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2014 Panamera 4. So far I've replaced the "sunburned" center door pillar trim, the interior trim, the side vents and side markers and the tail lights... all because the plastic was deteriorated and cheap looking... am I alone in thinking this is bogus for a rather pricey ride? My 1983 911SC Cab showed no deterioration when I finally sold it two months ago. Replaced original Piano Black with "Natural Olive Wood" trim... wood my butt, it's plastic. Plastic inside was dull and crazed... also had water spots... replaced with smoked. Smoked tail lights... I'm hoping the UV inhibitor will slow down the deterioration that killed the original ones.
Automatic car washes will quickly destroy any plastics on the outside of the car. Marker lights, headlight lenses, tail-light lenses, side trim, etc. (Let's not even mention the damage to the paint...) Plastic inside - or outside - the car will all degrade under direct sunlight. The best thing you can do for your interior is to get the windows tinted with a high UV rejecting film.
My 2012 does not show any of the issues you are mentioning. Parked outside, tinted w/95% tint, and hand washed.
P.S. - your wood trim inside the car is a matte finish, and looks beautiful.
Last edited by shrike071; Oct 25, 2020 at 09:55 AM.
Good advice... this is a "new to me" car so I don't know how well it was treated by the last owner. I'm a fan of UV blocking products... plus a nice tidy garage so I'm thinking it will fare better in the future.
Automatic car washes will quickly destroy any plastics on the outside of the car. Marker lights, headlight lenses, tail-light lenses, side trim, etc. (Let's not even mention the damage to the paint...) Plastic inside - or outside - the car will all degrade under direct sunlight. The best thing you can do for your interior is to get the windows tinted with a high UV rejecting film.
Great suggestion - tint. All my vehicles have ceramic window film including windshield. Windshields and rear glass are crucial as the angle of them allow more sun to beat down on interiors. 2011 Panamera had some issues with tail lamp scratches when purchased (used) but after paint/plastic correction and ceramic coating there was never any degradation issue.
I have found Porsche leather susceptible to scratching similar to the BMW E60 issues reported on the web. I have a TT with full smooth leather and the grab handles and console leather will easily scratch from nails, rings, etc...
the 'wood trim' does contain real wood. It's a thin wood veneer, covered in plastic. It just allows them to say it's wood, and also helps it look more natural than a fake wood.
I've not had the issues described, but I know that direct sun light, car washes, etc. can really degrade many materials.
LOL, not so bad, I just did plugs and coils, I only broke one plastic piece... after hours of looking I found the part... probably the ONLY five dollar part on the car... so I bought a couple of each of the plastic parts I could identify... I am dumbfounded by the amount of plastic on a $100,000 car... but I still love the little bastard...
What bugs me most is that they described the "wood" as "natural olive wood"... but it is clearly plastic, with a fake "grain"... if they just put a good thick matte coat of polyurethane over it you probably wouldn't be able to tell, but as it is nobody would confuse it for real wood... $1850.00 by the way, before installation...
