[NGEE]

UPDATE: See my DIY here: http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1024270

I've been experimenting with some interior updates recently. A while ago I posted my trim wrapping project - from OEM wood-grain to 3M 1080 Matte Charcoal. Last week I posted a DIY on dying the seat-back nets. I replaced my steptronic lighted shifter panel with an alcantara shift boot and wrapped my shifter knob with carbon fiber. I replaced my beige floor mats with black OEM mats. And now I'm updating the door panels. The pictures here show just the start of the project, and I'll probably post up a DIY when I'm done. But the gist is this:

- car has dakota beige interior, with cruddy-looking door pulls and dirty arm rests
- purchased three new door pulls in schwarz ($119)
- purchased BMW black leather dye kit from Leatherique ($65)
- purchased RIT liquid black dye ($2)
- removed and dyed some of the plastic door bits with RIT dye on the stove-top (handle recess, window switch, etc)
- removed and dyed the armrest with the Leatherique black leather dye kit

So I'll post up when the job is complete, but here are some pics of work in progress. I am AMAZED at how awesome the leather and plastic dyeing came out. But it appears that some plastic parts are made of different material (see first pic). For example, the door handle recess came out vibrant black, but the window switch frame came out kind of like a gray putty color. I ended up spraying the window switch frame satin black. But the cool thing about dyeing the plastic parts is that the color is infused and *permanent*. It cannot chip or scratch. Also, Leatherique dye is tha' BOMB! All their products are top-notch, and they bend over backward to help. Shout-out!

The two-tone look won't be everyone's cup of tea, but I'm loving the contrast.

[SanquintinB]

I love the color contrast. My friends e350 is tan\black interior and it's just beautiful.

[NGEE]

Originally Posted by SanquintinB

I love the color contrast. My friends e350 is tan\black interior and it's just beautiful.

Thanks! I'm on the fence on whether to do the full door card, but so far liking it!

[pwr hungry]

Dang! Usually I come into these threads looking for someone who totally ruined stuff, but that really is amazing how nice, even, and matte the black finish is on those plastic parts! I'd have to see more of the leather to be 100% sold, but it does look pretty damn good. Well done sir!

[NGEE]

Originally Posted by pwr hungry

Dang! Usually I come into these threads looking for someone who totally ruined stuff, but that really is amazing how nice, even, and matte the black finish is on those plastic parts! I'd have to see more of the leather to be 100% sold, but it does look pretty damn good. Well done sir!

Thanks man! When I finish I plan to post a DIY on how to dye the plastic bits. I used to do the same thing (dye plastic parts) when I was into RC modeling.

My car is in the shop today getting the paint corrected/detailed. I'm anxious to get it back - once the leather dye has had 48 hours of drying time I can wet-sand and buff it and get some better pics. But right after application I was shocked at how good it came out. The photo is a little shiny, but that was when the dye was still tacky.

I got a quote recently of almost $1,000 to have the four armrests re-covered in black leather (and that was with me doing all the removal/installation). How awesome it will be if this $65 DIY works!

[JaysBlueE92]

very nice..i need to address this at some point..stupid peeling around handles and trim

[datbimmer]

Looks good. Moar pics please.

[e90Cam]

Looks absolutely amazing, I'm curious to see how it all turns out

[NGEE]

Originally Posted by e90Cam

Looks absolutely amazing, I'm curious to see how it all turns out

Originally Posted by datbimmer

Looks good. Moar pics please.

Originally Posted by JaysBlueE92

very nice..i need to address this at some point..stupid peeling around handles and trim

Thanks. I'm progressing along with the project and learning some things that can hopefully help others avoid mistakes. I plan to post up a DIY with more pics when I'm done. One thing I've discovered is that the door-handle recesses are the *only* dye-able plastic parts, because they are the only plastic part this is not painted at the factory. Even if you remove all the factory paint on a plastic part (for example, the speaker cover), it will not accept the dye, presumably because it is made of a different kind of plastic. So I've been painting those parts black and spraying with a protective clear coat. We'll see how it all comes out...

[NGEE]

I finished the driver's side. Learning some things about dye application along the way. Difficult to get it right. More to come...

[dinanm3atl]

Looks great!

[roadkillrob]

I have used RIT to do bike parts in the past and the trick to making it really black is to use 4 parts black to 1 part dark green, for some reason the little bit of green makes black more black!

Rob

[NGEE]

Originally Posted by roadkillrob

I have used RIT to do bike parts in the past and the trick to making it really black is to use 4 parts black to 1 part dark green, for some reason the little bit of green makes black more black!

Rob

Good tip - thanks. RIT black has a tendency to show purple hues, so the green must neutralize that effect.

[Team503]

ZOMG DEAD THREAD. But where'd you get the window switches? Decent price?

[NGEE]

Originally Posted by Team503

ZOMG DEAD THREAD. But where'd you get the window switches? Decent price?

Thanks for the reminder - just updated to include a link to my DIY. You'll see in the DIY that I took the switches apart and painted them.

[glachhman2]

Not a fan but carry on!