Car dashboard with your own hands. Improve the dashboard of the car. Decorative Tuning Method

The dashboard is a multifunctional element of the car, which is always in plain by the driver. It contains the main control and measuring instruments. Light shows, in what mode of operation function the main automobile units. As a rule, the design of the panel is decorated in factory parameters that do not always fit harmoniously in. Tuning dashboard will help make the driver's seat vehicle Not only original, but also more convenient to use.

Decorative Tuning Method

Performing changes in the design of this machine detail, it is necessary to ensure a harmonious combination of the finished product with a common interior of the cabin. The finish design must fully fulfill all the requirements. passive security. Most car owners want to replace the usual panel to a new one. That is why we will tell us in the article about the most interesting methods of improving this detail of the machine.

The method of decorative tuning is performed with the addition of external details to the main element. Such details can be:

• leatherette for tosing the panel;
• lining;
• using bright colors for device scales.

To fully fulfill all operations of the decorative way, it is necessary to partially or fully disassemble the car dashboard.

Color change

1. To replace the color on the instrument scale, you need to remove the dimensions with the old.
2. Next, a blank is made of a new scale. Figures and divisions are applied to it. In this case, you can use a computer program with graphic functions. It will contribute to the process of making a beautiful workpiece for which you can choose the font you like, and it will help to adjust the size of the inscriptions.
3. The resulting pattern is applied to the harvested material, which is intended for the new scale. For this, such materials will be suitable - plastic, self-adhesive film, photographic paper, color tape, vinyl film.
4. In a situation where the tachometer or speedometer is enhanced it is necessary before installing the improved scale to remove the measurement arrow, and then put it back.

It should be remembered that the dashboard tuning with their own hands is a process of long, requiring patience and care.

Tights are used while loss initial view and presence on the surface of obvious defects. Using the dermatin to cover it, hold it on the size and forms of the product. It is necessary that the material is not going to the fold and not stretched. The qualitative performance of the process is possible only when the panel is removed.On the removed product of the seams and joints will be obtained more neat. An ordinary cardboard can act as cutting. Making a cutting, check how all parts are combined into one. All board elements are sewn into a single product. We do it so that all seams are hidden inside. The final fixation of the crosslied dermatin is made with the help of special glue and original self-tapping screws.

Special attention requires the selection of material. Choose your favorite cut does not mean that it will fully comply with the functional parameters. Some materials can create glare under the influence of sunlight. Others will highlight in the salon nasty smell Or lose its properties under the influence of elevated temperatures.

Technical Tuning method

Under technical species It is understood by the improvement of this detail of the machine in the direction of increasing its functional parameters. An exemplary example of such work can be replaced by standard forms and dimensions of control devices, installation of bright and economical LEDs instead of incandescent lamps, installation of various switches and appliances. Icons on the dashboard can also be part of a common tuning.

To perform the process at a high-quality level, it is necessary to visually have a panel scheme in front of them and clearly understand what result you want to get. Such a setting of the problem is needed in order to properly connect additional consumers to the onboard network.

Installing LEDs

Installation of LEDs Instended incandescent Laps - the most common method technical tuning. To perform this process, you need to do the following:

1. First of all, the instrument panel is removed.
2. Factory cartridges and lamps are removed.
3. The places where LED lamps will be installed. As a rule, they are placed all over the perimeter of the devices.
4. A shade that will give LED lamps should create comfortable driving conditions, not straining with vision. He simultaneously should not be too bright in the dark and be well noticeable with the onset of twilight.
5. A hole is drilled in which the LED housing is placed.
6. LEDs are connected to a soldering. This uses a flexible wire of a small thickness.
7. The use of an alternating resistor will allow adjustment of the brightness of the lighting of the instruments. In some models it can be used by a regular row.
8. LED bulbs in the dashboard can be installed white color. The desired shade can be obtained using a light filter. To do this, you can use such imaging agents like nail polish, self-adhesive paper or transparent plastic, which was part of old appliances.
9. Soldering LEDs to feed wires, connect them to the dashboard. It is performed in the desired polarity.
10. If with different illumination lamps work well, then you can collect everything.

Illuminated arrows

The backlight of the arrows can be carried out by mounting lED lamps on the plexiglass illumination. If you feed food from a red block, you can make the backlight of the arrows separately from the entire product. Key feature Such a connection will be sunbathing arrows at the start. By installing the LED next to the arrow, it will be possible to change the color of the arrow itself while rolling the speed of the car.

Now you know all the basic methods Improvement external view Machine dashboard. Making this detail of the car, you can significantly improve the design of the cabin and increase the comfort of the driver while using the vehicle.

It was:

In my reliable, but old mazda car The dashboard began to explicitly indicate its age. Her nightlifting is now too dull, and appearance is clearly not in fashion. Therefore, I decided to take something and make her "face suspender" :-)

What do you need:

• Factory user manual for the car.
• Screwdrivers.
• Isopropyl alcohol.
• Matte adhesive paper.
• Scissors or knife.
• Scattering plate (can be found on old LCD monitors).
• Instead of the scattering plate, you can still use 2-3 layers of tracing.

Removing dashboard pointers

This master class on how to transform the appearance of the dial dials, so I will not delve into details, how I managed to remove the dashboard.

Removing pointers

Remove sensor pointers is quite simple. However, you need to remember the arrows, as they break easily. For convenience, you can use tweezers. The main patience and sequence in action. Alternatively, the arrow can be hurry for a fork.

If it is stuck, then warm it up with a construction or usual hair dryer. So plastic will expand and it will be lighted easier.

Dial removal

Typically, the dial keeps on screws or small bolts. Find them and carefully remove the plate. Additionally, it can stay on small plastic fasteners that fix it. Observe how the fastening mechanism is arranged, and remove the dial.

Draw the appearance of the future dial

After removing the dial, the first thing I did was scanned it. Then I imported the image into the vector graphics editor, and circled the contours of the plate. Thus, I do not have to extinct the exact dimensions of the dial. Next, I finished the design of the appearance of the new pointer and imprinted it on the adhesive paper. I used paper with a matte surface, and the image was applied with a color laser printer. You can use the inkjet printer with the photo paper, but the laser image will be higher quality.

It's time to clear the old dial

It is necessary to remove the paint with the dial. In order not to spoil the plastic from which the dial is made, I used 70% isopropyl alcohol. The use of solvents for this work is undesirable. Miscovering the dial in alcohol softened the paint, and after a few minutes it was easily removed, and in front of me lay two clean plates.

Production of stickers

It's time to cut stickers. We take scissors and carefully cut the desired shape. Now glue.

In order to do not form bubbles when gluing, it is necessary to carefully clean the surface of the dial. Discover a small part of the sticker and align it with your dial. Gradually glue the adhesive paper. To do this, it can be carried out by an index finger or a plastic card.

After the paper was completely paste, it needs to cut the corresponding holes.

Attach the diffusing plate to the dial

The light from the light bulbs on the dashboard may be unevenly distributed, making some parts of the dial brighter. So that the light falls uniformly, you need to attach a scattering plate to the dial. In my case, I took advantage of the plate taken from the cracked LCD monitor. Cutting the desired forms, I glued them to the back of the dials.

Note: You can also add several additional LED lamps, but this is already the topic of another master class.

How, do you see the design of the dashboard with your own hands? Some time, labor, and everything is ready! Consider how such tuning can be done on the example of a car. Hyundai Accent.. Here is a list of what we need to work:

• small pliers;
• sandpaper;
• double sided tape;
• screwdrivers of different sizes;
• photographic paper Lomond Satin, matte, with a density of 280
• scissors.

Stage 1. Disassembly.

We proceed to disassembling the panel. At the top unscrewing two screws. Then disconnect the three connectors and now you can comfortably get at the table and unscrew the devices.

Stage 2. Remove the arrows.

Use for this 2 screwdrivers and a hairdryer.

Watch that tachometers do not suffer.

3 stage. Processing a plastic substrate.

We take sandpaper and sanding the substrate.

4 stage. Intermediate.

As a result of your manipulations on the table there must be the following:

• opaque part of the scale (1);
• old scale (2);
• prints New outside Scale (3);
• substrate scale (4);
• tachometer (5);
• arrow.

5 stage. Prints.

Gently cut out the printout with sharp scissors.

6 stage. Fastening.

Attach the substrate to the scale. Two-sided scotch tape is fed by an opaque part of the scale. If, with temperature amplitudes, the glue does not force the paper, Tol can use it.

Here is an opaque part in the already glued form. For its manufacture, a photographic paper with black fill is used. You can use another opaque and thin material.

7 stage. Collection of design.

We try on the scale using the lumen. The cutters are indicated by numbers 1 and 2. This is a tape, visible through the photo paper. This can be corrected if you make a plastic substrate.

All crepary on regular cogs.

Build panel. The arrow calibration is to car.

8 stage. Calibration.

We warmly warm the machine, in the middle position, fastened the arrow t-ry chilled fluid. We make a rationale - put the tachometer arrow on idling. Most likely, it is not wrong, it can either not move at all or moving jerks. Remove and install it again until it moves as it should! We roll out gasoline and put a "fuel level" arrow in the zero position until the warning lamp lights up.

First, we ride the arrow in the "Polbak" position, after which it starts to move, downstairs or at the top reaching the limiter. Here it must be removed and quickly put in place and secure "on zero". Next, we measure the speed, follow which direction and how much, there will be an error, after which we remove the panel and the device itself. The inner rotating part is that in the rear of the device, we press a screwdriver, and then scroll the arrow.

The dashboard of the car is a very important detail. It is using the dashboard that the motorist can quickly navigate on the road and take the right decision, to understand whether it should add speed or it would be time to go to another stage of the gearbox. In any case, how qualitatively the dashboard will work, not only the safety of the motorist on the road will depend on the road, but also its comfort driving.

It is also worth saying about the appearance of the dashboard, because the dashboard constantly sees the driver in front of him. And it is precisely this element of the car to follow and, if necessary, put in order, regardless of whether you have an old car or a new one.
Even with the very simplest actions that almost any motorist can make, which can disassemble your car dashboard, you can transform it and really unique.

What happens tuning dashboard

Tuning this element of the car can be conditionally attributed either to functional improvements or to aesthetic. Often, motorists who think about the improvement of the dashboard of the car, pursue both goals and want to make the panel both more beautiful and functional.

Complete enough, but interesting dashboard tuning process in details:

The functional tuning is primarily directed or to replace the controls or car instruments for more advanced analogs, or simply provides for the addition of additional devices or controls. The main goal of such tuning is to improve the quality of information on the state of the car or about weather or other conditions overboard.
Aesthetic tuning, in turn, is directed solely on improving the appearance of the dashboard. Naturally, such improvements can be made even to the detriment of the functionality, which is far from always well affecting the car, but if a person wants to do something with his car, it is difficult to stop.

Complexity of functional tuning

Often, functional tuning is limited only by replacing older or failed car devices with newer and modern. However, you should not forget that the functional tuning should also be attributed to the installation of additional elements of the car control like immobilizer, on-board computer or embedded additional devices. The main problem with such a refinement is not so much the choice of components, how many competent installation. Most often, novice fans of tuning, which at home will want to carry out such a setup, will have to face such a problem as difficulties in calibrating instruments. Imagine that the speedometer will show the inadequate speed of the vehicle or the fuel sensor will deceive you at the most inopportune moment.

Separately, you need to say about this moment as the legality of refinement. That is - if the design of the car is provided by a speedometer or a tachometer of exactly the model that is installed at the factory, it will be quite difficult to explain its replacement during maintenance. Therefore, it is better to carry out aesthetic tuning of devices, which have already been installed on the car, and additional place or on top of the dashboard, or those places that are still free.
Aesthetic question

When carrying out aesthetic tuning, it is necessary to carefully plan everything, because the skills will need no less than when performing a functional improvement in the dashboard, and besides it, it also takes a canceled feeling of taste. If you know what you want, it remains only to prepare the necessary materials and elements, and we will talk about it a little later, but if you don't have a clear plan, it is necessary to develop it in advance.


First, look for inspiration on car forums or ask the advice from the friends of motorists who tuning their cars. Naturally, each person exceptionally has its own taste, but someone's finished modifications may well push you on an interesting decision, which you will subsequently implement.
In addition, knowing what you want to achieve with your car, you can easily choose the necessary materials and apply one or other solutions related to the manufacture of the elements necessary for tuning.

Where to start tuning

No matter how you plan to improve the car dashboard, first prepare required tools:

Tools for disassembling dashboard
Industrial dryer
Stationery knife or sharp blade
Required wiring and controls
Soldering iron and solder

The remaining necessary tools and materials will differ from each other depending on what you are going to do with the dashboard. You may also need specific tools if you need to use non-standard techniques and a non-standard tool to disassemble the panel. In advance, find out which tools are needed to remove the cover of the car and unscrewing those elements to be replaced or refined.

We disassemble the dashboard

Specialists recommend spending any work in a dry room in which there is no dust. This is enough important moment, on which the overall success of our venture depends. First, dust can prevent us in exactly sticking various color films to change the color of the backlight of the instruments on the panel, and the increased humidity will simply spoil the wiring.
You should carefully remove the trim on your car's dashboard in order to gain access to those controls or monitoring the status of the car you want to work on. In the event that you are going to change the scale on the instruments, we advise you to extremely gently remove the arrows. For this, a simple marker is perfect, which is marked with a place of connecting the arrow using a dash or dots. In the event that the arrift is soldered, you can use the soldering iron and warm the tin that keeps the arrow on the coil. However, do not forget that the arrow will still need to set back, and in order to make it right, you need to designate the connection locations, because otherwise the calibration can be carried out only in the car service.

How to improve dashboard

When you disassemble the dashboard to the state that you can work with it, it is worth stopping and thinking about what you plan to do. You also need to check whether your modifications will damage your modifications and if everything is in order, then you can continue.
After that, with your dashboard, you can do almost all that you want, but from the abundance of various possibilities, often starting to get lost, so let's consider several tuning options.

We change the scale of instruments

First of all, you can replace the scale on the instruments. To do this, you can either paint the old scale and apply a drawing on it or with a stencil, or stick a special film with an already printed pattern over the scale. Most often, this option gives the most beautiful and high-quality result.

In order to make such a film, even in the simplest graphic editor to draw a layout of what markup you want to see on a particular device and print it on a special film, for which you can contact the printing house. In the same case, if you want to change the color of the arrows or individual items on the instrument scale, you can even neat paint required sites With paint. Some motorists who want to achieve interesting luminescence effects use a fluorescent paint for this, which shines perfectly when connected even a small LED to the backlight.

We replace the backlight of the instruments

Since we are talking about adding LEDs to the lighting of certain instruments, it is worth saying that neon lights Devices are very popular tuning.
However, despite its popularity, with the addition of or completely replacing the backlight on the LED, it is worth being very careful. First, you will have to face a rather complicated process of removing factory wiring and backlight lamps, and secondly, you can overdo it with the number of LEDs. That this does not happen, we advise you to be limited to 1-2 LEDs on the device, which will be quite enough for bright backlight, which will be clearly visible at dusk, but it will not beat in the eyes at night.


In the event that the device is implemented from the inside in the device, and the scale of the device itself is transparent, you can add a little more LEDs, but it is worth placing them in such a way that their direct light does not get into the eye to the driver or passengers.

An interesting way to replace the backlight on Skoda Octavia:

To install such a backlight, it is worth using a car's native wiring, as it is initially connected to the controls and you do not have to break your head How to save the backlight or where to place the button to turn it on.

Adjust the brightness of the backlight

Most often to adjust the brightness of the backlight, located behind the device, you need to collect it, but if something does not arrange in brightness, the device will need to disassemble and configure again. In order not to spend time on such actions, we advise you to connect the backlight through the variable row, which can be controlled by the intensity of the glow, simply twisting it. Naturally, the setting is best spent 3 times - during the day, at dusk and at night, to understand, is it convenient to look at the instruments.

Complex tuning

Frequently often motorists, which with their own hands improve their dashboard, modify several instruments at once or the overall backlight of the dashboard so that it looks more stylish. In this case, it is better to prepare in advance the same templates for the scales of the instruments and the same color of the backlight LEDs. In the same case, if you do not have access to the LEDs of the desired color, you can do by conventional white LEDs and simply stick to the desired places the translucent film of the desired color. This film will be a conventional light filter, and the effect you achieve the same as when using different color LEDs.

Tuning techniques

To successfully perform any refinement of the car or its dashboard, you need to own multiple simple techniques that will allow you to perform needed actions. We have already talked about how to stick the toning film correctly, namely, such techniques are used and when sticking translucent films on the opposite direction, the dispersion table with slots in order for divisions and numbers to glow the right light. Another equally interesting technique is to use fluorescent paints to paint the arrows or division of the device. In order to apply such a paint, it is enough to use either a simple pattern, on top of which you can safely paint, or just gently apply it with a thin brush.
Also, do not forget about the need to correctly calibrate the arrows after its removal, because an incorrectly calibrated device is a very serious problem that can be solved only in the service center.

Installation of instruments and assembly dashboard

When you made sure that you did everything that I wanted and completely satisfied with the result, it's time to install the removed devices in place, connect them and collect the dashboard. Do not forget to check whether the devices are eaten and everything is in order with the fasteners of the trim. If you do everything calmly and do not rush, then such a dashboard tuning will not only be worse than the one for which you would have to pay a large enough amount in the studio, but even better, because you will make such tuning with your own hands and in Any time can be changed or removed something.

Probably, every motorist, which is the owner of the car of the VAZ family, wants to upgrade its dashboard. On modern foreign cars, the dial of devices from the inside is highlighted, which looks very attractive, as if the numbers shine and the devices itself. But the instrument panels VAZ cars It is highlighted by conventional lamps that emit light on the dial from the arrows from the outside. At the same time, the brightness is low, and the detail of this backlight is little effective. That is why most owners of such cars very often improve the instrument panel using the backlight. In addition, it is quite easy to make it yourself.

To independently make a tuning backlight on VAZ models cars, you do not need to have special skills, but in a specialized company this procedure will cost anything expensive. You can try to make the dashboard backlight from the inside, as on modern cars.

To work, you will need a light-up standard pad for the dashboard. The instrument panel from the vehicle must be removed and disassembled. Do not forget also to dismantle the old lining and arrows of the appliances. So that the backlight light falls from the inside to the lining, the special cuts should be made under the overlay with a heated knife or soldering iron.

Then go directly to the backlight. It will be organized using LED tape. It is necessary to choose a tape that can be easily cut into small parts, three diodes. Regarding the uniformity of the glow, then it is made from the usual foil using the reflector. For the speedometer and the tachometer we take three parts of the tape, and for pointers of the fuel level and the coolant temperature, one by one.

The standard highlighting of the VAZ should be saved, as its task will be the backlight of the arrows on the instrument scale. If you wish, it can also be upgraded if it is possible to glue lED ribbon.. So that the highlighting is not too bright, you can toned it a little. Toning is carried out using a tint film or a black marker. The regular light filter is better left, then the backlight will be soft and uniform with a bluish tint.

Connect all follows to the contacts on the plate lamp plate, pre-determining their polarity. In order to stabilize the current, it is advisable to use the driver to power the LEDs.

Illumination of the instrument panel VAZ 2114

First you need to remove the main lighting lamps together with the cartridges. Next, very carefully remove the arrows, going on with something thin. You can simply turn them around the restrictions and slow down from the axis. At this time, there are a lot of varieties of panels. On one of their part, the arrow drive is attached on the main board, and on the other - on the basis of the plexiglass.

After that, it is necessary to gently remove the insert from the plexiglass. Wear it from the edge and just tear off. The sticky layer should not be contaminated or erased. Insert needs to flip and put on a clean surface. With the help of a blade we erase green spraying, which is noticeable in the area of \u200b\u200bnumbers. Now you can collect plexiglas and insert.

How to change the color of the scale of instruments from the car VAZ

It is necessary to take a piece of plastics and scissors. Cut out the contours in such a way that the plastic will fit into the bulk. Also cut out space for arrows drives. Next, we apply marking for LEDs. For fuel you need three LEDs, for temperature - four. Then set the instrument panel for each scale.

Now, guided by markups, make holes for LEDs and resistance. This can be done by a hot seer or a small drill. The top of the LED should be drowning, as the lens is mounted for the focus of the beam. It is important not to damage the light element itself. LEDs should be soldered in parallel with each other and consistently with resistance.

How to install LEDs instead of incandescent lamps on the car panel VAZ

First, the base of the LEDs must be inserted into the housing and display the connection wires. Next, we make an insert from the plexiglass with the body. Plexiglas should be inserted tightly. From the opposite side, we screw in four screws. Then install the fee. Carefully, the pins of the wires from the arrows should not be brought. Next, we fasten with self-draws or screws. Now we solder to the power supply of any regular lamp power LEDs. We put on the arrows and exhibit them on zero.

How to make the backlight of the arrows of the instruments on the car VAZ

To do this, you will need:

1. Fluorescent marker.
2. Super glue or glue moment.
3. Not power wires.
4. Ultraviolet light bulb.
5. Insert in the instrument panel of the desired model.
6. Soldering iron.

The plastic and the dashboard must be removed, then disassemble it, remove the black plastic and glass, then carefully remove the arrows, then the standard insert. We make holes if there are no them in the new insert. So that the arrows did not stick, it is advisable to make holes a little more than they were in the factory insert. Now you can take out the regular backlight and board with light bulbs.

The neon lamp should be glued on the panel from above, replace the standard backlight and take plastic protection from above. At the top should be attached to the control unit of the neon lamp. Observing polarity, connect the lamp in the place of the standard backlight.

Now mount two lamps on the device. All wires connect and stretch inside partitions. Connect to the point of food and put the lamp. Wires carefully fastened to plastic. Arrows paint the marker several times. Next, we collect and install the instrument panel.