You simply can't duplicate a piano finish on metal using paint; it will never look 'right'. It requires many coats of hand rubbed lacquer. You can try, but I don't think you'll be happy when comparing the real thing to your painted version.

 

Here it is on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/08-AS...Q5fAccessories

 

I just went to the custom cycle shop after I read your comments and got concerned. He explained that most automotive interior wood finishes are no longer lacquered. They use a urethane instead. Lacquer doesn't offer any UV protection and will tend to crack with the sunlight and high temperatures we have here in Florida. I can vouch for that. My two Esprits came with a Burl Walnut facia and both started peeling and cracking after a few years. I had all the wood trim in my current Esprit replaced with custom Carbon Fiber pieces.

Anyway, he showed me a sample piece he had done on a hotrod tailgate and it looked fantastic. Almost as deep and glossy as the finish on my baby grand at home. I'm sure if you had both side by side or you tap on it and hear the metal you would be able to tell but he claims to know what I'm looking for and that I'll be very happy with the result. He say he uses 3 coats of clear, hand rubbed and polished. Anything thicker he says could develop cracks if it flexes.

I'm leaning toward dropping off the facia next Monday. If I do, I'll make sure to take pictures to document it and be the group guinea pig. Worst case I can always just buy another piece, right?

 

Thanks. This statement "Please be aware that these are used parts. Parts may have scuffs, scratches, dings, or dents." is what I'm concerned about with these type of auctions. Even then, that piece is for an 08 Sportshift with nav so it wouldn't work on my car (07 manual, no nav).

Cheers.

 

Karl,
Reading the comments by the cycle shop about the lacquer finish etc...the first thing that popped in my head was the series on TV Speedmasters. They did an episode on the AM build process and how they painstakingly go through the detail. While the above might be accurate about a lot of other marques, and perhaps even AM, I would not be surprised one bit if the fascia is actual piano grade lacquer finish. Frankly, looking at mine I can't tell the difference between it and a grand piano.

 

Ooh! Thanks for reminding me that I have that show recorded.

 

I agree that AM probably doesn't actually use lacquer. Lacquer is not even used on furniture that much anymore.

It sounds like your guy knows what he's doing. You're right, if it doesn't turn out right, you can always just buy the replacement piece, which you'd have to do anyway to get the factory piano black finish.

Good luck and be sure to post pics of the results.

 

I buy your alloy facia, if you finally acquires the piano black.I need you post a picture of the state of the la piece, to know if I need it.
alloy facia piece should be no scratches

 

This comment is really to support the look of the piano black... the sun reflection to me is very minor and I do not have any problem when the sun is shining on it and sending the reflection toward my eyes...

However....... the reflection of the sun on the metal frame around the shift boot is bothersome, no doubt to others as well.

 

I have the piano black and just noticed a few scratches...any idea on how to buff out scratches on this kind of sufrace?

Thanks in advance.

Eric

 

My first Vantage was an 06 and now I have a '11 N420 with the black piano wood. The black piano wood is hands down the best looking center console. Mine gets a little dusty here and there, but not a nuisance.

 

Operation "Piano Black Facia" has begun. I took off the facia panel and then removed the starter button and a/c vents. I will be dropping them off at the custom cycle shop tomorrow morning.

Notes:
a) There are a total of 4 clips that must be pried up. The first two are near the vents. The other two are closest to the center channel speaker.
b) For years I have heard people in reviews say that the starter button is made out of crystal. Maybe the ECU on newer cars is, but on mine it is most definitely not. It appears to be made out of plastic.
c) I will be using this opportunity to attempt an iPod/USB/Bluetooth install. I will post on a separate thread on this project.
d) The infotainment screen has a big Volvo sticker on the top.

Here are a few pictures of the process so far. Sorry for the poor quality of them. I took them with my iPhone in low light.

#1 Special tools used to remove facia and other car trim bits without damaging the leather.
#2 Facia as it looks now. with the "interesting" honeycomb hexagonal pattern.
#3 Prying the left side with one of the tools.
#4 Now prying the right side.
#5 Two (upper) clips to go.

 

More pictures:
#1 The center stack sans facia. The arrows indicate where the clips attach to hold the facia panel in place.
#2 Facia with vents and starter button removed. Each vent is held in place by 3 Torx head screws.
#3 Back side of facia. Surprisingly, the panel is actually made of cheap ABS plastic. The "pretty side" is actually a stamped and painted piece of metal that is wrapped around the front of the plastic piece. This should put to rest any discussions of the real piano black panel being a real piece of solid wood. I'm convinced now that it is simply a thin skin veneer that is glued to the same plastic piece as my metal one is.
#4 Close-up of the stamped metal skin with the honeycomb painted pattern.
#5 The bracket that holds the starter button in place. The shiny "metal" barrel is actually made out of plastic. The bracket has openings for additional buttons if you have a SportShift transmission. In manual gearbox cars, only the center button is used. The bracket is attached to the plastic facia with 12 Torx head screws.

 

Good info KF. Where did you get the "special" tools? Are they plastic, or metal coated with a polymer coating? The pic of you prying off the fascia with the mini crowbar is scary.

 

As with many things, I ordered the tools from Amazon. They are made out of a very strong, smooth plastic. They were very highly rated by most buyers and many shop owners claim to use them. I think I paid under $20 for the set of 5 tools.

The process isn't really as scary as it would appear. My only concern is that there is a lot more plastic in the dash than I had been led to believe given AM's reputation. I would worry that all that plastic might get brittle after many years in the Florida sun.