Contour Enthusiasts Group Archives Forums Modifications Aesthetics Interior dying

I have found a few posts that reference DIY dying interior carpet or panels a different color but maybe a total of 2 actual posts that say how they turned out. Those two posts seemed to say that it faded quickly (when dying black) but I do not want to base my decision off of two not so recent posts. Even looking else where online there doesn't seem to be many reviews good or bad regarding dying your own interior.

Has anybody dyed either interior panels (ie: dash or doors) or carpet with the DIY kits and had success? Thought this is a good of a place to ask as any.

Like this?



This pic is over a year old. It was taken about a month before the car went down for its manual swap. With that swap also came the gray leather steering wheel and the gray trim around the column.

For the most part it turned out well. I avoided dying items that were touched often. I disassembled the door panels, recovered the top section with black vinyl, the center section is OE and I dyed the bottom. The headliner, dashboard, A/B/C pillars were all removed, disassembled and dyed. This allowed me to clean them properly, avoid getting the dye on the glass, and disassemble the pieces that I didnt want dyed (like the snap in trim pieces where the seat belts exit the cover. I left the carpet, seats, seat belts, center console and armrest alone.

All I used was lots of cleaning compounds, and then the 3M vinyl and fabric dye that you can pick up at the auto parts store. In the 3+ years that the interior was like this, it only required a couple of minor touch-ups.

I did it the easy way on my two most recent cars and just bought them with OE black or dark gray interiors.

And if you are planning on doing this with an SVT, be prepared for possible flaming when you post pics.

No, not for the SVT. I have a project car that is worth about as much as the can of dye but I can't stand the maroon interior and it is definitely not worth paying somebody to professionally dye it. Sounds like it's worth a try then.

i'll have to look into the 3m dye. i hate the brown dash color in my svt. always wanted anything that brown color to be black. i think it would be a much better complement to the tan color. when u dye the dash does the color soak in? or does it come out like it was painted and could be scratched off?

My brother sprayed black dye on his 93 Accord interior. He did the carpet, headliner, and door panels. It was a nasty beige/tan color before he did it. He also painted the dash, center console, and all trim pieces black to match.

It turned out really good. Much better then what I was expecting. It's been completed for about a year with no visible fading.

He purchased the interior paint and dye at the local Checker auto parts store. So the stuff should be pretty readily available anywhere.

I think I will end up doing the same thing to my Camaro's carpet if his lasts any longer. It would be a lot cheaper then purchasing new carpet. Anyhow that's my two cents on the matter.

FWIW, my interior was beige before I started. Granted I did replace the seats, carpet, center console and some small trim pieces. In that pic, the car still has the stock dashboard, headliner, parts of the door panels, package tray and most of the pillar covers.