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3M Vinyl Wrapped Interior - T3 Exec

49K views 61 replies 37 participants last post by  black_orion 
#1 ·
Just finished wrapping the interior trim of my Treg (T3 Exec) with vinyl. Got really sick of the wood--not only did I not love it but it had a few deep scratches and light swirls that really just never looked great to me. Anyway--thought I'd share a few pictures of how it turned out because there really isn't too much info out there on people who have done this--at least not on the T3. Unfortunately I don't have the time to do a full writeup (also I have never worked with vinyl before so it would probably be all incorrect) but there are tons of tutorials out there for different cars, and the Treg's trim pieces really aren't too difficult. Having said that, I'm happy to answer any questions anyone may have.

Toughest piece was probably the ashtray as it has corners that become exposed when it's open. The main center console piece wasn't too bad--most of the switches come out so you can wrap behind them, except for the e-brake switch, which does come out but some vinyl still has to be "cut-in" with the edges exposed. I can explain more if anyone is curious.

I wanted something clean and simple, with an OEM look, but not the wood. I really like how the R-Lines have the aluminum look, which I would have gone for, but with the Exec's silver plastic trim surrounding the wood (as opposed to the Sport/R-Line's gloss black) I would have had to do twice as much wrapping which I wasn't comfortable with my first time around. For anyone curious--this is the 3M 1080 in Matte Charcoal Metallic. It's the warmer of the two darker greys and I think I picked the right one. If you're considering wrapping get a sample book of the 1080 finishes--I got mine for free a while back, forgot how. I got by with a 5' X 1' with a little to spare (but not much room for error.) Total cost--$15. Really impressed with the stuff.
 

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#9 ·
That looks nice enough to have come from the factory.

Everything is wrapped nice and the colors actually match. Not what I have come to expect, as most amateur jobs look amateur and/or garish.

Congratulations! :D
 
#10 ·
And thanks for noting that you used the 3M 1080 in Matte Charcoal Metallic. That would have been my first question.

Now condition your seats. ;)
 
#15 ·
Thanks for all of the positive responses and sorry it took me so long to reply! Have been doing a lot of travelling for holidays and work.
For all of the trim removal I just followed the PDFs in the Touareg service manual. I would post them here but not sure if that's allowed since I paid for it? It’s easy enough to explain though. For the door trims—just start at the back with a trim pry tool and ease them out. They just clip in at about 4 locations and tab in near the handle—so they come out and back, if you will. For the trim piece with memory seat controls—those separate from the piece after removal so they can be easily wrapped.
The piece by the glove box is easy as well—just start at the bottom and it will pry right out. For the center console piece—first you need to pull up on the leather boot—comes right off. Open the ashtray cover, reach in to the area that you just uncovered near the shifter, and pull the entire piece upwards. This loosens the front half of the trim. There are tabs near the cupholders so after the front is pulled up, the whole thing slides forward. Ashtray is simple—remove the insert, reach in, and pull upwards on left and right sides. It unclips and slides right out. For the tiny piece left around the climate controls—you can pull that off with your fingers starting at the bottom. I can post screenshots of all the VW explanations if it’s allowed.
As for the application—there are countless tutorials online and it’s really easy to work with once you get a feel for it. My only tip is that some people use blow dryers and I did NOT find this sufficient. I have a cheap $20 heat gun from Lowe’s that works much better on the low setting.
Someone asked total time invested—I don’t know, maybe 3-4 hours, but I took my time with it.
Nickyt—I know the seats need some love! What do you recommend?
T-Reguan—yes, the switch does come out but the front half does not as far as I could tell. The actual mechanical switch is removed but there is essentially a plastic “bucket” that is left attached to the trim—the piece that you can see/feel when your finger goes underneath the lever. So that was the tricky part—the back half was easier. I just trimmed there with an x-acto and tucked it between the wood and black plastic.
 
#21 ·
That's an awesome color and looks fantastic with the black interior. Would so do this but not sure how it would look with my saddle brown interior :/
 
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#28 ·
For those that have done this, did you wrap it in behind the panels or trim it flush with the edge of the wood trim? Combination of both? I would think that there are parts where you would want to wrap it around, such as the cup holders, while the door panels might be good enough just trimmed at the edge. Curious what you have done with yours.
 
#29 ·
Pootz. I originally did mine without taking the panels off. It will work however taking each panel off really will look the best. Both times I have used a thicker product from Vivvid. Their epoxy gloss carbon fiber I feel is the most realistic looking of what I've seen. It does take some time to work with and you have to have patience with it. Adhesion does seem to be good. Oh don't forget to really clean the piece your wrapping this step is a must. That's my 2 cents


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