating. And there are luxurious canvases made of genuine leather.
The front panel of the machine cracks over time from temperature changes. And after the airbags are deployed, holes appear in it. But all these defects can be hidden. Reupholstering the dashboard of a car helps out: with vinyl, eco-leather, alcantara and other materials.
Why you need to drag the dashboard in the car
The front panel of the car is always open. Many drivers use it as a table. Therefore, the surface wears out over time, and the former gloss disappears. Ultraviolet rays do not spare plastic, which causes cracks. And after a severe frontal crash, holes gape in the panel from deployed airbags. To return aesthetics to the interior, you can re-fit the car dashboard with your own hands.
Even if the panel is in good condition, then a change in style, i.e. tuning, will create a new atmosphere in the cabin. Here you can combine colors to your liking. Emphasize body color accents, or refer to the brand colors of a car brand. For example, black-white-blue BMW, yellow-red Ferrari, white-green Land Rover and others.
Tuning of salon
It is considered fashionable to place inserts made of vinyl or chrome. They give the panel a special effect. Hundreds of design options. But first, we recommend choosing a material, because the same hauling of a car torpedo with genuine leather can be done by units.
The best materials for hauling
The Russian market of auto accessories offers an abundance of materials for torpedo and car door panels. Here you can find modest styles on a rubber or synthetic basis, which are identical to the previous coating. And there are luxurious canvases made of genuine leather. It is better to entrust work with such material to a specialist, where cutting and sewing skills will be required. In any case, the car owner will have plenty to choose from. Here is a list of the most popular car panel upholstery materials:
- leather;
- vinyl;
- eco-leather;
- alcantara;
- carpet;
- flock.
Approach the choice responsibly. After all, the front panel is in plain sight. She says a lot about the owner of the car. About his character. About taste.
Genuine Leather
An ideal material for decorating the interior of luxury or premium cars. The structure of the fibers is strong. Temperature fluctuations are absolutely indifferent to them. The surface is resistant to mechanical damage, but only when treated with care. Of course, you can scratch the skin with the same nail or other sharp object.
Covering the torpedo with leather
The material is easy to clean and retains a luxurious look for a long time. The sun's rays are not terrible for natural skin. To care for the surface, you will have to buy moisturizing compounds and various cleaners. If you have firmly decided to drag the car dashboard with leather, then experts recommend doing this in a specialized studio. Then the look will be really chic.
Vinyl
Very interesting synthetic material. It consists of:
- polymeric mixture of rubber;
- various resins;
- special glue;
- paints;
- plastic mass.
This is a modern tool that will allow you to qualitatively change the torpedo of a car. Vinyl films can be plain or multi-colored.
Vinyl wrap for car interior
You can find an imitation of the coloring of animals, for example, a python, a leopard and others. Among others, there are materials that imitate chrome, carbon or nickel-plated metal.
It is resistant to mechanical damage and retains its beautiful appearance for a long time. And most importantly - you can do the hauling of a car torpedo with your own hands.
Eco leather
Using natural leather is not always cost-effective and humane. But if you want to make the interior rich, then you can take eco-leather. This is not the leather substitute that appeared in our country in the early 1990s. Now it is an advanced synthetic material without emissions of harmful substances. It is strong enough and retains a representative appearance for a long time.
Eco leather samples
According to its characteristics, it is practically not inferior to natural leather. But for the hauling of a car torpedo, experts recommend looking for a professional studio. After all, it is beautiful to do the work with your own hands, without learning the line and long practice is impossible. This is the main disadvantage of eco-leather.
Alcantara
The material is better known as faux suede. Developed in the 1970s. Japanese chemist Miyoshi Okamoto. The soft velvety surface gives the interior of the car a premium effect.
Sometimes the material is used in combination with eco-leather for a contrasting effect. The main advantage of artificial suede is that you can drag the torpedo yourself.
Carpet
Non-woven synthetic material with various types of surface. Often used for finishing cabinet subwoofers and interior parts. Carpet has good antistatic properties, does not fade in the sun, is not afraid of moisture and mold. Well absorbs acoustic noise and knocks.
Automotive color carpet
Environmentally friendly, durable and easy to maintain, inexpensive. The price depends on the structure, thickness, ductility and brand. Unanimously recognized as the owners of "nines", "tens" and "fours".
Flock
Velvety powder (powder). It is based on pile made of cotton, viscose and polyamide. The material is sold in various colors. To apply the powder, a special tool is required - a flokator. The powder is sprayed onto a torpedo previously lubricated with glue.
Suitable for processing complex panels with multiple corners and recesses. Can be used for both full and partial coverage. Not suitable for torpedoes with cracks and holes from AirBag, as it repeats all surface defects.
Auto panel flocking
Long term experience required. Therefore, experts advise entrusting this type of tuning to professionals.
Self hauling torpedo
It seems to many that hauling a car torpedo with your own hands is very simple. But in fact, if you do everything qualitatively, this is a complex process.
For example, you have to remove a torpedo, disassemble it, and then prepare the surface. If there are cracks or holes from the AirBag, then you will first have to repair them with epoxy. Then dry for 24-48 hours. And then treat repair zones with putty on plastic and prime. Only the preparatory stage of the technology can take up to 5-7 days.
Tools
Consider an example of a torpedo banner with self-adhesive alcantara (lux). You will need material, as well as:
- a well-lit warm garage, a set of tools for dismantling / mounting the panel;
- sandpaper P80 - P800 (depending on the condition of the surface);
- epoxy resin or plastic repair kit (if there are AirBag holes);
- solvent, degreaser, aerosol primer for plastic;
- air gun (building hair dryer);
- stationery tape (for fixing the edges if you work alone), sharp scissors, stationery knife, plastic spatula (smooth the surface).
Aerosol primer for plastic
In the garage, space is needed so that, in addition to the car, there is enough space to place a table for a torpedo. At the same time, nothing should interfere with you for free walking around the panel during tightening.
Preparatory stage
Wipe the panel thoroughly with a degreaser and let it evaporate. Treat the entire surface with sandpaper P180 - P240. Repair defects with putty and sand the surface. Then prime the repair areas with a plastic spray primer. Clean the panel from dust and degrease it completely. Preparation is over.
Process technology
Reupholstering a car panel with a self-adhesive film resembles the process of window tinting, only without water. Step by step work looks like this:
- Cover the panel with material.
- Start removing the backing from one side.
- Gently smooth the Alcantara with a spatula.
- In the holes (air ducts or glove compartment), make cuts and bring the material into niches.
- Alcantara stretches well, but in difficult places it is better to help her with a hairdryer.
- Fold in the edges.
- Cut off excess material.
Panel in Alcantara VAZ 2109
The torpedo can be assembled and put on the car.
What experts say
Professional masters of the auto studio have accumulated a lot of experience in reupholstering car panels inside and out. Here is a short list of tips from the experts:
- Practice first. Take a small piece of material and drag some object.
- Carefully prepare the surface, because any bump or grain of sand will definitely appear on the fabric (defects are not outlined on dense fabrics).
- Do not rush, otherwise you will have to tear everything off and start over.
- Remove the backing carefully to avoid sticking the adhesive surface to each other.
- Do not bring a hot hair dryer close to the material and do not hold it for a long time at one point, otherwise you can easily set the material on fire.
A cracked or shabby torpedo is not a sentence. It is easy to put in order, able to give joy to the car owner and arouse the interest of passengers. It is enough to choose the appropriate material and allocate some free time for the event.
