Vinyl wrapping the overly shiny center console
#1
Vinyl wrapping the overly shiny center console
Hi all,
I have been enjoying my new-to-me XJL S/C for the last couple months, especially the beautiful interior. However sometimes it is too stunning for my mere mortal eyes. At certain times in the day the metallic plastic on the center console reflects sunlight straight into my eyes with the efficiency of a parabolic mirror. So I decided to vinyl wrap it with a carbon fiber print to reduce the intensity of the reflections. Here are my results, before and after. Blinding reflections are now gone.
Before wrapping. Note this photo was taken at night and still very shiny.
After wrapping.
I have been enjoying my new-to-me XJL S/C for the last couple months, especially the beautiful interior. However sometimes it is too stunning for my mere mortal eyes. At certain times in the day the metallic plastic on the center console reflects sunlight straight into my eyes with the efficiency of a parabolic mirror. So I decided to vinyl wrap it with a carbon fiber print to reduce the intensity of the reflections. Here are my results, before and after. Blinding reflections are now gone.
Before wrapping. Note this photo was taken at night and still very shiny.
After wrapping.
The following 6 users liked this post by Nedoerr:
Angus (11-27-2018),
JaxR. (12-08-2018),
michaelnv (05-03-2019),
mikebaker3 (07-31-2019),
XJ8JR (11-27-2018),
and 1 others liked this post.
#2
#3
#4
The carbon fiber vinyl I installed (XPO1p47FTCarbonBlack) is a dry carbon fiber, that looks and feels pretty authentic. I was tempted to also buy some of the gloss carbon fiber stuff too, but ultimately decided against gloss as I was trying to minimize reflections.
Last edited by Nedoerr; 11-28-2018 at 12:00 PM. Reason: Typo
#5
The following users liked this post:
JaxR. (12-09-2018)
#7
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#8
FYI, it is definitely recommended to remove the center paneling to do the job well. I used a hair dryer set to high heat to install the vinyl wrap instead of a heat gun. First I put the wrap on cold and positioned it where I wanted it. Then I trimmed away the excess with an exacto knife. Then I heated it up with the hair dryer while I pressed it down some more, pushing it down into the seams with a credit card. Then I trimmed between the seams (i.e. to separate the center console button...etc from the rest of the panel) with an exacto knife. Note that the vinyl wrap was a lot more pliable/ sticky after heating it up.
Best of luck!
Best of luck!
#10
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...olders-208542/
Only thing I did differently is that I used an old credit card and held it against the leather trim to protect it as I used a flat head screw driver to pop the plastic trim out. I was concerned that a screwdriver pressed directly against the leather trim would damage it. The credit card trick left the leather perfectly intact. Once you have the plastic bits removed from the center console, the vinyl wrapping is easy and the results look professional.
Last edited by Nedoerr; 05-03-2019 at 11:59 AM. Reason: misspelled members ID
The following users liked this post:
michaelnv (05-04-2019)
#12
Thanks. Yes I removed the paneling; it only takes 15-20 minutes. I followed XJsss instructions for panel removal which can be found on post 8 here:
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...olders-208542/
Only thing I did differently is that I used an old credit card and held it against the leather trim to protect it as I used a flat head screw driver to pop the plastic trim out. I was concerned that a screwdriver pressed directly against the leather trim would damage it. The credit card trick left the leather perfectly intact. Once you have the plastic bits removed from the center console, the vinyl wrapping is easy and the results look professional.
https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...olders-208542/
Only thing I did differently is that I used an old credit card and held it against the leather trim to protect it as I used a flat head screw driver to pop the plastic trim out. I was concerned that a screwdriver pressed directly against the leather trim would damage it. The credit card trick left the leather perfectly intact. Once you have the plastic bits removed from the center console, the vinyl wrapping is easy and the results look professional.
The following users liked this post:
michaelnv (05-04-2019)
#13
#14
#15
I didn’t try that though I’d be interested to see what it looks like. The metallic shiny plastic was the biggest affront to my senses so I only tackled that. It was the best bang per buck modification I’ve made this far.
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