Hey guys,

I'm working on converting my sat nav car to the triple gauge set-up, and finally found an almost perfect full matching veneer set on eBay really cheap ( I know they look different here, but they are indeed from the same matching car). Only 2 problems

1. Veneer on the shift surround is in bad shape. Since the whole set was pretty cheap, I went ahead and took the risk. So, having no woodworking experience whatsoever, can I repair this myself?

2. Surface scratch on the center panel. Veneer appears intact.

I've read on another thread that a little wet sanding and polishing will do the trick.. do you see that working here?

I considered sending just these parts to Madera for refinishing, but they said it could change the color... and I'm a perfectionist. And I'm not paying $1000+ to refinish the $300 set. So help me out

 

Someone recently (maybe on the X308 board?) redid theirs and it ended up looking pretty good. They used heat to remove the finish instead of sandpaper though, since the veneer is so thin.

 

I found the thread you were referring to.. looks like I may have bit off more than I can chew.. Lets see what others have to say. As a follow-up question, do you think its really true that refinishing (not re-veneering) will change the color of the wood compared to the rest of the set?

 

My advice is to find a full set in better shape. It'll likely be cheaper in the long run.

 

I think ultra fine wet sanding, rubbing compound and polishing may do the trick as long as the scratches are not too deep.

As for the center console piece, is your old one fairly close in color and grain? The center console is far removed from the dash and it reflects light at a different angle so a perfect match really is not necessary.

 

That's what I was thinking too, WhiteXKR. The car is stored now for winter so it's not very accessible. From comparing pictures of both I'm thinking it's not likely but we'll see. My current set has a lot more red in it, vs this one which is more brown. See below for a picture of my current set (from when I bought her.. no mods! haha) Do you recommend any specific brands/products for rubbing compound and polish?

 

Try 3M 39002 Rubbing Compound which is effective by hand or machine and any widely available Mothers or Meguiars polish.

 

Great, thanks for the suggestion. And worst case scenario.. I have to find another trim piece. As you said before, it's not part of the dash so need not be a perfect match. But fingers crossed this will do it. Even if the scratches are minimized I'll be happy.. the aluminum shift bezel will cover a decent portion of them anyway.

 

I'd send the shifter panel and one of the new panels to Saul at British Autowood and have him refinish it to match. He's the best. Maybe he could fix the scratch as well. Worth asking.

 

Unless the colors are off by quite a lot (red tint vs. brown), I'd try using the old shift surround. It is the one place you have the best chance of getting away with a slight mismatch.

 

01Silverstone,
Why not go to your nearest custom cabinet shop, and ask them to do the refinishing. They will charge a fraction and are capable of doing the refinishing, probably overnight. And if you can't find one locally, I have one that I give space in my warehouse in exchange for him doing projects for my customers. Send it to me, and I'm sure he can either do it or re-veneer it and match the color. PM me if you need this done. I should do mine while I'm at it.

 

The ones radiating from the cutouts to the outside edge look more like cracks from overtightening the two fixing plates than surface scratches:



If you run you fingernail over them and can feel it catch, then it's scratches. If not, then it's cracks.

Graham

 

Thanks Graham, I'll give that a try. I gave British Autowood a call, so I'll see where that gets me. The more I think about it, given my tendencies towards perfection, the more I'm thinking I may have the whole set refinished. I'll get some price quotes and see what Saul says. I'm hoping by selling my current, pristine set that I can offset a significant portion of the refinishing cost if I decide to go that route.

 

Before refinishing I would try applying a dark color stain to the cracks and let it soak in. They should become barely noticeable when darkened. Then polish the clear coat several times with Meguiars liquid polish to remove scratches.

Worth a shot before refini$hing.

 

Thanks Rothwell. I did intend to try fixing it myself first. I mean, there isn't much permanent damage I can do. If the veneer is cracked, they'll have to re-veneer it anyway...

So, if they are cracks in the wood (which is likely given Graham's suggestion about over tightening the screws) I will lightly wet-sand the varnish down, add a little dark stain, then compound and polish. Correct procedure?

 

Before sanding at all I would try pouring some stain into a pan and lay the whole piece in it for a while. Let nature do the rest. The stain should seep in with a little patience.

 

Although the Facia Veneer set is made from a single veneer from left to right across the width of the vehicle (item 2), the Console Veneer (item 3) is only a match for wood type and colour. Any slight difference in veneer pattern isn't really noticeable because it's away from the dash.


(click on the image to enlarge it)


Could save yourself a lot of $$ just sourcing a good used Console Veneer in the same wood instead of going down the refinishing route.

Console Veneer is identical on LHD and RHD so you have the whole World to find one.

Graham

 

Thanks for all the replies. I'll play around with the one I have first with all of the above suggestions, then either try and source a new one or get it refinished. I'm hoping to have everything finished by the end of May.. I'll post pictures then of the transformation!

 

I had my dash wood refinished last year and was shocked by the amount of fading there had been. This wood is very prone to UV damage. I recommend that if you need it refinished, get every piece done. n British Autowood in Florida did a great job for me for about a grand.


Mark

 

Thanks Mark. I spoke with Saul earlier this morning to get an idea on pricing, etc. in case I decide to go that route. Apparently, it doesn't cost much more to get the whole thing re-veneered instead of just refinished. So, of course, that got me thinking. I've always liked the Bird's Eye maple, such as in the Silverstone cars, except with a dark stain. Here's an example of a RHD set on eBay now. If I go the re-veneering route, I may do something like this. I think it will look nice with the all-leather sport wheel I'm adding and the aluminum trim throughout (gauge rings, shifter surround, pedals, etc.) But I'm still going to try and work with what I have first to try and save some $$$