Matte carbon fiber dash/door trim replacement comparisons

[MileUnderDude]

I can tell immediately it looks like crap. Abs cf looks nothing like real carbon fiber. You would have to be blind or have awful eyesight not to tell the difference. I don’t understand how any spends the money on a Tesla than ruins it with fake carbon fiber. Reminds me of rappers ice out nice watches in diamonds and completely ruining the value. It’s tacky and looks cheap af. Hydro dip looks much better but carbon fiber overlays is the only way to go. You can do any color an assortment of different styles. It’s definitely not as cheap but also adds a lot of value to most people when they see it in person cause it looks amazing and it’s rare to find. We can do regular 2x2, Kevlar, honeycomb, forged, reflex, etc in any color and based on the style of weave no color looks the same. By far the easiest way to make your interior standout and look like it’s been customized by companies like mansory
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Oh God, C'mon, Tesla's aren't Luxury vehicles, putting some Checker pattern ABS isn't tacky, it's just a style which is readily avaliable and a minor improvement over the Wood Dash. Nobody is arguing that real Carbon Fiber doesn't look better, it's more so about the Value proposition of real Carbon Fiber VS ABS, you would need to stare at the Trim pieces for 2 minute intervals to actually notice a difference.

The Average person gets into a Car, sets Nav, sets Audio, and drives to a destination, during that drive the focus is on the Traffic, the ambiance is more lighting and smell based, with feel sensory coming from the Steering wheel and arm rest. Can't imagine I've ever been caught up in Trim visuals long enough to notice any cheap look of ABS.

I'm judging from Glances, the only way you notice the refinement of Real CF vs ABS is if you're looking for it, the average person isn't looking for refinement, just glancing along from object to object, nothing more nothing less.

 

[Kairide]

I'm judging from Glances, the only way you notice the refinement of Real CF vs ABS is if you're looking for it, the average person isn't looking for refinement, just glancing along from object to object, nothing more nothing less.

And you sure as hell don’t buy a Tesla if you’re looking for refinement.
@OGKobraTribe is too high on his CF cloud to realize 99% of the population doesn’t give a crap if it’s ABS or a wrap. The other 1% thinks adding real CF adds 25 hp and makes your penis 10” longer.

 

[OGKobraTribe]

And you sure as hell don’t buy a Tesla if you’re looking for refinement.
@OGKobraTribe is too high on his CF cloud to realize 99% of the population doesn’t give a crap if it’s ABS or a wrap. The other 1% thinks adding real CF adds 25 hp and makes your penis 10” longer.

And you sure as hell don’t buy a Tesla if you’re looking for refinement.
@OGKobraTribe is too high on his CF cloud to realize 99% of the population doesn’t give a crap if it’s ABS or a wrap. The other 1% thinks adding real CF adds 25 hp and makes your penis 10” longer.

Wow… rule #1 if you dare try to use the small d**k joke you urself having a baby d**k that’s why it’s always the car they choose whether lifted truck, exotics, etc. So I’m sorry if you have nothing there basically must be rough and making jokes to pretend only must make it worse. Clearly if carbon fiber is too expensive I’m sure a surgery to help u in that department is beyond the budget than again maybe that’s why you have to buy abs instead of real carbon. I respect your priorities, that I’m sure brings you more joy than a nice car or upgrading the trim lol I mean the interior dash lol I’ll just stop you really busted your own balls I can’t Nvm. Good luck with that

 

[MileUnderDude]

Wow… rule #1 if you dare try to use the small d**k joke you urself having a baby d**k that’s why it’s always the car they choose whether lifted truck, exotics, etc. So I’m sorry if you have nothing there basically must be rough and making jokes to pretend only must make it worse. Clearly if carbon fiber is too expensive I’m sure a surgery to help u in that department is beyond the budget than again maybe that’s why you have to buy abs instead of real carbon. I respect your priorities, that I’m sure brings you more joy than a nice car or upgrading the trim lol I mean the interior dash lol I’ll just stop you really busted your own balls I can’t Nvm. Good luck with that

You were bound to get a Response related to Penis size, your being Pompous over a product which value doesn't justify it's price point.

You're Stating and/or insinuating people are Tacky, dumb, or poor because they see MORE Value in ABS over a $950 Carbon Fiber Dash Replacement from a Dropshipper.

 

[__xyzzy__]

Gentlemen, this has descended into ad-hominem attacks over civil discussion. We can all enjoy our cars in our own ways without being right, wrong, smart, dumb, or phallically-challenged.

For what it's worth I have returned the Fusion Motorsports matte CF dashboard (and Alex graciously accepted the return, as he promised he would) for reasons of dissatisfaction that I will get into very shortly.

 

[dagug]

Ohhhh, a Shyamalan twist in the saga of your quest for the ultimate CF dash. Curious to hear why!

I've been looking to get a CF dash replacement for quite some time now but I've gone back and forth from wanting to get a cheap vinyl overlay to affordable cap to top quality replacement and all the way back again multiple times over the last month or so. I can't decide...

I'm earnestly awaiting your detailed analysis!

 

[TheLex]

After reading through this thread, if I were to go the CF route, I think I'd just get a good quality vinyl wrap. It's not worth it to me to spend that much on real CF. I wont even spend that kind of coin on my Porsche 911 for CF. I'm not going to spend that on a MY lol. I'd rather use the money for different tires.

 

[Charles415]

A simple gray color would look good. Either a hard plastic or stain the wood.

Ive actually thought about that. What about removing and staining the existing dash trim, to a more contemporary grayish wood. its what everyone does to update the wood floors in their homes.

 

[Kairide]

Ive actually thought about that. What about removing and staining the existing dash trim, to a more contemporary grayish wood. its what everyone does to update the wood floors in their homes.

I would love to see someone try it. I think it would look good and original.

 

[Phamous]

This is what a $20 wrap looks like in case anyone is curious... its a bit of a pain to install but it looks much better than the $50 faux plastic covers and doesn't hinder HVAC airflow. I can't justify a $600-1000 full swap mostly because I think it seems a bit out of place to install such a nice interior bit on a car that otherwise has a relatively "cheap" looking interior. If my car was say a BMW M3/M4, it would be different.

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Do you have a link for the vinyl?

 

[TheLex]

Do you have a link for the vinyl?

Unfortunately no. There are a lot of companies that make vinyl. Just choose a high quality one with the CF effect that you like. I doubt you would wear through any of the vinyls anyway. It's a nice look, but not a high priority for me. I just got the car so I've got a ton of other things to do first (like tinting the windows and DIY ceramic coat).

 

[__xyzzy__]

I returned the Fusion Motorsports dash/door trim set because I wasn't satisfied that it was worth it for me when I figured in the price differential between it and, I regret to say, an AliExpress set. Both are full replacements; both are genuine carbon fiber; both have matte finish; both come in basically identical boxes and packing.

Don't get me wrong: the Fusion set was finished more nicely than the AliExpress set. No contest. The texture and finish of the Fusion is better in a tactile way (like someone took time to rub down and buff out any imperfections on it) whereas the AliExpress one was rougher and had a couple of blemishes in the finish.

The Fusion one had flawless silver trim and the AliExpress one has very fine scratch damage that you can see close-up. The AliExpress one is actually missing a couple of metal clips (I’ll take them off the original dash, which I’m not selling and will put on storage). So there are noticeable differences in quality of finish and QC.

But in the end I just wasn't satisfied that the Fusion was $820--ish better than the AliExpress one ($1280 shipped vs $458 shipped).

Like I said, both dash replacements came in basically the same box with very similar packing, although again the Fusion was wrapped in nicer materials and protective plastic. The Fusion packing:

This is the Chinese one from AliExpress:

I addressed the rough matte finish of the Chinese one by using a gentle cleaner on it, and then applying a nicely buffed out coat of Monty’s Instrument Food, which I use on my guitars:

This photo shows the door trim piece finished with Monty’s, while the dash is as it came from China:

This is after both door trim and dash trim had been buffed:

Much better, although still not ideal. There are still some imperfections to deal with. I may take some Meguiars and polish the finish some more.

Ultimately I'm a little galled that I went with a Chinese AliExpress dash set instead of one made in USA. But despite the better product and better service, the $800 differential is just too much to ignore for me and my budget. I would like to add that Alex @ Fusion was a pleasure to work with, no complaints there. The AliExpress seller was... well, let's say less communicative and helpful!

 

[dagug]

Other than the finish, do you find the quality of the weave to be roughly the same? Also, do you have a link to the aliexpress one you ended up going with?

 

[__xyzzy__]

Quality of weave is about the same, however I think the way it's been laid on the substrate is not as good and shows more imperfections than the Fusion.

The AliExpress dash is the LHD matte one from this page: 338.4US $ 50% OFF|For Tesla Model 3/y Real Carbon Fiber Dash Dashboard Replacement And Door Trim Interior Modification Accessories - Interior Mouldings - AliExpress

 

[Redevil]

I am ok with what i have cheap and easy, either way better than the wood trim which i can only accept on my house floor

 

[__xyzzy__]

And this is why beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

You love it and that's great. I don't like the imitation CF trim at all, and that's great too. And still others think we're both crazy and that the OEM wood is best.

...and obviously blue Teslas are better than red ones

 

[Redevil]

And this is why beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

You love it and that's great. I don't like the imitation CF trim at all, and that's great too. And still others think we're both crazy and that the OEM wood is best.

...and obviously blue Teslas are better than red ones

I agree, i usually would put high quality carbon on my bmw etc but i need to do way more research and buy full replacement. I just couldn't stand the wood at all and i just picked up my model Y this week.

 

[__xyzzy__]

I am still pretty annoyed with myself because after all my talk of "I prefer to buy USA-made gear" I ended up with Chinese-made gear. That... irks.

 

[__xyzzy__]

Ive actually thought about that. What about removing and staining the existing dash trim, to a more contemporary grayish wood. its what everyone does to update the wood floors in their homes.

I don't think it would work because the clear coat on the veneer would prevent the stain from taking hold. You'd have to sand off all the clear coat first, which is a difficult job to do correctly on thin veneer because you risk sanding through the wood.

After that you'd be able to apply stain and a final coat of clear. But man, it's not an easy job to do well, even for someone experienced at this kind of work.

 

[DerbyCityY]

I really like the looks of CF. My opinion about real CF over wrap; I truly don't see why I would pay $$$ for something that is made for it's strength and to use it as trim. And as much as I like CF, its' uniqueness is wearing out. Back to the problem of the wood dash, in the spirit of @xyzzy these wood dashes offer a choice.

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