[jshak07]

I am looking to do some cheap mods since money is a little tight right now and I thought painting some interior pieces (dash, door panel pieces, center console etc) might give me a custom look I am looking for. First off what kind of paint should I use and what kind of products do I need to prep for paint. Also in the 2008 models the dash has a very odd texture to it, not sure about other models. It is like a bunch of little elevated circles and I want to make it smooth. Do i just need to sand it down or is there some kind of filler I can use? Thanks guys

 

[jonas1022]

I'd go with the dye from the dealer . Paint will peel and scrape off :stop: . I don't know about sanding down the bumps, and watch the airbag joints. You certainly would not want to do something to inhibit the deployment in an accident .

That is all.

 

[MadMax]

Since you have a very nice looking brand new Escape I'd at least wait until your dash gets a little worn before messing with it. But if you must, there is some good basic info at eHow.com on dash painting. They suggest starting with small sections to highlight your dash and to see how it goes and if you like it. Good luck.

 

[Scooter Scott]

Or there are always dash trim kits that may give you the look you are wanting...and the benefit is they are removable if you don't like the way it looks!

 

[Surfscape]

Xcape had his side cladding done by a body shop. They sanded the parts smooth, primed and then painted the surafaces and he says it has lasted in the elements quite well. The same process can be done interenally and I'm sure it would hold up well. The prep and primer are very important to get the good bond. The sell kits that have the primer and paints so you know you are getting paints that work well together.

I'd have to agree with the other so far and say a new truck looks good as a new truck but tasteful accents in the interior always look good, take much less time and money can be redone or replaced at the time of resale. Door handles, speaker covers, trim pieces but nothing that moves, gets flexed or is in a traffic area where the paint gets rubbed off...

Did you look in the cheap mods section here? Some real dumb ideas there

 

[stone]

I reckon the dash trim kits would be a safer option. Even more so if your escape is reasonably new.

 

[Surfscape]

I know my plastic dash kit is starting to show some age after a few years. I would go with real bruched alloy next time, a few bucks more but... :bang:

 

[Weezy504]

wowtrim.com has some nice dash stuff. but i think what he's wanting to do is upper part of the dash nearest the windshield. which i would suggest sanding it down and fiberglassing it. i've talked with my guy in my shop and he said i'd probably be without my car close to a month with that kind of detail. and as far as the airbag deployment, he suggested wrapping it in a thin suede, something easily breakable. sucks because thats what i wanna do. i wanna do a leather seat conversion in my truck because i dont like the random brown accent points through the truck. i'd rather change it up and if i change it up, i'll need to change it all. so... i've got a lot of work ahead of me.

 

[jshak07]

thats me to dude.. my interiro is cloth black with ugly *** brown inserts in the seats and the airbag part of the dash is brown and the piece surrounding the gauge cluster is brown.. But if i change one thing I will need to change many things so I am planning out now. If you make progress on yours man hiit me up cuz im definetly interested in other rides. I will do the same.

 

[jshak07]

Who would you send your dash to and how much would he charge to do it? I want to get the whole done done in fiberglass with gloss black paint but the airbag covered in a grey material and the part around the gauges that is brown done in the same grey to kind of match.

 

[SilverAthlon]

hey, depending on what look you're after, me and my cycle buddies have found this place to have stickers and colormatches to many styles... (mostly cycle) but their "carbonLOOK" decals are top notch. TAPEWORKS. I know that the adhesive is 3M and resistant to heat, but I don't know about "in car" temperature during summer. If rolled a round the edges correctly, I would guess that you won't have any peeling or bubbling for quite some time... That way you could return to factory in short order.