Hi everyone,

I'm thinking about getting my center console hydro dipped.

Does anyone have pictures of their hydro dipped console?
Also, how much did you pay for it?

 

I believe user dcains hydrodipped his waterfall piece.

 

It was too shiny for me. Went back to stock. It cost me $300 for shipping and door panels. Still have the door pieces, I like those.

https://my350z.com/forum/interior/57...reen-unit.html



I actually still have another center console ( I had two done) that's slightly different. It's a more "tinted" carbon. I was going to get it covered in suede. I might could sell it too you.

 

I did, but the car is at the dealer right now getting a new alternator (warranty repair, thankfully). I'll post up some pics middle of the week. I had the pieces done the first time by a site sponsor, JM Auto Racing, which was a very bad idea. Worst work I've ever seen. So, I stripped everything (waterfall, shifter surround, door A/C vents, door pulls, and the rear strut bar cover) and sent the pieces to this place to be done right:

https://www.shawnaughtydesignz.com/index.html

Everything came out nearly perfect, and it was worth all the effort and time (and money).

OP, I agree with Nismo350z#0310 that the shine takes some getting used to, but it did grow on me, and the hydrodipping looks much better than any vinyl wrap, IMO. If he's offering his pieces for $300, I'd jump on them in a heartbeat. Save yourself a lot of time and get some pieces you already know were done right.

 

Scratch that, can't sell it, just dug it out and forgot I already trashed the cubby lid on a DYI carbon fabric wrap attempt.

 

Forgot to post the pics last week, so here they are:



Some close-up:





Also did the door trim and the rear strut bar:

 

Looks really good cain! Thanks for the pics

 

That looks gorgeous if you ever wanna sell pm me

 

I've still got the original waterfall/cubby/shifter surround in great condition. Not sure if I'm going to sell them, but someone could send those to be hydrodipped and then swap for the originals in their car. I did it that way so I could keep my interior intact while the work was being done, which actually took more time than I had hoped.

Avoid doing business with site sponsor JM Auto Racing, who wasted 2 months of my time and royally f'd up my parts the first time. Had to have another shop do the job correctly.

 

While dcains's console looks very nice, I think you should also consider just having it wrapped in real CF. Carbon fiber element does amazing work and it's only a bit more than hydrodipping (it will cost more, but it's definitely worth it) I only say this because hydrodipping can have complications depending on the shop doing it and it can look crappy if the shop uses a bad looking CF hydrodip. Also, since hydrodipping is done in the water (obviously, lol) it could have some irregularities.

 

How long does the wrap last and also what was the other company you used ?

 

A wrap is permanent. It's real carbon fiber. And I edited my post because I miswrote the company name.

 

They should try dusting some black candy on them with a matte clear to dull it down a little. That's if you don't like the shine.

 

I seriously considered CF wrapping (never vinyl, though), but had 2 concerns:

First, was the cost. It wasn't a "only a bit more than hydrodipping", it was almost 3X the cost for all the same pieces. The dipping was only ~$300. I did do some of the prep work myself, but I simply wasn't prepared to spend the cash for real CF wrapping. I'll give you that real CF looks better, when properly done, so you do get what you pay for. Hydrodipping, when done properly looks great, IMO, and remember, I mentioned that the first shop who did my pieces, did an absolutely horrible job. I posted a thread a few months back, showing the pieces as received from JM Auto Racing, if you care to search for it. Trust me, it was an awful experience, and getting a refund was no fun, either.

Second, I thought the thickness of the CF wrapping must cause some clearance issues, such as between the cubby door and waterfall, and the interface between the waterfall and the side dash pieces. I'd guess the edges of some of the pieces would need to be trimmed, and I was concerned about the fit of the panels. Is that a false assumption?

 

yeah, good thought. I think I've gotten used to the shine, and I like it, but at first it was a bit too much. Very different from the original parts, but overall I'm very happy with the result.

 

If you're asking about the hydrodipping, it should be a near-permanent solution. The top coat is exterior automotive clear coat, so it's basically the same thing the car body is painted with. Same with real CF wrapping. The difference is what;'s under the clear coat. Google "hydrodipping" to see how it's done. Pretty cool, actually. My first bad result was with JM Auto Racing, the great second attempt was by:

https://www.shawnaughtydesignz.com/index.html

I's try to find a local shop, if possible, so you can see the quality of their work first-hand, and save on time and the cost of shipping. Lots of shops do hydrodipping now, but I'd only deal with a company with experience is automotive interior parts.

 

$900? For most of the interior I was quoted $500 for the place I mentioned which isn't that much more. seeing as it /is/ real CF, and there's more work that goes into it than does hydrodipping. To be honest you could always try hydro dipping it yourself. They have DIY kits available out there. All you'd need to do is sand it down, get a tub(use your bath tub?) and dip the parts you want in then shoot it with some clear coat. That'll definitely be cheaper. Also,I haven't heard anything bad about clearance issues since it's right over the OEM stuff, it's not like getting the ebay stick ons. I know /those/ have clearance issues, but I haven't heard anything about clearance issues on wrapping.

 

I'm not sure the actual dipping of the pieces is all that hard, but getting a really good clear coat is, with either CF or dipping. You're simply not going to get that quality of finish using clear coat from a spray can, so paying $300 for all the work was a good deal for me. Hydrodipping also requires a good quality undercoat, because the film is translucent and literally only ink-thin, so a poor undercoat will yield a poor result.

Maybe I'm wrong, but it sure seems like the CF cloth would add thickness to the dash pieces at the edges where it's wrapped around them. Maybe it doesn't make a practical difference, but my waterfall is a pretty tight fit at the sides.