I have a 04 and got the normal wear scratches on my interior dash panels. I followed a tread that showed how to paint it with Dupicolor vinyl+fabric paint. The 1st couple coats made it look great, but because I didn't wait long enough between coats it caked up after the 3rd coat+looks like crap now. Anyone know if I can sand down the caked up paint without losing the texture on the panels or if there's any other way to remove the paint so I can start over? Wasn't sure if I should use paint thinner. Thanks for any advise-

 

soak it in a bucket of paint thinner. if it the whole trim does not dissolve into oblivion, you're good to paint again.

 

You'll be better off using a chemical to remove the paint. You won't be able to sand inside the texture, so the paint you already put on will not be removed. You'll start losing he texture and it'll remain 'cakey' looking.

 

Remove the paint before it cures.

 

If paint isn't cured yet....try 3M adhedsive remover....spray it on & wipe off.

 

thanks for the quick responses-the paint has already been dry for a while-

 

You can still get it off of there pretty easily. Just go to the local hardware store and tell them your situation. They'll help you get the right stuff, then you'll have to put some elbow grease in to clean your panels.

 

Since the paint is dried....try 91% Isopropyl alcohol.

 

Thanks for the new responses-just got out of the hospital-now I got some things to try out while I recover

 

Buy the carbon replacement or wrap it. Paint rarely looks good.

 

I tried to wrap it w/CF fabric at 1st-it was going great until I got to the curve between the shifter and the A/C *****-it kept getting bunched up-I followed a thread by 'somebody' who did his(and did a really great job)-I followed everything exactly like he said, but I couldn't get rid of that bunching up--that's why I decided to paint it...then that go screwed up-local shops are a rip off so DIY is my only option right now-still got the CF and 3M adhisive though+I still got the fabric spray-any advise is welcome!!! I got more time than money right now-Thanks!

 

What were you using to heat up the 3m carbon wrap? I hope at least a hair dryer.......best to use a real heat gun to stretch the wrap for serious curves.

 

I wasn't heating the material. That wasn't part of the directions on the thread I was reading. I got the CF material from a person on this forum-it's nice stuff. Its got a thin fabric backing on it(like a sheet of fabric) and when you flip it over it is another material that looks like CF. It can stretch a bit.I was using 3M Rubber+Vinyl 80 to glue it onto the center console parts(the reason I used 3M 80 is because it gets super hot here and that's the only adhesive that can hold up to these temperatures).
The 3M 80 seems to dry really quickly, so there isn't much time to play with the material. After failing at that I tried Dupi-Color Vinyl+Fabric Coating. That made the parts look like they were brand new! The only problem is that I didn't wait long enough in between coats apparently.
At this point I think my best bet would be either 1. Removing the excess paint and trying the Dupi-color Vinyl+Fabric paint again(I think I can do it right this time) or 2. Trying a pre-made CF kit like the REMIN(I was looking for images of REMIN CF kits for 350's but couldn't find any) Some of these interior kits can look pretty cheap, but I read some good reviews about REMIN.
Once again, all advise is appreciated!

 

You might think about buying a new part from the dealer and simply install that.

 

^ Dealer will charge roughly $80 + shipping.