Long Term Interior Wrap

[golfcart]

I bought my P3D+ used and it came with a interior wrap on the dash, center console, and steering wheel. I wasn't enthused about having a vinyl wrap on a $45,000 car, it didn't strike me as something you'd do to a car that was $70k brand new, but the install was decent and I figured I could live with it. Nearly a year later it still looks pretty good but I do have a couple spots with scrapes or nicks from normal wear and tear.

What do people intend to do long term with these interior wraps? Do they age well? As best I can tell it is basically just a bunch of stickers spread over the plastic sections of the interior and It doesn't seem like they'd be easy to remove... would you just put a different wrap over the old one if sections got damaged? Thanks.

 

[3Z3VH]

Most wraps are designed to be removed without much issue, and without much (if any) adhesive residue. If they used any sort of decent quality wrap material, it should be easy to remove with a heat gun set to low temp, and some patience while you slowly peel it off.

Most people I have seen wrapping their interior pieces either go with pre-cut kits from the various Tesla accessories websites, or they buy 3M 1080 (or 2080) wrap material and cut their own.

I personally used the 3M 1080 Matte Brown Metallic wrap for the middle console in my Model 3 because it matched the wood fairly well. Because it has a bit of a visual texture, it has remained looking good for 2.5 years now. Spills are easy to clean up even if they dried on, and scratches are barely noticeable. The material is also self-healing, so even scratches from tossing car keys (what are those, right ?) on it can be fixed by applying heat and wiping with a soft cloth.

 

[golfcart]

I have no idea what kind of wrap it is, just some sort of gunmetal color. The install looks good though so I am happy about that. Good to know it could be removed if needed and that they tend to be somewhat self healing. Thanks for the info.

 

[Perscitus]

Interior wrap (if done using quality materials) should hold up just fine for 5-10 years, maybe longer.

Exterior wrap (in particular just trim, not whole panel/car wrap) will typically last max 8-10 years. UV exposure, temp extremes, excessive or incorrect cleaning techniques and chemistry will all take their toll.

$10-30-45-70-100-200K cars all subject to a myriad of questionable mods. Model 3s are nothing special in that regard and on the wider spectrum of cars. Econoboxes for some, status symbols for others.

 

[SDM44]

I'm wouldn't complain about interior wraps on a high end car, just as long as the the parts use are high quality and the work performed was done really well. Otherwise, you can easily make an expensive car look like garbage pretty quick.

What do people intend to do long term with these interior wraps? Do they age well?

Console & dash wraps will last for awhile, as long as you use some good quality vinyl, and apply it properly. Most vinyl out there for the Model 3 dash kits are made from 3M 1080 vinyl, which holds up pretty well over time.

As best I can tell it is basically just a bunch of stickers spread over the plastic sections of the interior and It doesn't seem like they'd be easy to remove... would you just put a different wrap over the old one if sections got damaged? Thanks.

You wouldn't want to apply new vinyl wrap over an existing dash or console wrap that's already on there. Just use a hair dryer to warm up the vinyl and start peeling it off. Just take your time so you don't leave any extra scuff marks or residue (which can still be easily cleaned off, but just more work to do), and then wipe the surface down clean and apply a new wrap to it.

The console wrap is pretty straight forward and there's lot of videos on how to apply the vinyl onto the center console, both from a pre-cut kit and even DIY videos. There's only a couple of good videos for installing vinyl wrap on the Model 3 dash piece that I found which made wrapping my dash very easy to do (my first time wrapping anything).

Here's some quick pics of what some 3M 1080 vinyl from Amazon can do, which cost me $18 with enough to do the entire console & dash, and still plenty left over to do another dash. The good thing about vinyl is that it's very forgiving and easy to work with when you apply some heat and just take your time.

 

[golfcart]

Here's some quick pics of what some 3M 1080 vinyl from Amazon can do, which cost me $18 with enough to do the entire console & dash, and still plenty left over to do another dash. The good thing about vinyl is that it's very forgiving and easy to work with when you apply some heat and just take your time.

That looks well done, I always did like the carbon fiber look on sporty cars.

I am just going to leave mine alone then, I think it looks fine and it sounds like it should stay that way for a while. I wish I knew what kind of kit it was but I got the car used at a Chevy dealer so I don't think I could ever find out. Thanks for the info.

 

[Perscitus]

Worse case, rip it off and replace with something better looking from a reputable installer or material producer.

There are so many options now. Clip ons, replacement parts, wraps, suede, flock, etc... anything but the OE piano black that is scratch prone, fingerprint magnet.

And - oh the irony - is also a worked on finish, not a painted finish!

 

[zhu-]

Nothing wrong with quality vinyl wrap that's properly installed. People do it on their $400k Lamborghinis and Rolls Royces as well. On the interior it often can last the life of the car and easily removed without residue.

With cheap vinyl or bad install, after a few weeks of the interior heating up the wrap can shrink and reveal unwrapped edges but if it looks good to you now on a used car it'll probably look that way until it's taken off.

 

[Glamisduner]

I'm wouldn't complain about interior wraps on a high end car, just as long as the the parts use are high quality and the work performed was done really well. Otherwise, you can easily make an expensive car look like garbage pretty quick.


Console & dash wraps will last for awhile, as long as you use some good quality vinyl, and apply it properly. Most vinyl out there for the Model 3 dash kits are made from 3M 1080 vinyl, which holds up pretty well over time.


You wouldn't want to apply new vinyl wrap over an existing dash or console wrap that's already on there. Just use a hair dryer to warm up the vinyl and start peeling it off. Just take your time so you don't leave any extra scuff marks or residue (which can still be easily cleaned off, but just more work to do), and then wipe the surface down clean and apply a new wrap to it.

The console wrap is pretty straight forward and there's lot of videos on how to apply the vinyl onto the center console, both from a pre-cut kit and even DIY videos. There's only a couple of good videos for installing vinyl wrap on the Model 3 dash piece that I found which made wrapping my dash very easy to do (my first time wrapping anything).

Here's some quick pics of what some 3M 1080 vinyl from Amazon can do, which cost me $18 with enough to do the entire console & dash, and still plenty left over to do another dash. The good thing about vinyl is that it's very forgiving and easy to work with when you apply some heat and just take your time.

Got a good video or directions on that one? The wrap I got ended up being $40, but I need to do the same piece (brushed metal). The white causes reflection on the drivers side mirror.

 

[Cascadian]

I thought I’d be doing a wrap on my dash strip but decided on some original art instead. Have an appt. at the Service Center to swap out my wood veneer one for this instead.

 

[zhu-]

I thought I’d be doing a wrap on my dash strip but decided on some original art instead. Have an appt. at the Service Center to swap out my wood veneer one for this instead.

That's really cool. Was it painted over the wood or white dash?

Also, it's extremely simple to take the two end pieces off each side of the dash to remove the trim. After doing it once I can probably install/remove the whole trim in under 30 seconds - might save you a trip incase you want to DIY

 

[Cascadian]

That's really cool. Was it painted over the wood or white dash?

Also, it's extremely simple to take the two end pieces off each side of the dash to remove the trim. After doing it once I can probably install/remove the whole trim in under 30 seconds - might save you a trip incase you want to DIY

White dash. Never cared for my wood veneer one, and when I saw the white version I immediately flashed on what a great "canvas" it could be. I commissioned a favorite artist to take on the project, and I love love love what Kay did... Kay O'Rourke – Painter & Assemblage Artist if you'd like to see more of her awesome style. The beauty of this is that it's entirely up to your imagination. Whatever art you might like to enjoy in your car -- not just your home. And there are many people who can DIY. I even considered decoupage before I approached the artist. I mean, I could cut images out of magazines and glue them on the strip. Who knows, I might do that one day as well.

The minimalist interior of the car lends itself so beautifully to having some awesome ART as the centerpiece. Fun to change it out sometimes. Especially as yes, it's apparently quite simple to pop the strips in and out. However, considering I've never done it, I'm going to let the pros at the Service Center do it -- THIS time. ;-P

 

[SDM44]

Got a good video or directions on that one?

At the time, this was the best video out there (for me) that really showed some good details.

There appears to be more videos out there now that look pretty good, but I haven't watched them since I know how to now do it.

 

[zhu-]

White dash. Never cared for my wood veneer one, and when I saw the white version I immediately flashed on what a great "canvas" it could be. I commissioned a favorite artist to take on the project, and I love love love what Kay did... Kay O'Rourke – Painter & Assemblage Artist if you'd like to see more of her awesome style. The beauty of this is that it's entirely up to your imagination. Whatever art you might like to enjoy in your car -- not just your home. And there are many people who can DIY. I even considered decoupage before I approached the artist. I mean, I could cut images out of magazines and glue them on the strip. Who knows, I might do that one day as well.

The minimalist interior of the car lends itself so beautifully to having some awesome ART as the centerpiece. Fun to change it out sometimes. Especially as yes, it's apparently quite simple to pop the strips in and out. However, considering I've never done it, I'm going to let the pros at the Service Center do it -- THIS time. ;-P

Her work looks great. Would love to see how it looks when installed!

 

[Cascadian]

Her work looks great. Would love to see how it looks when installed!

It's in. I love it! What's really cool is that someone from our local Tesla Owners Facebook Group took me up on my offer for the "loaner" dash strip. He's going to have his Model Y white one painted and use my old veneer one in the meantime. I'll share his pics once that's done. I'd love to see that wood veneer loaner go from person to person as they decide they too want to have some fun with THEIR dash strip.