Interior trim wrapped with 3M Di-Noc Carbon Fiber Vinyl

[Itanius]

I'm not a huge fan of wood interior and the reflection of the sun off the glossy plastic pieces are pretty annoying, so I decided to wrap my gray poplar trim pieces in carbon fiber with 3M's Di-Noc vinyl. I swapped out my ash tray for the storage cubby at the same time since I don't use the ash tray or the outlet there.

AndyM's DIY threads on this forum were a huge help (thanks, Andy!) and were very thorough and detailed in every way. You can find the threads I used here:
Let's remove the center console
Let's remove the brake and shift boots
Let's remove various pieces of interior trim

I purchased 8 square feet of the black 3M Di-Noc Carbon Fiber Vinyl from Import Car Parts Plus and it came super fast in the mail - about 3 days.

Installation was trial and error for me since I've never done any vinyl wrapping before. I just used my fingers, a hair dryer, a razor blade, and plenty of patience. My fingers are pretty sore now, and the entire project took about 5 hours including the time I took to take pictures and clean up the interior.

Here are some pictures of the finished interior. Note: due to the camera flash's reflection, the carbon fiber appears a different tone than it really is. It matches the interior very well. The only piece I think I may need to do over again is the passenger door handle and only because the weave pattern's direction should be going the other way in my opinion, but I'm kind of OCD about things sometimes.

[radiantm3]

It looks very blue compared to the other vinyl wraps I've seen. It could be the photos setting it off, but it doesn't seem to match the rest of your interior.

[Itanius]

Originally Posted by radiantm3

It looks very blue compared to the other vinyl wraps I've seen. It could be the photos setting it off, but it doesn't seem to match the rest of your interior.

Like I said above, the flash ruins it. I'll pull the car into the sun and take pics.

[Itanius]

Here's one in direct sunlight and 2 with ambient light (no flash). I have zero photography skills, so this is the best I can do with the camera I have. It definitely looks more like the last 2 pictures in person.

[radiantm3]

You're right. That's strange how the lighting does that. Looks good on the last 2 photos.

[pinmagic]

Looks a lot like the aluminum finish they offer. Nice.

[E46toE90]

looks good

[BSM 135i]

looks good but why did you go with vinyl instead of cf fabric?

[Sidh135i]

nice!

[Itanius]

Thanks everyone.

Originally Posted by BSM 135i

looks good but why did you go with vinyl instead of cf fabric?

No specific reason - the Di-Noc seemed like a better option. Although, in hind sight, maybe fabric would have been easier to install? Maybe vinyl is more durable and resilient? I couldn't find any of those answers so I just picked the vinyl.

[Jameson@Alpine]

Looks good, last one we did turned out real sweet in person!

[sam1er]

Hmmm, i think il be ordering a sheet of 3M CF vinyl now Got to try a few test runs before i attempt it on the 1er though

[Rikx1M]

for the project...do I need more or less?

[Itanius]

Originally Posted by Rikx135

for the project...do I need more or less?

I ended up with about 2 square feet extra, but I wouldn't get less than 8 square feet in case you screw up one of the pieces.

To be honest, I didn't measure the roll I received to see how much it actually was; I'm fairly certain it was much more than "8 square feet". But looking at my receipt from Import Car Parts Plus, it says 8 square feet. I know most places sell the vinyl by the yard. YMMV. Don't blame me if you end up short.

[BSM 135i]

yeah i would also like to know which is more durable for interior trim pieces as well but at the time when i did mine the only thing available was CF fabric. i also made this thread when i did mine, if any of you guys decide to wrap yours with CF fabric instead hope this helps.

here's mine wrapped

[jhuber]

looks great! really thinking about ordering some

[Itanius]

Originally Posted by BSM 135i

yeah i would also like to know which is more durable for interior trim pieces as well but at the time when i did mine the only thing available was CF fabric. i also made this thread when i did mine, if any of you guys decide to wrap yours with CF fabric instead hope this helps.

That looks really good! The thing I was worried about the most with the fabric was its durability. So, how has it held up now that it's been well over a year? Has wiping/cleaning it or otherwise normal wear & tear caused it to fray, discolor, etc?

[BSM 135i]

it looks the same as the day i installed it! no wear and tear, fray, discoloration, NOTHING! all i clean it with is a damp microfiber towel, i just ordered some 303 protectant and i'm gonna see how that works on it.

[ssunnylee24]

Looks like.
I have my GTI shift boot wraped in same material too.

[Metralha]

I did the some on my E81... looks awesome dude...

http://www.1addicts.com/forums/showthread.php?t=409902

cheers

[Itanius]

Thanks guys! Yours look great too.

Originally Posted by BSM 135i

it looks the same as the day i installed it! no wear and tear, fray, discoloration, NOTHING! all i clean it with is a damp microfiber towel, i just ordered some 303 protectant and i'm gonna see how that works on it.

That's good to hear!

[vividracing]

Looks great man, did you use adhesive spray with it?