HOW TO: Paint Your Dash Trim

I painted my trim this weekend, it came out pretty good so I decided to post it up here in case any of you want to do it too. I bought everything I needed to do this at Wal-Mart, I think it totaled around $35. Sorry, I forgot to take pictures during the whole process, so theres only the after pic. I plan on painting more peices but, I wanted to see how these first ones came out before I did anything to drastic to my beloved 318ti.

WHAT YOU WILL NEED
Time - 1-2 days
Masking Tape - Get GOOD masking tape, the stuff I got didnt stick well and it caused me to get paint where I didnt want it.
Sand Paper - 320 & 800 grit
De-Greaser (Greased Lighting)
Plastic Primer - If youre painting a light color, GET LIGHT COLORED PRIMER
Spray Paint - I got 2 cans, didnt use it all.
Clear Coat
#2 Phillips head screwdriver (normal size)
Torx bits or allen keys
Fan - Helps speed up the drying time.
Razor Blades / Exacto Knife

Step 1: Pick out what you want to paint, and remove it. Most peices that I painted were only held in by clips but, somethings are held in by phillips head screws or torx screws.

Step 2: Using the masking tape, mask off things you dont want to paint on the peices you removed, that way you dont sand the parts you want to stay black.

Step 3: Using the 320 grit sand paper, sand all the parts to be painted. You don't have to sand the crap out of them, just rough up the plastic so the primer will stick better.

Step 4: At this point you can pull off the masking tape but, youre going to have to mask everything again afterwards. After all the peices are sanded, grab you de-greaser and find a sink. Give the parts a good spraying with the de-greaser, and let them sit for a minute or two. After a minute or so rinse the peices off in the sink and set them out so that they can dry completly.

Step 5: Time to prime. If you removed all the tape from the peices youre going to have to re-mask them now. The first layer should be just a DUSTING, dont make any coat too heavy or itll run. After you give the first coat time to completly dry (about 30-40 min), give the peices another light coat, then repeat until peices are completly coated.

Step 6: Using the 800 grit sand paper (you can do this wet or dry). Then sand out and impurities in your primer (runs, thick spots, etc.), then rinse them again in the sink to get any dust off them and let them dry completly.

Step 7: TIME TO PAINT!! Grab your can(s) of spray paint and give all the peices a light to medium coat, and let dry and repeat until you get the peices a good solid coat of color. Then give it one more LIGHT coat. After this last coat of paint allow a few hours to make sure that all the paint is completly dry before moving on to the clear coating.

Step 8: Almost done. For the first layer of clear coat spray on a light to medium layer. Follow the instructions on the can for optimal drying time. Then apply 1 or 2 more layers until the paint is completly sealed. Then wait until the last layer has dried for 1-2 hours until you remove all the masking tape. When you are peeling the tape off some of the paint may try to come off with the tape and this is where the razor blades come into play. Carefully cut along the edge of the tape to ensure that the paint doesnt come off with the tape.

Step 9: Re-Assembly. Put all the peices back where they belong but, be careful not to break any of the retaining clips off like I did with a few blank covers.

Step 10: Enjoy your now painted interior! It really adds a custom look to the interior that not many other Bimmers have.

I just finished mine today and have already gotten complments on it from a few people. Ill post a picture tomorrow when its light out of the finished product.