DIY - Steering wheel trim paint process w/pics

[four.8is]

Tonight I decided im gonna start prepping and priming my ugly steering wheel trim, finishing up tomorrow with the painting process.
Ofcourse some folks think buying a new one for 60$ and not having to deal with the painting process is easier but eventually down the road you'll have to deal with the peeling rubber and then you have to replace it once again.
I've used this technique on my E39 steering wheel and I can tell you its a durable finish.
So here it goes...
Unhook your battery,take your airbag out and unscrew the 5 torx screws in the back of the steering wheel.You'll also have 2 torx same size in the back of the steering wheel controls...unscrew those too..now the trim is out.






I've started by using a product called Smart Strip.Its about 20$ for a quart at Sherwin Williams...you can use it for other projects around the house and for this particular rubber covered trim was the best solution.(sanding would have been messy and time consuming)



Apply it with a brush and let it sit for 15 min.



After that, youll notice how it starts to shrink.Wipe it off with a rag.Wash with water.





Make sure you dry it out completely after you wash it(i used a hair blower)
Light sand with a 600Grit sand paper.



Make sure you get all the edges too for a clean looking paint job.

I used this primer to fill in the fine nicks/scratches and it is great at doing that.



Spray 2-3 light coats of primer with 5 minutes dry time in between them.



The rest of the process coming tomorrow after the primer is completely cured.

[upallnight]

[jljljl]

Originally Posted by upallnight

+1 haha

[Ricky Bobby]

Subscribed. Many people do a rush paint job, I can tell you know what you're doing because of the prep!

Properly stripped old painted, sanded clean surface, and a couple coats of primer? Your finish when done will outlast the car!

[four.8is]

Originally Posted by Ricky Bobby

Subscribed. Many people do a rush paint job, I can tell you know what you're doing because of the prep!

Properly stripped old painted, sanded clean surface, and a couple coats of primer? Your finish when done will outlast the car!

Thanks RB, mainly it has to do with the fact that I'm actually a painter.. and if the prep work isn't done properly, the rest can be art but will not last...

[Ricky Bobby]

Originally Posted by four.8is

Thanks RB, mainly it has to do with the fact that I'm actually a painter.. and if the prep work isn't done properly, the rest can be art but will not last...

Amen to that. Too many rush jobs I've seen over the years, I'm not a painter by trade, but everytime my wife wants to paint something, I tell her to give herself 3x as much time as she thinks it will take to complete, and not to even worry about painting itself, as that takes 10% of the actual time lol.

[omodos]

okay, now I tried this too, and whilst i was able to sand down fine, i could not for the life of me get the spray on correctly, i went through.... wait for it 5 cans of spray paint!

each time i got imperfections, damn dust particles settling or tiny fibres, so i hosed down the area,no joy, did it indoors in the spare bedroom and the whole place was coated by 'soot' still no go, got so fed up i that i accepted defeat and bought a new piece of trim....spent a good 7-8 hours on the failed attempts....jeez

[four.8is]

Originally Posted by omodos

okay, now I tried this too, and whilst i was able to sand down fine, i could not for the life of me get the spray on correctly, i went through.... wait for it 5 cans of spray paint!

each time i got imperfections, damn dust particles settling or tiny fibres, so i hosed down the area,no joy, did it indoors in the spare bedroom and the whole place was coated by 'soot' still no go, got so fed up i that i accepted defeat and bought a new piece of trim....spent a good 7-8 hours on the failed attempts....jeez

Omodos, the key is to be patient and have lots of light on the subject you are trying to spray so you can see if you sprayed enough or too much.Too little will give you orange peel while too much runs and sags...Also set a sheet of plastic under it and make sure youre not walking around while the paint is drying...just leave the room...even tiny particles from you walking around the room will settle on the wet paint and ruin the job.Outdoors is worse..there will always be something in the air so indoors work best.

Maybe when this new one of yours will worn out you'll give it another try and im sure the outcome will be better than your previous experience.

[Bimmer_Me_Up]

On my to-do-list. Thanks!

[four.8is]

Sorry didn't post pics of the rest of the process I was really busy .The trim is all done waiting to be installed
Will be posting pics tonight or tomorrow morning the latest!