Center Console Cupholders

[DecoyPL]

Hey all,

The area of my cupholders and around them in the center console is ruined. I guess the previous owner was not careful and ruined the plastic around it. It looks like the paint is peeling and it just doesn't look good. Has anyone fixed this before by maybe refinishing it? sanding and painting?

I looked at real OEM and it looks like to replace it i would need to change the entire center console which seems excessive.

thanks in advance

[ilikebmxbikes]

you do need to replace the entire console. BMW used a rubbery coating instead of bare plastic or paint. You should be able to paint or strip the rubber off entirely which may be easier.

[ShocknAwe]

I've been thinking about taking the center console out and stripping that rubber shit off. It decays (assuming from heat) and just scrapes off like wet paint.

[deesea]

It's probably the same crap that's on the steering wheel trim. I'd sand it down and plasti-dip it or something.

[e92ben]

Just get a new center console shouldn't be to expensive. Some peoples cars look like a dog ate away at all their soft touch plastics some cars look like they still new after 5 years or more.

[DecoyPL]

Originally Posted by e92ben

Just get a new center console shouldn't be to expensive. Some peoples cars look like a dog ate away at all their soft touch plastics some cars look like they still new after 5 years or more.

new center console in Canada is 330$ incl tax, i would rather fix than spend that much money replacing!

[Keith1200]

Remove it. Sand it. Paint it or wrap it. I did my steering wheel... Looks great.

[e92ben]

Originally Posted by DecoyPL

new center console in Canada is 330$ incl tax, i would rather fix than spend that much money replacing!

So like 238 USD? Not bad

[Ric in RVA]

I wonder if there is something in the body chemistry or maybe skin products that affect the trim?

It seems some cars get it bad and some are never affected.

Same thing happens with instruments. Some peoples hands destroy strings and finishes and some seem unaffected.

[DecoyPL]

Originally Posted by Ric in RVA

I wonder if there is something in the body chemistry or maybe skin products that affect the trim?

It seems some cars get it bad and some are never affected.

Same thing happens with instruments. Some peoples hands destroy strings and finishes and some seem unaffected.

not sure but they made the area around the cupholders cheap and not durable. very poor design IMHO, this area should be engineered to take the most wear as your constantly using them. Instead they but rubberized paint that peels

[FactorX81]

Mine looked like garbage and I barely ever drink in the car. Just spent one afternoon peeling it and it looks fine. You cant really tell its not supposed to be that way. I thought about refinishing it but there really is no sense in painting that section with a soft rubber coating it is going to get scratched by whatever cup, keys, phone, etc. you stick in there.

[anglocanadian]

This guy seems to be parting out his whole car , he's in Toronto.
http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1218533

[DecoyPL]

Originally Posted by FactorX81

Mine looked like garbage and I barely ever drink in the car. Just spent one afternoon peeling it and it looks fine. You cant really tell its not supposed to be that way. I thought about refinishing it but there really is no sense in painting that section with a soft rubber coating it is going to get scratched by whatever cup, keys, phone, etc. you stick in there.

was there an easy way to peel if off? or just with your fingernail and patience??

[FactorX81]

I used some greasy leather conditioner and patience.

[Loho]

I am experiencing this issue also. Have started to peel off the rubber stuff, but feel like taking the pieces off and vinyl wrapping them would end up looking best. Are there any DIY guides on how to take this piece off the car? Can't seem to figure it out currently.

Edit: I found the DIY's to remove it all. Ended up using lacquer thinner to get all the rubber crap off, then sanding. I then vinyl wrapped the steering wheel trim and the shifter trim, then used plasti dip to refinish the console and cup holder piece, as wrapping that just wouldn't have worked with all the weird angles and such.