[MASHCT]

Finding out that the M2 carbon fiber interior bits are gonna run about $500-$700 (depending on the vendor), and retail for well over a grand, I thought I'd have a go at covering my interior bits in carbon fiber myself.

Not the vinyl shite out there. Bad enough we're using veneer - even worse if we use (cough!) vinyl.

Attached a pic of my first try - the driver's side door handle. I did not paint the aluminum hex trim, either. I only cleaned it with denatured alcohol to ensure no grease. The silver trim does not show through.

How much did it all cost? Less than $85.

$59.94 for the REAL carbon fiber fabric ($35.99 for the CF; $23.95 for S&H).
$12 for the 3M heavy duty spray adhesive
$6.50 for the satin clear coat
$2 for 2 foam applicators
$3.99 for contact cement

The price for the carbon fiber fabric is the lowest I found for the size (1 yard is the minimum at every vendor I checked) and lemme tell ya - you get way more than you'll need to cover your parts. In fact, you'll feel like covering everything in CF, you get so much.

How easy is it to do? Very. So easy, I don't have to put any directions in this post. If you can put your pants on correctly, or if you can wrap your parts in <giggle> vinyl, you can wrap in CF fabric.

I will take pics of the interior & the parts when all parts are done & installed. Just took some initial pics so you can see how it looks. If you're thinking of vinyl or buying the CF BMW parts, maybe this post will inspire you to DIY with the real McCoy.

And then you feel justified in spending the cash you saved on say... engine mods!

[DailySleeper]

Nice!

Curious to see how this holds up over time with just the clear coat. Are you afraid the weave will move at all or does the contact cement have it down solid?

I've skinned a couple interior pieces using the carbon fiber fabric in my Camaro (because yeah, its a lot cheaper to DIY), however I epoxied it and polished the heck out of it to get a gloss finish (center console cover and lower door threshold trims in photo below for example). Are the dry carbon parts you can buy from BMW finished with a satin epoxy?

Time to experiment with all the leftover fabric I have.....

[MASHCT]

Originally Posted by DailySleeper

Nice!

Curious to see how this holds up over time with just the clear coat. Are you afraid the weave will move at all or does the contact cement have it down solid?

I think it will hold up OK - at least as long as I plan on owning the car. I'd just buy the OEM stock aluminum trim parts if anything happens.

I can say the CF fabric will not move - it is down firm with the adhesive & once clear coated, CF fabric firmed right up, as hard as plastic.

I was able to use a file to sand down any nibs flat. The finished part (all are not done yet) came out great & is smooth. I used a satin finish clear & it's nice - has a nice texture, almost like the OEM dry CF parts.

Not going to claim it's as nice as the OEM CF parts, but it looks great & it's real CF vs the vinyl stickers.

[MichalM240i]

Subscribed! Love these DIYs!

[jmwilson125]

This is pretty awesome! Did you use a UV stable satin clear coat? That would be my only concern with sunlight over the months and years