ALTIMA COUPE INTERIOR DASH KIT...carbon fiber, woodgrain, etc...

[rjdmmfl1]

I'm ordering a dash kit for my Altima coupe next week. Superior dash, and some of the other good companies aren't offering one yet. I found this company online and had them send me some samples. They use the same materials and 3M backing as superior dash. They can even customize your dash to fit1. Nissan factory console with bose stereo system 2. Nissan factory console with navigation3. Aftermarket double/single din center console

I didn't want to recommend it until I get it and try it out for myself. (They are an ebay company, but if you're interested check them out here

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors...ZWDVW

[coupenthusiast25]

That looks pretty nice, from what I can see from the Ebay company site...what color/material are you getting?

Please be sure to take some pictures when you do end up receiving it!

[vestigeKA24]

Yeah ditto on showing the pics, but idk they look tacky and cheap...especially if they are going to be covering the "bose" stereo paint lol

[dangeris]

I'd be really interested in seeing it in carbon fiber. Is it real carbon fiber or is it the cheap carbon fiber look.

[rjdmmfl1]

Yeah, I was suspect also, that's why I had him send me some samples...He sells both the normal carbon fiber and the real carbon fiber (with the 3-D effect). It looks like really good suff...as I said, I had real carbon fiber on my last car from superior dash, and it was great... I'm getting the Real silver carbon fiber ...will post pics as soon as I get it... Also, I won't be using the entire kit...I don't think I'll be covering the storage pocket below the digital AC controls...however, I'm adding the Avic Z2 dvdplayer/nav system, so I had to get the aftermarket center console with the double din opening. (The nissan factory console's duble din opening is TOO WIDE!!!) In any case, although the texture of the aftermarket stereo kit is different, it won't really matter if it's covered with my CF dash kit.

[lopezoj]

DON'T BUY IT, if its not too late. I bought a dash trim kit from e-bay a few years ago for my 04' accord (which I still own) and I regret ever installing it. The trim parts work excellent on flat surfaces, but with the contours of todays cars, the 3M tape begins to unstick. I had to put super glue on two of the parts and it still looks kind of bad. Infact, after 1 year, I had to convince the seller to send me a replacement part because the tap started to come off the actual part. He sent me a new trim part and I decided not to put it on. I ordered a 50 part trim kit.[

[rjdmmfl1]

who was the seller? also, how did the kit look when you first purchased it? As i mentioned, i had a superior dash kit on my car for years, and it worked fine...usually, if the correct prep isn't used initially, what you described can happen to even the best kits....SD suggests using 3M prep solvent, not just alcohol.... what did you use to prep your dash?

[rjdmmfl1]

DON'T BUY IT, if its not too late. I bought a dash trim kit from e-bay a few years ago for my 04' accord (which I still own) and I regret ever installing it. The trim parts work excellent on flat surfaces, but with the contours of todays cars, the 3M tape begins to unstick. I had to put super glue on two of the parts and it still looks kind of bad. Infact, after 1 year, I had to convince the seller to send me a replacement part because the tap started to come off the actual part. He sent me a new trim part and I decided not to put it on. I ordered a 50 part trim kit.[

I did a quick search on ebay...the closest thing I saw to a 50 piece kit for an 04 accord is a 46 piece kit from a company called Klassno dash kits. As soon as I followed their instructions page, I saw the first big mistake...they provide denatured alcohol to begin the prep process. I'm not discounting the fact that they may be using cheap materials, however, as I mentioned before, denatured alcohol is NOT the right material to clean a dash prior to installation of 3M tape. There are certain residues in dash moisturizers/protectants like armor all that denatured alcohol does not get rid of completely. The MOST important part about installing trim kits is proper preparation of the dash. Once again, I'm not discounting the fact that they may be selling a bad product, but improper dash prep sure doesn't help.

In any case, thanks for the heads up, since I liked what I saw from the sample pieces from these guys at auto accesory world, I'm gonna go ahead and go with them. In the end, the great thing about 3M adhesive is that it doesn't ruin your dash surface. A few minutes under the hairdryer and it comes off...(which is what I may do if it begins to crack/peel, and superior dash comes out with a better kit)

[rfx45]

I've order from them before for my brother's Matrix and it's not the best quality. It's not real CF and the cut isn't exact. It doesn't even curve or counture on sides like a molded real CF should. You just lay it on top and since the cut isn't perfect, you can see some of the old dash in the corners.

It's good for the price I paid, around $100 but if you're picky and want everything to fit right and look right, this might not be the kit for you.

I recommend this place more, they sell molded trims which is a lot better than the flat ones from eBay. It's not as cheap in price but it's not much of a difference. Plus I trust this company better.

http://www.wooddashexperts.com...=8023

[rjdmmfl1]

RFX thanks for the info... please let us know which kit or dealer you said you bought from that was crap...also, price is not an object..I paid about $350 for my kit from superior dash, but it was worth it!

[rjdmmfl1]

I've order from them before for my brother's Matrix and it's not the best quality. It's not real CF and the cut isn't exact. It doesn't even curve or counture on sides like a molded real CF should. You just lay it on top and since the cut isn't perfect, you can see some of the old dash in the corners.

It's good for the price I paid, around $100 but if you're picky and want everything to fit right and look right, this might not be the kit for you.

I recommend this place more, they sell molded trims which is a lot better than the flat ones from eBay. It's not as cheap in price but it's not much of a difference. Plus I trust this company better.

http://www.wooddashexperts.com...=8023

I checked out this site, unfortunately, as for the molded kits, their selection is pretty crappy! The only carbon fiber they offfer (for molded kit) is the ugly synthetic carbon fiber not the real carbon fiber. Also, As I mentioned, I'm gonna put in an aftermarket double din deck, and am gonna need someone to custom make a dash kit to fit the aftermarket deck, not just the factory stero or nav decks. I'm gonna give them a call tomorrow and ask them if they can do the customized cnter console for the double din aftermarket deck...thanks for the link!!!!

[rfx45]

I bought from dash_4less (the ebay seller in the link) for my bro's Matrix and ExpressDash for a friends Corolla and both has horrible fitment and quality. Their kit looks pretty identical too so i wouldn't be surprised if they got it from the same manufacturer.

[SHIFT_COUPE]

I'm personally not a fan of dash kits. I think they make the interior look way too overdone. Good luck with it. Let us know how it comes out.

[Vhernandez919]

I'm not sure I would change the dash with a dash kit. Just my opinion. I like the simple look .

But hey If ur going to do it Make it look nice. I order dash kit from Wood view (I work at Stereo Shop) havent had any complients, they do look nice but again I think it depends on the car.

Let us know what you do and don't forget to take pictures!

[rjdmmfl1]

i feel you guys (and gals;)... i def don't want to make it look tacky, and I don't even think I'm gonna use all of the components of the dash kit, but some areas i would like to improve.... Here in San Diego, along with 20" rims, some of the Mossy dealers offer dash kits as dealer installed options... I saw one of them that must have come from one of the ebay sites you guys are talking about because it was ugly, already slightly peeling on a brand new car...(obviously a product of a bad install)

In any case, I'll give it a long hard thought, but I do think I want to spruce up the interior a bit. I think Real carbon fiber with its dark tones would provide just the slight accent that I'm looking for against the charcoal interior. If anyone does it before i do, please post pics...thanks again for the positive comments!

[rjdmmfl1]

After taking everyone's advice into consideration, and getting samples from three different companies, I decided to go with a Real carbon fiber dash kit. It is in production right now and it will be shipped next Monday. I'll be out of town for a few days so I won't do the install until next Sunday, but after I get my hands on the proper prep materials, I'll be at it... I'll post the pics in about a week....

[Vhernandez919]

Good luck! Hope everything goes good!

[ChiLLaXtodaMaX]

how much is the real carbon fiber kit?

[rjdmmfl1]

Real Carbon fiber kits can range from ~310 ~ 450 depending on the vendor and how many pieces come in the kit.

If you purchase a kit please remember that the CLEANING AND DASH PREP is the most important part of the process. You can get the best quality kit, pay 1000 for it, poorly prep the dash, and the kit will turn to garbage if the 3M reacts with all of the impurities in the dash and loses its stickiness.

Sometimes, each piece may need to be cleaned 2,3,4,5, x times in order to remove all of the armorall that has built up in the dash. Often times, people have gotten kits, used alcohol to prep the dash, did a poor cleaning job, and then wondered why their dash fell apart after a few months.

I previously installed a dash kit on my last car, cleaned each piece 5 x with 3M prep solvent, and EVERY piece was perfect 4 years later when I sold the car. I plan to do the same thing with this kit, and I'm sure it will last just fine.

Here's a link to superior dash's installation instructions.

http://www.superiordash.com/In...l.jpg

These should work for ANY kit with 3M adhesive! Hope this helps in your decision on whether or not to get a kit...also, here's a link to the carbon fiber that I'll be getting (though not from this company)

http://www.superiordash.com/up...8.jpg


Modified by rjdmmfl1 at 9:49 AM 10/14/2007

[rfx45]

From those pics, it looks like your getting a flat dash. I would highly suggest getting a molded one but if that's all that is available, good luck. Definitely post pics when your done. Good luck.

[rjdmmfl1]

They don't make molded dash kits with real carbon fiber (that's what the folks said when I called the company you suggested...well, they said that they do sell them, but they aren't REALL a molded kit, just advertised as one.

Also, there aren't many curved pieces in the altima that would require a molded kit. Maybe the center console, however I do not think the trip pieces curves all the way down... and as I mentioned previously, certain parts I don't even plan on covering up. ... in any case, I'll post the pics when it finally arrives

[STL08]

They don't make molded dash kits with real carbon fiber (that's what the folks said when I called the company you suggested...well, they said that they do sell them, but they aren't REALL a molded kit, just advertised as one.

Also, there aren't many curved pieces in the altima that would require a molded kit. Maybe the center console, however I do not think the trip pieces curves all the way down... and as I mentioned previously, certain parts I don't even plan on covering up. ... in any case, I'll post the pics when it finally arrives

Try this website. There stuff looks really good. http://www.woodtrim.com/catalog_productlist.cfm

[rjdmmfl1]

yeah i checked this site out... these kits require 3M adhesive promotors for the dash...this desctoys your dash and is NOT recommended by many companies. If you ever decide to take the kit off, your dash will be ruined... as I mentioned, I've gotten samples from a number of companies and have made up my decision..but thanks for the suggestion

[mcheddadi]

Looks like someone on ebay tried the red dash kit :p

[SHIFT_COUPE]

Blech.

[LongBeachCoupe]

Thats SUPER ugly IMO

[heysteve]

that is beyond whack

[pdrumans]

The only thing I would put on my car from the kits on would be the window/lock switch plates. They are just so plain. I think they would look better with the aluminum look like the shifter surround.

[rjdmmfl1]

to each his own regarding the red kit... wait, hold up..... sorry about that, I just threw up in my mouth...that kit is just ugly, I'm sorry... but hey, you guys may say the same thing about my CF kit when I show you the pictures..
Modified by rjdmmfl1 at 6:18 AM 2/10/2008

[mcheddadi]

to each his own regarding the red kit... wait, hold up..... sorry about that, I just threw up in my mouth...that kit is just ugly, I'm sorry... but hey, you guys may say the same thing about my CF kit when I show you the pictures..

show the pics!!