Dash Kit Installation Video
Jan 12th
Here’s a pretty nice video from Sherwood Dash showing a good dash kit installation. It does a good job of explaining what to do to make sure it goes correctly the first time. Getting it right the first time is important, because once the pieces are stuck on – they’re not coming off without damaging the piece. Anyway, enjoy the dash kit video and I’ll add some commentary at the end to clarify some things you see in the video.
Wow, I wish I had that guy’s voice.
The first thing he says it to double-check that you have all the right dash kit pieces for your car – since there are differences depending on whether it’s auto or manual transmission, etc. Make sure you do this because once you stick a piece on, that’s it – the manufacturer won’t replace or exchange pieces that are “used”. And they are “used” one you stick them on because you can’t pull them off without damaging them.
Re: the stuff included with the dash kit – we include just the alcohol and the adhesive promoter – you don’t need all that other stuff. You just need to clean the dashboard with the alcohol (household rubbing alcohol works fine if you run out) to make sure the surface doesn’t have any dust or armor all which would kill the adhesion of the 3M tape. Make sure that when you’re dry-fitting the pieces that you don’t bend the dash kit too much because you might delaminate it if you don’t heat it up first.
Re: adhesive promoter – you do not need to use it for every piece like they mention in the video. In a normal dash kit installation most of the pieces will go on perfectly flat or almost flat surfaces of your car’s dashboard. The adhesive promoter is really intended to make sure you get a good stick in those tricky areas where the piece bends quite a bit. Over time, it may tend to pull away from your vehicle’s dash, so the adhesive promoter will ensure that the dash kit stays in place for the life of the car.
He gives a good tip about laying down the pieces to make sure you get them lined up properly. If you start with one edge and get it lined up first, then laying down the rest, it is much easier to get it to go on correctly rather than trying to stick the entire dash kit piece down at once. This is especially true for vehicle’s that have larger trim pieces.
Overall, a nicely done video and great tips for first-time dash kit installers. Hope this helps & good luck!
Want to see the actual dash kit used in the video. Here is the 1999-2002 Toyota 4 Runner Dash Kit. Shows you how old that video is.
How to Choose the Right Dash Kit
Dec 22nd
When you decide to get a dash kit, you have to clearly identify what you’re trying to accomplish. People buy dash kits for different reasons, but they generally fall into 2 categories: 1) to add a new style to a standard factory dash, or 2) restoring an older, perhaps damaged, dashboard to it’s former appearance. Regardless of which reason, there are also some basic things you need to know about dash kits and the variety of material finishes from which you can choose.
Restyling Your Car’s Interior with a Dash Kit
You want your car to stand out. You want to enjoy the feeling of giving your car your own unique style and personality. When you bought your new or used car and you were probably stuck with limited options for the style of your vehicle’s interior. There is no doubt that some manufacturer’s do a really poor job of giving the dashboard a proper styling. It’s really unbelievable how plain an boring some dashboards are set up. Nobody like to look at a wall of black plastic.
By now you probably already know that a dash kit is by far the most effective, low-cost, and easy to install car accessory to transform your car’s interior. You can read all about how to install a dash kit and look at some of the before and after shots in some of my other posts to get an idea.
But how to pick the right one? You have several different major choices in the material finish first. Each will give it’s own unique look and feel:
- Wood Grain Dash Kit - generally gives your car’s interior a warm, luxurious feeling
- Metallic Dash Kit – give’s a classy, finished look
- Carbon Fiber Dash Kit – gives a sporty or rugged look
- Solid Color Dash Kit – gives a very sporty, race car-like look
Once you narrow down the type of look you want to achieve, you can then decide which color is best suited to your car’s interior. The most common interior color is beige which goes well with almost anything. To achieve a very nice warm, luxurious interior look choose a burlwood with a little red in it – like English Burlwood. You may have a grey/black interior which goes well with the marblewood finish.
With the metallic kits like brushed aluminum and chrome, you do not have to be so concerned about getting the right color match. With carbon fiber you need to consider whether it will compliment or only add to the darkness of the dash. If you already have a mostly black dash, you do not want to add more black to it. In this case it may be better to go with a silver carbon fiber or even one of the colored carbon fibers like red, blue, yellow, or green to compliment the exterior of your vehicle. What you’re looking for is contrast. Contrast is what creates interest. Too much of the same thing is boring. In fact, there may be some instances where you may want to leave a piece or two out of the dash kit installation to give a little more contrast. The engineers who design these dash kits usually keep in mind the aesthetics of the dashboard, but your personal preference may be to have less of a wall of the same material and more variety.
The most risky dash kit to do is a solid color finish. The rewards can be amazing when it works. But you have to start with the right expectations. It is usually best to try to match the exterior color of your car. But don’t get hung up on it being an exact match. Rarely will anyone notice a slight shade or color difference between the interior and exterior of your car. They will notice that it does tie in with the exterior color and the results are really eye-popping when it works.
Restoring a Dashboard with a Dash Kit
There are a few different reasons for restoring an older dashboard to new life – fixing a car up for resale, making customizations to an older car, or trying to cover up a scratched or partially damaged dash. The first thing to know is that these dash kit are not intended as replacement pieces. They stick over top of your existing dash. So if you have a minor crack or scratch it should be no problem. If you have a huge chunk taken out or some other problem that would prevent you from getting good adhesion from the dash kit, then you may need to do some repair work first.
A dash kit is a no-brainer when you’re trying to sell a car that has a drab, boring interior. Nothing will add so much value to your car’s emotional appeal than a dash kit. It will give the driver a totally different feel for the car when they’re sitting behind the wheel. You will be able to get a better price for your car and you’ll be able to sell it faster. The investment you make with a dash kit will more than pay for itself.
In the future I will be creating an online tool that will help you choose the right color for your dash. It will let you configure the existing look of your interior, and then allow you to try out different dash kit finishes to see the effect it gives. Look for that coming soon!
1989 Corvette Dash Kit – Before and After
Dec 5th
This week’s before and after picture does a great job of showing how a dash kit can take a pretty bland looking interior and give it an extra style that really makes it stand out. The interior of this 1989 Chevy Corvette has a nice contrast between the lighter fabric areas and the darker plastic dash area. But the black plastic is a little too prominent and “plasticy” looking. The owner wanted to do something to cover up the large plain swaths of the dashboard and give it a nice wood style instead. He found us and saw that we carried Mustard Birdseye Maple as a color which he thought would be a good compliment with what he already had.
1989 Chevy Corvette - Before the dash kit was installed
This 1989 Corvette Wood Dash Kit in Mustard Birdseye Maple is not an easy install. The dash kit pieces are very large and you have to take your time to make sure everything is lined up perfectly before you stick in you your vehicle. Once it’s on, it’s on for good. The customer did an excellent job with the installation and the end result speaks for itself. He achieved an outstanding-looking style for the car’s interior. The Mustard Birdseye Maple is a more yellowish burlwood finish and doesn’t go with many interior colors. But with the black and tan Corvette style here, the maple was a good choice. He also went with the full-sized set which includes large door panel pieces, partially showing the picture below. There is a standard-sized Corvette dash kit which does not include the door pieces too.
1989 Corvette After the Dash Kit Was Installed
Hopefully this example shows the dramatic affect a dash trim kit can have on a car’s interior. It’s not surprising that dash kits are one of the most popular interior car accessories. There really is no other auto accessory that provides so much value for so little an investment. And the installation is easy – it’s a simple peel-and-stick process. There are no tools required and you only need about an hour to get the job done right – even with a large kit like this one. You can find this corvette dash kit for sale on our website – we usually have a pretty good special going on so check it out.
1989 Chevy Corvette Dash Kit Installed Pic #2
Nissan 350Z (2006) Dash Kit | Before and After Shots
Nov 30th
A customer sent me a few photos of his 2006 Nissan 350Z dash kit that he installed last week. The car is in great condition and it looks like he really did a nice job on the dash kit installation. The 350Z has a great looking interior to begin with, especially the nice gauges for the speedometer area and at the top and center of the dashboard area. I really gives the interior a sporty style. The problem is that the dash is mostly black with a few aluminum accents, most notably around the shifter.
Nissan 350Z (2006) Before Dask Kit Was Installed
Instead of staying with the sporty look, the customer wanted to take it in the direction of more warmth and luxury. He chose a wood grain dash kit called English Burlwood. English burl has a nice warm, slightly reddish hue and is by far the most popular color of any of our wood dash kit styles. Since the Nissan 350Z had a pretty neutral dashboard to begin with, the customer had a lot of options. He could have stayed with the sporty/classy look and added more brushed aluminum dash trim, or he could have gone with real carbon fiber to give a rugged yet sport look to the vehicle’s interior also.
Nissan 350Z Wood Grain Dash Kit (2006)
This particular dash kit has a very nice design. It is not an overwhelming wall of material on every area of the car’s dashboard, but it is well laid out to perfectly compliment the vehicle’s interior. Some dash kits include a big “Z” pattern right in the middle of the center panel, but our designers felt that would be too overwhelming and perhaps a little gaudy.
One thing that did not turn out as expected on this particular Nissan 350Z was that the below the climate controls. In most models, there is an oval hazard light button just below the climate controls. In the dash piece that fits around that area you can see that there is the top half of the button cutout. Then there was another piece that was supposed to cover the bottom half as it made the turn into the car’s shifter area. But there was something different about this particular model, so that did not work out. To the casual observer this is probably not even noticeable. Regardless, the final result is a great look and definitely a big step up from the original plain black and silver interior.
2009 Nissan Murano Dash Kit – Before and After
Oct 28th
Here is a nice example of a 2009 Nissan Murano dash kit that was installed by a customer a few months back. He was looking for a warmer more luxurious look than the cold gray basic factory look. The customer chose our richest wood grain called English Burlwood. It has the knotted wood pattern with a mahogany coloring – brown with a little reddish tint – and a premium polyurethane coating. The Murano is a great car with a load of great features, but the dashboard styling leaves a lot to be desired. So this is a case where a dash trim kit is a perfect solution.
This is the most current model, so this same 2009 Nissan Murano dash trim kit would work in a 2008 Murano, a 2009 Murano, and a 2010 Murano, and we’ll see when Nissan decides to change up the model again. If you are interested in purchasing this particular dash kit in wood grain, aluminum, carbon fiber, or any other finish you find it here: Nissan Murano Dash Trim Kit (2008 2009 2010).
The before and after pictures follow below…
Nissan Murano Dash Trim Kit (2009) - Before and After #1
Nissan Murano Dash Trim Kit (2009) - Before and After #2
Nissan Murano Dash Trim Kit (2009) - English Burlwood
If you have installed a Mojo Parts dash trim kit and you are interested in having it showcased here, please contact us at “customerservice at mojoparts dot com”.
How to Install A Dash Trim Kit
May 23rd
If you’ve never installed a dash trim kit before, then you may be wondering whether it’s something that you can do yourself or if you should call a professional. Reading through these dash kit installation instructions should give you an idea. All of our dash trim kits are designed for easy installation. It is basically a peel-and-stick process, however there are some things you should be aware of before you begin.
Before you start any installation, there are some things you should check first. So before you start pulling off the film on the back of the pieces make sure to:
- If you have an existing dash kit that needs to be removed, I wrote an article on how to remove a dash kit
- Check for proper fitment of each piece by placing it where it will go on the dash.
- Get an idea of how you will install the piece. It may even help to use a pencil to trace a line to help with installation.
- Visually inspect each piece to ensure there was nothing damaged in transit and that each piece is in good shape.
If you do find any problems, be sure to contact us immediately so that we can help resolve the problem. Sometimes a flaw is introduced during the manufacturing or packing process. This can easily be remedied – we will ship a replacement piece if any type of flaw is found. It is most important to NOT install any pieces until you have the entire kit with the correct pieces in hand. If any pieces are installed, they cannot be pulled off and returned and would void any return/exchange policy.
So let’s get to the actual steps of how to install a dash trim kit.
- Clean the dash It is very important that any surface where the dash kit will be adhered to is perfectly clean, or there may be problems with adhesion. Clean extremely dirty surfaces with a damp cloth and soap first and allow it to dry fully. Use the alcohol swabs included in the kit, or regular household rubbing alcohol to remove any surface oils or other treatments such as Armor All.
- Warm up the pieces If you are installing this in an environment where the temperature is above 80 degrees, then there is no need to warm up the pieces. Installing outside in the full sun is the best environment. If you are unable to find a warm environment, then is will be necessary to use a heat gun or hair dryer to heat up any pieces that need to bend in order to be applied. Heat will also help with the adhesion of the 3M tape backing.
- Press down the edges To get that complete finished look, it’s imperative that you firmly press down the edges all the way around each piece. If you rush to put your kit on and don’t pay attention to this detail, you will be disappointed when you see an edge or two lifted from the dash. Check it from all angles and make sure you get a good seal all around the kit pieces.
- Use adhesive promoter if need be This is an optional step. Adhesive promoter is only needed when a pieces needs to make a large bend and may be at risk for pulling up over time. The key is to use only a very thin layer of adhesive promoter around the edges of the pieces. If you overdo it with the promoter, you will kill the adhesive on the 3M tape. So just use it sparingly, and only on those pieces that make a big bend. Most if not all of the pieces will lay flat and won’t need adhesive promoter.
- Clean the dash trim kit Once your dash kit installation is complete you’ll want to remove all the fingerprint smudges that have probably accumulated over the surface of the pieces. Any furniture polish will do the trick, just don’t overdo it.
And there you have it. If you have more installation questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us or leave a comment on this blog. If you are an experienced installer feel free to leave any extra tips you may have here also.
How to Remove a Dash Trim Kit
Apr 21st
If you’ve got an old dash kit in your car’s interior that you need to pull off so that you can install a new one, these instructions will help you get through it most effectively. Removing a dash trim kit will take bit of work although it is something that you should be able to do yourself. If you don’t count yourself particularly handy or you don’t have a lot of time, take it in to your local custom interior guy or body shop and they should be able to take care of this.
A few things you need to get started:
- Heat gun or hair dryer
- Goof-Off (or similar product)
- Clean rags
First, you need to be certain that its an aftermarket wood dash kit. Here’s are some pictures of an aftermarket 1986 Corvette Dash Kit installed if you’re not sure what an aftermarket kit looks like. If it is not an aftermarket kit, these instructions may not work because you will be trying to remove a OEM dash which may be an entirely different process or not even possible without replacing the dash. Aftermarket dash kits are usually backed with 3M Red double-sided foam tape and can be removed with some persistence. You should be able to see under some pieces to verify that the foam tape is there. You need to be 100% certain this is an aftermarket kit first, not an OEM/factory-installed dash panel.
Second, pick a day where you can work uninterrupted on this for a good period of time. You do not want to rush the process. Also, it’s probably best to have another brand new dash kit ready to install after the old one is removed because there may be some marks left by the old kit. I’m assuming you’re reading this article because you’ve already bought a kit from me and you need to know how to remove a dash kit that was previously installed. It’s possible get the old kit off without any evidence it was there, but more than likely there will be some minor marks left behind or discoloration between the exposed/faded areas versus the areas that have been covered by the old dash kit.
So the first step is to use your heat gun or hair dryer to heat up the piece you are working on. Make it easy on yourself and start with the smallest and most accessible piece so you can build some feeling for how this will go. The heat will soften the adhesive on the tape, so you can start pulling up a corner of the dash kit piece slowly. Make sure you really heat the piece up good or it will be too hard to work with and more likely to damage the dash underneath. Don’t use any metallic tools or anything else sharp to try to wedge underneath the piece. Just do your best with your fingers and a little elbow grease.
Once you get the first piece removed, there will probably be some goo left behind. Just get your heat gun/hairdryer out again and warm it up as best as possible and try to get as much off as possible by hand first. If you can’t get it all cleanly, get out the Goof-off but pay attention to where you wipe that stuff. If any gets on some new surfaces of your dash, it may end up causing some discoloration. Be careful and use only enough to do the job.
The larger pieces of course will be the toughest since there is so much adhesive involved. You may want to have a friend help you – one person can heat the area of the kit piece that is being pulled off and the other person can do the pulling. Just take it nice and slow and let the heat do the work.
Again, if you’re not particularly handy or are uncomfortable about possibly damaging your existing dash, your money would be well spent having this done by a professional who should also be able to install your new kit also. I hope this guide on how to remove a dash trim kit was helpful and I look forward to your comments.
– Good luck!