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Chrome Charisma

A touch of bling to brighten your interior

Upgrading your car's cockpit doesn't have to be a major hassle. One quick method for glamorizing the dash, console and door panels involves the simple application of chromed plastic panels. They are also available in a variety of finishes and colors, such as brushed-aluminum, carbon fiber or wood-grain styles. Woodview Automotive Trim, for instance, offers more than two dozen different graphic treatments for its precision-formed, plastic components that are almost as easy to install as floormats.

Factory Pre-Cut

Since the components come from the factory pre-cut and with adhesive backing, there's no custom fitting required, nor fiddling with a messy pot of glue. Simply pre-treat the surface of the area to be covered with the adhesion promoter that's provided with the kit, pull off the adhesive backing and press the piece in place. That's all there is to it.

The pieces we put on a Mazda6 were for the most part a quick and easy job, especially the ones for the door panels and dash. The console can be a bit trickier, especially if the shift knob doesn't unscrew or remove easily. In this vehicle, the knob came off easily and the panel simply dropped in place, but that's probably not the situation in every type of vehicle. You may need to slightly bend or twist the piece to fit it over the shift knob or partially disassemble the shifter.

Another area that might require a bit of dry-fitting beforehand is on the console cover. On the Mazda6, this lid requires some clearance on the edges when it pivots open and shut, so you have to be careful where you affix the cosmetic panel (embossed with the number 6). Otherwise the edges will get chipped or the cover may not operate smoothly. Cosmetic enhancements are all fine and good, just so long as they don't interfere with the functional aspect of a vehicle.

While sprucing up some interiors may be more involved than others, we were able to do the Mazda6 in about an hour. That's pretty quick considering how dramatically different the interior now looks. And best of all, just about anyone can do it.

Resource

Woodview Automotive Trim, www.woodcorp.com