Model 3 Wood Trim Replacement

[buyehara]

Had my wood trim replaced as it started showing signs of deteriorating or wood grain separation. Did not apply any wood conditioner and per Tesla there is no need to condition the wood on a regular basis. Originally the wood trim was really smooth to the touch. Just last week as I was wiping down the dash I notice the trip was extremely rough as though it had moisture damage then dried. See the attached photos. My Model 3 was acquired in August of 2018.
Tesla replaced it at no charge the same day. Great service here in Honolulu HI!

 

[jkoya]

Nice to hear they replaced it for you !!

 

[catalyst07]

If I buy a white interior Model 3, will Tesla install the wood grain dash panel at my request?

 

[buyehara]

I don't think it would be a problem as I've heard the white trim can cause extra glare. When I was getting my wood trim replaced I asked if I had options to replace with a white or black trim and they were will to however we felt the wood trim was the best option. Now it's nice and smooth like before! Great service and yes zero cost! All covered under warranty. They also did other maintenance work based on our VIN. For our car it was to change out our charging port as they said there were occurrences of the charging port pins coming loose. We also had our suspension re torqued as it was making a slight creaking sound. Dropped off car at 10am and they were done by 3:30pm. Awesome service.

 

[jkoya]

I don't think it would be a problem as I've heard the white trim can cause extra glare.

I have the white dash and noticed the glare during the summer months last year. I eventually wrapped the dash in a matrix black to get rid of the glare. It was bad enough that it obscured the image of the side view mirror. I guess an upside was I learned how to remove the dash....

 

[buyehara]

I'm planning to wrap my new wood trim with a carbon fiber style wrap (to match my console carbon wrap) to reduce the wear on the wood. I believe the hot Hawaiian Sun during the summer took a toll on the wood condition.

 

[jkoya]

I'm planning to wrap my new wood trim with a carbon fiber style wrap (to match my console carbon wrap) to reduce the wear on the wood. I believe the hot Hawaiian Sun during the summer took a toll on the wood condition.

I actually found it easier to remove the dash to wrap it. The first time I wrapped it, I used an AO precut kit. Eventually removed it and re-wrapped it using a wrap from a bulk roll. On the reflections from the white trim, I found polarized sun glasses from Maui Jim and Oakley did not help in alleviating the glare...

 

[buyehara]

Thank for the info! I'm glad we didn't go with the white trim, didn't think about the reflections so I'm glad the Tesla service person told us about some of the glare issues they were hearing from owners. Where did you get your bulk roll from and were you able to get a pattern or you just trimmed off the excess? That sounds like the easiest way to do it. There's probably a Youtube video out there.

 

[TLLMRRJ]

I not bothered by any glare from the white interior after driving the car in all weather conditions. But then again, I am not bothered by any glare on the screen that seems to drive other people bonkers. So YMMV on the white interior. I personally would never buy a Model 3 that didn't have the white interior because it looks so upscale and interesting to me. To me the black interior is depressingly boring. But again, that's just me.

 

[jkoya]

Where did you get your bulk roll from and were you able to get a pattern or you just trimmed off the excess?

I bought the 3M Wrap Film Series 1080 bulk roll from Amazon in 5' X 1' size and it was about $25 (a lot cheeper than the pre-cut kit). It's enough to wrap the dash twice. I removed the dash, which was easier to do than I thought it would be. Cut the roll into two 5' x 6" sections, cleaned the dash surface, then used 3M knifeless tape around the dash piece. Layed down the film a little at a time, cut the film with the knifeless tape and then worked the bubbles out. Took about 20 minutes I think. If you have any questions, let me know. It will be a fun weekend project.

 

[jkoya]

I noticed the glare more, after I installed SUMA Performance aftermarket convex mirrors, which have a blue tint. I did notice playing with the seat adjustments helped to diminish the glare for me. Glad to hear you aren't affected by it though.

 

[buyehara]

I bought the 3M Wrap Film Series 1080 bulk roll from Amazon in 5' X 1' size and it was about $25 (a lot cheeper than the pre-cut kit). It's enough to wrap the dash twice. I removed the dash, which was easier to do than I thought it would be. Cut the roll into two 5' x 6" sections, cleaned the dash surface, then used 3M knifeless tape around the dash piece. Layed down the film a little at a time, cut the film with the knifeless tape and then worked the bubbles out. Took about 20 minutes I think. If you have any questions, let me know. It will be a fun weekend project.

thank you for the tips always great to have the Tesla community come together!

 

[needp3d-]

you can buy a fake carbon fiber look dash trim cap from China for about $50 and cover it. It's also a good stuff to protect your dash trim. The only down side is it even more glossier than the white dash. So it glare even more LOL