Best trim wood grain or other?

[F4Phantom]

My 535 does not have wood grain but I have seen a few pictures of it and I feel it adds a special look to the car. I have a black dash with beige interior. I would like to know if there is a general consensus if wood grain is cool or not, or is there something which looks even better. I just got put off woodgrain in the post with the guy who hated it and removed it. I have read about some of you installing it too. I recon the centre auto shift panel in wood looks better than the vinyl. With my E30 I resprayed the whole vinyl interior black which worked and looked really good and i was thinking the door inserts on these cars are the same colour as the rest of the door so maybe they would look good sprayed black too. What do you guys think about all this? Basicly I want to improve the look of the interior. You can see the interior after i made it black in the other car.

[onewhippedpuppy]

The wood trim looks classy, I think it fits a BMW. I have also seen people paint their wood gloss black, like a grand piano. Depending on the interior color, this can look really good too, and it's a good option if the wood trim isn't in perfect shape.

[NovceGuru]

A few months ago I bought some carbon fiber weave and resin to replace all my wood, after ripping out my gear selector area and much consideration, I decided not to rice up the interior and to keep the classy wood grain, althought that area is very beat up and it looks like coke (a cola) has seeped into the "wood." Its actually not wood, its a piece of aluminum with some wood vinear, does anybody think that vinear could be found to relayer it or does anybody have that piece that goes under that automatic gear selector?

[onewhippedpuppy]

Being a veneer, if it has been stained, you're pretty well SOL. Solid wood can be sanded down past the stained area, but this isn't solid. Find a piece from somebody else, if it just has minor scratches you can re-varnish it.

[Eric Clark]

You could buy a new sheet of real wood veneer and vaccuum press it to the aluminum. Then stain/ seal it to your liking. Your best bet would be to do the entire enterior and it could be done to look better then the factory wood trim. Burl walunt would probably look amazing

[F4Phantom]

My car does not come standard with wood, I was actually wondering if there was 2 x interior moulds for the e34, one with wood grain fitment indents and one like mine, just smooth. I saw the post about either glueing or double sided taping tha wood on, but do the non standard wood cars easily allow a retrofit?

Hey just for laughs, one Australian car called the Holden HSV grange came out with wood grain stickers over grey plastic dash, the thing was a cheap 30k car jazzed up with larger engine and wood grain stickers for 80K!! my mate had one and all the stickers were dog eared and curling up at the sides. Classy huh.

[Jay 535i]

I like the wood trim, but some shades are better than others.

I really like it in a charcoal colour -- no brown in there at all. That's hard to find, though.

A previous owner put a fake wood kit in my car. I removed the piece from the center console cuz it looked crap, but I left the other pieces because I think they're pretty darn good for fake. Click my sig pic for more pics.

[hakwuzhere]

Ive been trying to ask around about www.wooddashexperts.com but no one seems to have any experiance with them..... They didnt even return my email requesting a sample of thier most expensive kit! Course it was the holidays... so Ill admit it could have gotten lost.

http://www.wooddashexperts.com/customer/home.php?cat=1797

http://www.wooddashexperts.com/customer/product.php?productid=34700&cat=268&page=1

They have like 3 kits listed for the E34....

[Jay 535i]

Ive been trying to ask around about www.wooddashexperts.com but no one seems to have any experiance with them..... They didnt even return my email requesting a sample of thier most expensive kit! Course it was the holidays... so Ill admit it could have gotten lost.

http://www.wooddashexperts.com/customer/home.php?cat=1797

http://www.wooddashexperts.com/customer/product.php?productid=34700&cat=268&page=1

They have like 3 kits listed for the E34....

Those are SUSPICIOUSLY inexpensive. I doubt their quality. Most of the aftermarket kits are crap. Note, also, that that kit is available from a number of retailers. It's mass-produced garbage. Furthermore, they're not the same shapes and sizes as OEM, or at least there's a lot more there than comes from the factory. I don't get why so many of these aftermarket dash kit places think it's cool or desireable to cover the entire interior of your car with wood. 25 pieces, holy geez! The few tasteful peices that are part of the OE kit are all that's needed.

I've seen good kits in the region of $600-800.

Get 'em from a wrecked car for cheap. There are so many parts cars floating around here all the time, and nobody ever talks about the wood trim. I'm sure you could grab 'em cheap, and the OE kits still look great after 15 years. Go OE. Just make sure they all come from the same car, as I believe they were put together as matched sets at the factory. There are subtle differences in texture and color from one car to another sometimes.

In any case, the "ebony zebra" is the look I was talking about. Very classy and understated.

[Jay 535i]

My car does not come standard with wood, I was actually wondering if there was 2 x interior moulds for the e34, one with wood grain fitment indents and one like mine, just smooth. I saw the post about either glueing or double sided taping tha wood on, but do the non standard wood cars easily allow a retrofit?

I think all the wood kits, both OE and aftermarket, are just stuck on with adhesive.

Don't quote me ;) (I should add that to my sig)

[hakwuzhere]

I think all the wood kits, both OE and aftermarket, are just stuck on with adhesive.

Don't quote me ;) (I should add that to my sig)

I thought they used some sort of specially developed Vanos Epoxy?....

[onewhippedpuppy]

All that I have messed with on mine have threaded studs in the wood, and plastic nuts on the backside. I pulled my door panels and tightened all my wood, eliminated a lot of rattles. The wood on the glovebox door is attached with screws from the backside, the other dash stuff is similar.

[F4Phantom]

Onthe wooddash site they have a colour "real dark mahogony". I have seen this colour on black leather and it looks amazing. The wost colours I have seen are the light colours like "real platinum burl" especially on light shades of leather.

[Chas.540i]

I've been curious about changing my trim around. I've asked around and some suggestions were a marble finish painted over and an Alligator skin. Both suggestions came from friends, I think they might both look good but what do you guys think?

[Alexlind123]

I like the wood trim, but some shades are better than others.

I really like it in a charcoal colour -- no brown in there at all. That's hard to find, though.

A previous owner put a fake wood kit in my car. I removed the piece from the center console cuz it looked crap, but I left the other pieces because I think they're pretty darn good for fake. Click my sig pic for more pics.

I agree, some wood is better than other wood. For example, some of the lighter burls (IMHO) look like they belong in an old rolls or bentley rather than a sporty BMW. I rather like my Bubinga wood trim (straighter, more subdued grain).

[onewhippedpuppy]

I've been curious about changing my trim around. I've asked around and some suggestions were a marble finish painted over and an Alligator skin. Both suggestions came from friends, I think they might both look good but what do you guys think?

??? What the hell would that look like? Interesting, but I can't even picture it. I still like a gloss black or silver/gray, sporty but classy.

[Alexlind123]

Full Gator interior FTW!!! Perhaps using one of the feet for the shifter...

[Nick.Hay]

I concur... The Piano black is a great look, but it would definately have to be in the right colour interior to look good. The same rules apply for carbon fibre...

Personally, I find the whole wood thing a little too 90's. Now I know that is the period of our cars, but... meh.

[borderchris]

Just lurk around ebay a little... I've replaced 3 different pieces, including a nice, dark cherry-wood looking center console piece, all for around $10 to $20 a pop. Don't buy the kits- they are over priced and don't look stock. Just wait for stock parts (sometimes you have to buy a whole dash part like a kick panel or a glovebox, but just take the wood and dump the rest) to show up on the bay!

Chris

[ILoveMPower]

I think all the wood kits, both OE and aftermarket, are just stuck on with adhesive.

Don't quote me ;) (I should add that to my sig)

lol

as far as i know the OE wood grain is held on by screws (check your glovebox and backside of door panels) but some sort of adhesive is used as well to give a flush look.

[Jay 535i]

Don't buy the kits- they are over priced and don't look stock. Just wait for stock parts (sometimes you have to buy a whole dash part like a kick panel or a glovebox, but just take the wood and dump the rest) to show up on the bay!

Chris

Will OE wood pieces go on a car that didn't come with them?

My car came from the factory without wood trim. AFAIK, my dash panels are missing the slots required to insert OE wood trim, leaving aftermarket kits as the only option.

[onewhippedpuppy]

lol

as far as i know the OE wood grain is held on by screws (check your glovebox and backside of door panels) but some sort of adhesive is used as well to give a flush look.

I've had nearly all of mine off, and it doesn't have any adhesive. Doors have nuts on the backside of the panels, glovebox has screws, and by the wheel has little snap type things.

[Scott H]

The DOOR panels AND DASH panels have recesses so that once fitment of wood trim is done, it lays relatively flush.

In order to do this retrofit on cars that did NOT originally have wood trim, you need the door panels, glovebox, glovebox latch and striker plate, the little center console piece to the left of the glovebox, and the wood trims for under the steering wheel.

The ONLY pieces that can be moved without needing new panels are the ones that go behind the steering wheel.


Will OE wood pieces go on a car that didn't come with them?

My car came from the factory without wood trim. AFAIK, my dash panels are missing the slots required to insert OE wood trim, leaving aftermarket kits as the only option.

[CharlesAFerg]

Lose the seats, then put in wood. They would clash like no other, silly. :p
lol Seriously though, keep that in mind please. :D