First off thanks everyone for a great forum with loads of tips! A few years back I was looking at the new cruisers out there and the only major difference between the 2016-19 and my 2003 was that the interior was new and upgraded. Didnt want to spend $90k on an interior as mine had only 170k miles on it. Practically brand new itself! So I did the next best thing I spend about $4k and did the following:
1) New leather seats and interior (except for door panels, as they were looking factory fresh already). End result was better than factory as the leather color (ivory) exactly matched the interior plastic. I chose perforated leather for the middle dark part of the seats to match the Dr. Grey on the door handles, and the same contrasting color for the piping around the seats and headrests. Had them wash the headliner and shampoo the carpets as well. They did the front and back seats and the back of the seats as well, along with the center consoul. Total cost for this was $3200 plus 5 days at the shop. Result: Super! love it now, better than factory.
2) Replaced the factory speakers and subwoofer in the back with decent ones. Didnt do anything else to the radio or amplifier. Cost was $500. Result WOW, sooo much better sound, no crackling and I can turn it up as loud as it will go without issues. Yes, it isn't home aduiophile quality, but I didn't want to spend that much.
3) Covered the not so great, grey/black plastic interior facia with a wood grain kit. (WOW Trim, Walnut Burlwood, full it w/navigation). Cost $234. I took my time with the kit and made sure the pieces fit well before sticking them on permantely. I only used about half of the kit, as all the pieces were overkill. Result: Looks factory quality, even some skeptics liked the result.
4) Covered the steering wheel with new leather. See my recent post: New steering wheel installed LX470. Matched the leather on my wheel nicely and fit over existing leather, so it is a bit bulkier than before, which is what I wanted. Got it from Loncky in China, dark grey color. Cost: $50, looks great, have smooth leather on top and bottom and perforated on the sides.
5) Cleaned engine bay. OK, not the interior but my paranoia had migrated to the outside. For details see video: . I didnt go too crazy here. I realize that a cruiser without some dirt is a range rover .
6) Cleaned the seat belts! Were black and gummy, and now are ivory colored and "almost new". I decided to clean them instead of replacing. First you pull the belt all the way out to its full legnth, then close the door with the belt hanging out of the car. This holds it in place and you can wash and rinse it with the hose easily. I soaked them in a hot concentrated solution of simple green for 20min. Then with a not too harsh scrub brush, scrub them down completely. You can scrub pretty hard without any noticible marking. Rinse with hose, repeat, etc... Cost: $15 bucks for gallon of simple green that will last several years. Great for all cleaning and its safe for the environment. Result is almost new seat belts that retract easily and dont stick! Yea!!!
7) Replaced the sagging cargo net on back of front seats. (see my recent post for this one).
8) Installed a TrekBoxx drawer system in the back. A bit of an impulse purchase, but I'll be ready for the camping trips now!!!
9) Bought weathertech floor liners for front, back, and trunk when I bought the car 10+years ago, so carpeting was very clean to begin with.
Well that's about it. I did this over the past 3 years. I wanted to keep the car looking mostly stock condition, but also wanted to do improvements where possible. This should cover most of the wear and tear that you will find on most interiors. The car looks great, much much better than stock. Cost was about $4k without the trekboxx. I hope some of you can use the tips here to refresh your ride. Best...
1) New leather seats and interior (except for door panels, as they were looking factory fresh already). End result was better than factory as the leather color (ivory) exactly matched the interior plastic. I chose perforated leather for the middle dark part of the seats to match the Dr. Grey on the door handles, and the same contrasting color for the piping around the seats and headrests. Had them wash the headliner and shampoo the carpets as well. They did the front and back seats and the back of the seats as well, along with the center consoul. Total cost for this was $3200 plus 5 days at the shop. Result: Super! love it now, better than factory.
2) Replaced the factory speakers and subwoofer in the back with decent ones. Didnt do anything else to the radio or amplifier. Cost was $500. Result WOW, sooo much better sound, no crackling and I can turn it up as loud as it will go without issues. Yes, it isn't home aduiophile quality, but I didn't want to spend that much.
3) Covered the not so great, grey/black plastic interior facia with a wood grain kit. (WOW Trim, Walnut Burlwood, full it w/navigation). Cost $234. I took my time with the kit and made sure the pieces fit well before sticking them on permantely. I only used about half of the kit, as all the pieces were overkill. Result: Looks factory quality, even some skeptics liked the result.
4) Covered the steering wheel with new leather. See my recent post: New steering wheel installed LX470. Matched the leather on my wheel nicely and fit over existing leather, so it is a bit bulkier than before, which is what I wanted. Got it from Loncky in China, dark grey color. Cost: $50, looks great, have smooth leather on top and bottom and perforated on the sides.
5) Cleaned engine bay. OK, not the interior but my paranoia had migrated to the outside. For details see video: . I didnt go too crazy here. I realize that a cruiser without some dirt is a range rover .
6) Cleaned the seat belts! Were black and gummy, and now are ivory colored and "almost new". I decided to clean them instead of replacing. First you pull the belt all the way out to its full legnth, then close the door with the belt hanging out of the car. This holds it in place and you can wash and rinse it with the hose easily. I soaked them in a hot concentrated solution of simple green for 20min. Then with a not too harsh scrub brush, scrub them down completely. You can scrub pretty hard without any noticible marking. Rinse with hose, repeat, etc... Cost: $15 bucks for gallon of simple green that will last several years. Great for all cleaning and its safe for the environment. Result is almost new seat belts that retract easily and dont stick! Yea!!!
7) Replaced the sagging cargo net on back of front seats. (see my recent post for this one).
8) Installed a TrekBoxx drawer system in the back. A bit of an impulse purchase, but I'll be ready for the camping trips now!!!
9) Bought weathertech floor liners for front, back, and trunk when I bought the car 10+years ago, so carpeting was very clean to begin with.
Well that's about it. I did this over the past 3 years. I wanted to keep the car looking mostly stock condition, but also wanted to do improvements where possible. This should cover most of the wear and tear that you will find on most interiors. The car looks great, much much better than stock. Cost was about $4k without the trekboxx. I hope some of you can use the tips here to refresh your ride. Best...