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Thursday January 24, 2002

Painted Titanium Silver Interior Trim

Abstract - The factory Myrtle Wood Trim looks classy but not sporty. The factory black plastic trim just looks cheap. Carbon Fiber Trim looks good, but is too expensive. Why not paint your original trim?

Purchase - None

Parts - Stock Interior Trim Pieces

Installations - With most body pieces, make sure you have a good body shop. A bad body shop will yield very bad results. I had my black plastic moldings painted at Ricks Auto Collision. I was not there at the time of the installation but they explained to their procedure.

Since the black plastic interior trim was smooth plastic they need to sand, prime, paint, and clear coat. If this procedure isn't followed, the paint will have a hard time sticking, the final product will be bumpy and not smooth, the paint will chip easily, etc.

When installing, be careful not to break the clips that hold the trim on the car. They are cheap and available at the dealer but it is a pain if they don't have it in stock. Some people buy spares before doing this mod, to avoid problems.

Impressions - I really liked how things turned out. My car came with the Myrtle Wood Trim which looked really elegant. I was trying to accomplish the sporty theme for my car so the wood clashed with the rest of the car. The titanium silver interior trim really cleaned up the interior.

Conclusions - I am extremely pleased with the results; it was much better than I had imagined. It was well worth the money.

UPDATE - I recently sat in a car that had the OEM titanium trim. It actually is quite different from what I had done. The OEM one has more of a shade to the finish. The look changes depending on what angle you look at it. It is darker than my painted version.