Quote:
Originally Posted by esqu1re
I got sick of looking at the flaking plastic coating next to the steering wheel controls. The previous owner lived in TX and apparently, the car has seen its fair share of sun. As a result, the plastic/rubber coating next to the steering wheel controls is all nicked up and peeling.
As an alternative to purchasing replacement plastic (160+ dollars---overpriced for plastic), I decided to remove the peeling rubber altogether and repaint the controls.
I apologize for not taking pictures, but the steps are pretty straightforward.
Tools needed: Allen key, 2000 grit sandpaper, Rougher sandpaper (500 grit?), Paint
Step 1: remove the screws from the back. There are a total of 4, and can be removed with a small allen key.
Step 2: Remove the back covers. The two on the side snap off pretty easily, but they're partially tucked behind the airbag cover, so you'll need to wiggle them out a little bit.
Step 3: Take off the controls. Remove the wire connectors (1 on the left, 2 on the right one) from the controls and then pull them out. A little wiggling is necessary. Don't worry if you have to drive when the controls are off...No warning lights come on and the car functions fine without them.
Step 4: Take off the remaining plastic pieces. Be careful as the left and right front pieces can be rather delicate and are tucked under the airbag cover.
Step 5: Sand off the offending rubber pieces. I went to Autozone and bought some automotive sandpaper. I made sure there was some 2000 grit sandpaper in there as well. You'll want to remove the rubber coating with the heavier grit. In fact, remove most of the plastic down to its unpainted beige color if you can. Then, go in with the 2000 grit paper and smooth everything out. You'll need to make sure that EVERYTHING is smooth. Any imperfections will show up when you paint.
Step 6: Cover the buttons with a piece of painters tape and use anx-acto knife around the buttons. Remove the tape around the buttons so that only the button surfaces are covered.
Step 7: Paint. I used a black Matte paint. You can use whatever color you want. Make sure you paint evenly. Give it one coat and wait until it dries. Examine the pieces to see if there are any imperfections. I didn't sand enough with the 2000 grit paper and the paint really brought out the imperfections. I had to resand. Do it right the first time and you don't have to worry. If you're happy w/ the paint job, you're done painting. I gave my pieces an extra coating of paint when it dried.
Step 7: Reattach the plastic in the reverse order and screw back together. Make sure the plastic pieces are snapped together perfectly before screwing them together.
Pictures of the finished product are forthcoming.
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Any photos of this DIY. Some photos showing the detail of the paint job would be helpful.
Thank you.