Hey guys, Stephanie with AmericanMuscle.com here with my review of this red carbon fiber
dash kit for the 2005 to 2009 S197 Mustang.
The carbon fiber dash kit is going to be for the Mustang owners out there that are looking
to change up the looks of their interior.
There are a few options here as far as color.
You can either go with a subtle change with a normal black carbon fiber, or you can go
all out and throw some color up on the dash with a red carbon design.
Either way, the carbon fiber dash kit is an easy way to really customize the interior
and give it some personalization as well as really changing the appearance of the interior.
Like I just mentioned, there are some color options with this kit.
You always have the classic normal carbon fiber design which is more of a subtle change,
but I'm still going to say that it totally changes the look and the feel of the interior.
This comes form sitting in a few cars that have had this kit on them.
If you're really looking for an in your face design or something that's going to match
your exterior theme that you have going on, or maybe you're trying to tie in your red
leather, then there's always this red option.
This kit that I have on the table right here is the red carbon fiber kit.
You can see this is a pretty bold and bright red.
That's really going to pop against a black dash.
This red option does still keep the carbon fiber design, though, so you're not looking
at just the flat color vinyl piece.
The carbon fiber design means that the vinyl's actually raised and you can feel a little
bit of texture here.
In all honesty, I'll just call this out right now.
The red carbon fiber dash kit or even a dash kit in general isn't going to be for everyone.
I will say that this is a nicely made kit with good vinyl that's going to hold up, stick
well and lay nicely for those of you that want this look.
There are a few different reasons why.
There are different types of vinyl.
This kit's made from a wrapping cast vinyl.
This is a 4 mil vinyl that's more durable compared to other vinyl like calendar vinyl
film which is thinner.
This type of vinyl is designed to hold up years even in outdoor weather, so you don't
have to worry about whether or not it'll hold up in your interior.
Another feature this vinyl has is air release technology.
This is on the adhesive side of the vinyl.
It's not a feature that all vinyl has.
What this means is that there are miniature air channels in the adhesive side of the vinyl.
These air channels give air that's under the vinyl a path out from underneath so the air
can easily be squeezed out.
This means a bubble free install and a wrinkle free surface.
This is going to be especially nice with the large dash pieces of this kit where it'd be
a real downer to have any kind of wrinkle or uneven surface in the vinyl.
There are a lot of pieces to this kit including two center console trim pieces, dash trim,
vent trim, instrument trim and even small pieces like the door lock trim so you can
tie everything in together and so everything will match after the kit's installed.
This is going to work for all GT and V6 Mustangs and the '07 to '09 GT 500s and the '08 to
'09 Bullitt Mustangs as well.
As far as price, both the regular carbon fiber and this red carbon fiber are the same price.
You're looking at spending $120 for both options.
If you're not really into either of these looks, there are some other options on the
site like a brushed silver, a black leather and even a honeycomb design as well.
You can always check those out.
The install here is not going to be difficult.
Anyone can complete it, but it is going to be a little time consuming.
It also requires a little bit of patience because you're really going to want to take
your time and lay the vinyl nicely.
Another thing to keep in mind here that I noticed is that this vinyl does scratch easily.
When you go to do the install, that's all the more reason to be a little bit careful.
You're not going to want to install this kit in direct sunlight, either.
You'll need a spray bottle with a light soap and water mixture, a hairdryer, something
to clean the dash surface with and hand a hand towel like a microfiber.
Just like laying vinyl on the exterior, you're going to want to start by prepping the surface
well so the vinyl can adhere.
You can pretty much start with any piece that you want to.
I would just recommend starting with some of the smaller pieces, especially if you haven't
done anything like this before.
All you really have to do is lay a light mist.
You don't want to soak the back of the vinyl on the adhesive side.
This mist will help you position the vinyl correctly once you lay it down so you can
really lay it on there perfectly.
Once it's in the best position, just use your finger to smooth out the vinyl and use the
towel to wipe away any moisture that you get out from underneath the piece.
This alone should be all you need for the smaller trim pieces, but you are going to
want the hairdryer for the larger pieces that you're trying to get conformed to the surface.
Just be careful not to overheat the vinyl because you don't want it to wrinkle.
When it comes to the largest dash piece in the kit, it might be easier if you have a
helping hand to get the piece straight on the dash and quickly.
Overall, you're looking at a one out of three wrenches on the scale and about an hour's
time to get the install completed.
Wrapping things up here with the carbon fiber dash kit, this is a vinyl kit that has a red
carbon fiber design and a texture as well.
You have two different color options including a bright red or a standard carbon fiber.
The kit includes everything you'll need for the entire dash and it's easy to install.
You can check these kits out more online.
For all things Mustang, keep it right here at AmericanMuscle.com.