Dash Trim Kit

I put one on my old Camry. The molded pieces looked nice, but the flat pieces (which most of them are) look cheap and cheesey. Don't think I'll try that again.

 

Hey -- there's no reason to be so drastic. Go with the dancing hula girl!

 

We used to do these kits for 1992 Camry's that were aftermarket. By 1994 the exact same kit was available from the Toyota Dealer as a Genuine Toyota Accessory.

There was no difference in quality. It was very thin wood (real wood) with a flexible plastic top layer and a metal flexible bottom layer that was self-stick.

The key to the whole thing was to use a heat gun to flex the pieces correctly before installation.

My mom and dad still have one on each of their Camry's. It still looks as good as the day I put them in, but they really have gone out of style. The gold emblems are a little faded, though...

My biggest reason to discourage you from buying the wood dash kits is that they aren't cool anymore. Carbon fiber would be a more in-style choice...

It's kind of like asking, "Is this a good quality set of white-wall tires for my Prius?" The answer might be yes, but I might cringe when I say the words...

Nate

 

Only if you light the candles when you drive .

BTW, I saw a wood dash kit installed on a Silver Prius and it looked nice, not my taste, but nice.

Take care,

Tisza

 

We have the wood dash trim kit and leather seats, installed by the dealer. Both look GREAT and make such a big difference. I absolutely love them!

 

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Can you please post photos? What brand was used?

 

Wow...I just had a flashback to the Sterling automobile
Anybody remember those? All that veneer and leather and they still couldn't be sold

 

Aesthetically, I've never liked fake wood trim, especially when applied in a manner that makes it look decidedly fake, i.e. applied in a location or in a manner that real wood would never be used or couldn't be applied, like the rounded corner "wood panelling" on cheap television sets and microwaves, and the panels on the sides of some newer station wagons. I even saw a homebuilt sailboat that had wood grain contact paper laid down as decking!!
I passed a 1970's station wagon on my way to work, that had the fake wooden panelling on the sides. It was ugly when new, and, now, it is REALLY ugly.
There is a constant undercurrent in American consumerism to make the cheap look more expensive. Cars wear badges that state: "custom", "deluxe", "special edition", "regal", etc. You get the idea. Take something cheap and tack on a few buzz word badges, some fake panels, chrome trim, etc, and add a few thousand dollars to the price.... Everyone wants to make other people think they have more money than they actually have. Most of the fake wood in cars looks tacky and pretentious.
On the other hand, the vast plateau of black plastic on the Prius upper dash and all the plastic on the dash face, does seem to demand something to enliven it.
I'd be interested in seeing what any of the wood trim stuff actually looks like in a Prius. Maybe bamboo flooring, reflecting Prius' Asian heritage, to replace the carpeting?
Bob

 

http://www.directsalesanddesign.com/

You can order Lexus burl, any of the woods used in any premium automobile cut for the Prius pattern.

Cost is reasonable considering it is a layer of real wood.

Phone: 954.522.5477

Mauricio Rodriguez, sales

I had a real wood trim kit put into my 1997 Ford F350, it still looks quite nice.