alexandre
09-02-2012, 11:50 AM
One of the first things I did when I took possession of my new car was to replace the rear deck speaker covers. They were badly discolored by the sun and just made the car look cheap and old. While doing so, I noticed that my rear deck's anthrazit fabric had faded to a weird blue/purple because of the sun. This DIY takes things further and will teach you how completely refurbish your rear deck and make it look like it came out of the showroom yesterday.
Keep in mind my car is a ZHP sedan, with no folding seats. YMMV for coupes, verts, and vehicles with folding seats.
First things first, here are the materials and tools you will need for this project.
2x H/K rear deck speaker covers - PN #51468213972, ~$20 ea.
1 can of Duplicolor HVP106 Flat Black Vinyl & Fabric Coating ~$5
A few sheets of newspaper :)
Torx T50 Screwdriver
13mm and 8mm sockets
Small flathead screwdriver/butter knife
1. Remove your 3 rear headrests. They're a bit hard to remove, so make sure you pull them up in the right direction. Wiggle a bit if they seem stuck.
2. Remove the seats. For the lower section, grab under the front and pull up. It should pop out pretty easily. For the back section, grab where the seats meet the rear deck, and pull towards you. They are held in the same way.
3. Remove the 4 pop rivets along the edge of the rear deck. You have to push the center part towards the ground. You may lose it if you push it too far - they cost a few cents at the dealership so you might have to replace them. PN #51467002606.
4. Remove the 3 baby seat anchors. They have plastic caps on them, and 13mm nuts under them.
5. Remove the 2 speakers. Be careful with the H/K covers if you are not replacing them - the clips are pretty fragile. Remove the 3 8mm nuts on each speaker and put away.
6. Pop out your C-pillar lights with your flathead screwdriver. Again, be careful as the clear plastic cover is quite fragile. Unplug and put away.
7. Pop out your C-pillar covers. They have 2 plastic nuts that hold them to the body - pull the cover from the top towards you. Be careful again as there is a small plastic nut at the bottom that I broke when pulling out the cover. I fixed it with Gorilla glue.
8. Unscrew the left and right seat belts (T50). You will be able to remove the plastic trim parts the hold the belts to the deck and pass everything through. Do the same for the center seat belt.
9. Remove all the small plastic trim parts that are still attached to the rear deck (headrest pass-through, center seat belt holder, etc.
10. Lay approx. 7ft by 4ft of newspaper on your wall or on a wood support. You want to do the job vertically because the paint doesn't spray evenly if the can is horizontal.
11. Thoroughly clean your rear deck. This means you'll have to clean it with water and a drop of dishwasher soap, scrub with a carpet brush like this one (http://www.amazon.com/MOTHERS-155900-Mothers-Carpet-Upholstery/dp/B001GJ3E5C) and rinse. Let the deck dry completely.
12. Apply 2 or 3 even coats of dye to the fabric, or until the finish is uniformly black. Wait 15 mins between coats. It took me 3/4 of a can to have a perfect finish. Let dry during 24h (you want to do this even if Duplicolor says it dries in 30 mins, otherwise your car will smell like paint for a few days).
13. While waiting, use the downtime to clean up under your seats. I found business cards, photos, money, as well as a bunch of leaves and sand!
13. Put everything back together. Don't forget your new speaker covers! Also, use some black plastic protectant on all the black trim for a perfect look.
Keep in mind my car is a ZHP sedan, with no folding seats. YMMV for coupes, verts, and vehicles with folding seats.
First things first, here are the materials and tools you will need for this project.
2x H/K rear deck speaker covers - PN #51468213972, ~$20 ea.
1 can of Duplicolor HVP106 Flat Black Vinyl & Fabric Coating ~$5
A few sheets of newspaper :)
Torx T50 Screwdriver
13mm and 8mm sockets
Small flathead screwdriver/butter knife
1. Remove your 3 rear headrests. They're a bit hard to remove, so make sure you pull them up in the right direction. Wiggle a bit if they seem stuck.
2. Remove the seats. For the lower section, grab under the front and pull up. It should pop out pretty easily. For the back section, grab where the seats meet the rear deck, and pull towards you. They are held in the same way.
3. Remove the 4 pop rivets along the edge of the rear deck. You have to push the center part towards the ground. You may lose it if you push it too far - they cost a few cents at the dealership so you might have to replace them. PN #51467002606.
4. Remove the 3 baby seat anchors. They have plastic caps on them, and 13mm nuts under them.
5. Remove the 2 speakers. Be careful with the H/K covers if you are not replacing them - the clips are pretty fragile. Remove the 3 8mm nuts on each speaker and put away.
6. Pop out your C-pillar lights with your flathead screwdriver. Again, be careful as the clear plastic cover is quite fragile. Unplug and put away.
7. Pop out your C-pillar covers. They have 2 plastic nuts that hold them to the body - pull the cover from the top towards you. Be careful again as there is a small plastic nut at the bottom that I broke when pulling out the cover. I fixed it with Gorilla glue.
8. Unscrew the left and right seat belts (T50). You will be able to remove the plastic trim parts the hold the belts to the deck and pass everything through. Do the same for the center seat belt.
9. Remove all the small plastic trim parts that are still attached to the rear deck (headrest pass-through, center seat belt holder, etc.
10. Lay approx. 7ft by 4ft of newspaper on your wall or on a wood support. You want to do the job vertically because the paint doesn't spray evenly if the can is horizontal.
11. Thoroughly clean your rear deck. This means you'll have to clean it with water and a drop of dishwasher soap, scrub with a carpet brush like this one (http://www.amazon.com/MOTHERS-155900-Mothers-Carpet-Upholstery/dp/B001GJ3E5C) and rinse. Let the deck dry completely.
12. Apply 2 or 3 even coats of dye to the fabric, or until the finish is uniformly black. Wait 15 mins between coats. It took me 3/4 of a can to have a perfect finish. Let dry during 24h (you want to do this even if Duplicolor says it dries in 30 mins, otherwise your car will smell like paint for a few days).
13. While waiting, use the downtime to clean up under your seats. I found business cards, photos, money, as well as a bunch of leaves and sand!
13. Put everything back together. Don't forget your new speaker covers! Also, use some black plastic protectant on all the black trim for a perfect look.