My Insignia Elite, 2.0 CDTI. tucpal.

[tucpal]

The other job that i have been doing this week and the last job for 2016 is to sort out the insignias radio display
i hated the standard radio display surround in the insignia it looked cheap looking in a plane matt black plastic
it really does let the inside down with all the lovely looking gloss black trim parts that surround it
so i have been looking at options to improve the radio display like paint, wrap, plastidip etc
but none of them were really going to do the job that well
so i decided i wanted something that would blend in with the gloss black trims
but still stand out but not over the top and have some detail on them
so the option i chose was to go for the water transfer hydro dipping option  
there are loads of types of hydro dip films to chose from but i chose a black gold carbon fiber weave.

Here is the standard radio display and the standard armrest display controls.








The first thing i did was to remove the parts from the car that i was going to dip
then i rubbed them down with 400 and 800 wet and dry to get a good key and then i put them in a plastic primer
and i allow a few days for them to dry out then i rubbed them down again with a 1500 wet and dry.








Then as the hydro dip film i am using is a transparent film that has the carbon fiber gold weave pattern only on it
i had to then use a base coat as a back ground and in this case i used black and then after that had dried out after a few days
again i rubbed it down with 1500 wet and dry to smooth it down again.








Next it was time for the fun bit the water transfer hydro dipping
basically you cut the film to the size needed and then border it with tape
then make a few cuts at each edge for the film to expand
then lay the film in warm water and get rid of any air bubbles and then wait for 60 seconds
then spray the top of the film with activator spray then you have 20 second to dip the part.








Then you leave the parts you have dipped for about 5 mins to etch the print onto the base coat
it will then have a glossy look to it after it has been dipped this must then be rinsed off with warm water
until all the glossiness and the slimy feel has gone completely
then it will be left for 24 hrs to dry out and then it looks like this like it has a dull mat finish to it.




   



Now it is time to make that black gold carbon fiber weave print pop
i added 3 coats of clear lacquer and after 24 hours hours i then flatten it back again with 1500 wet and dry
and then rubbing compound and a lot of elbow work to get a nice even gloss finish
then i reassembled all the parts back together.











And finally i got all the parts back into the car and it was job done.











I am very happy with the results and i think it blends in very nicely with the other gloss black trim bits
and it looks much better in real life than in the pictures for sure the black gold carbon fiber weave works very well
it may not be everyones cup of tea but it is certainly is better than the standard matt black plastic it had before
and it is definitely difrent.