HANDLING & INSTALLATION GUIDE

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Introduction

All Carr Designs refinished parts are coated using professional-grade automotive primers, base coats, and 2K clear coats. These finishes are durable for everyday interior use, but proper handling and installation will ensure the best fit, longest life, and cleanest results.

Below are simple guidelines to follow when working with your refinished plastic and aluminum components.

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1. Before Installation

Handle With Care

• Handle parts with clean hands

• Place parts only on soft, clean surfaces such as microfiber towels, foam, or carpet

• Avoid setting finished parts directly on concrete, metal tables, rough benches, or textured surfaces

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Avoid Impacts

• Painted surfaces — including OEM trim — can chip if corners or edges are struck

• Take care not to bump pieces against door frames, consoles, dashboards, or tools

• Support parts fully with both hands when moving them around your workspace

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2. Flexibility of Plastic Interior Parts

Plastic Parts Can Flex Normally

For plastic components such as dash pieces, pillars, trim panels, consoles, bezels, and similar parts, we use an automotive-grade interior coating system designed specifically for hard plastics. It remains flexible with the substrate.

Where needed, we also perform proper plastic repairs (crack repair, broken tab repair, structural reinforcement, etc.) before refinishing so the damaged areas are corrected, not simply “covered up” with color.

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This means:

• Normal OEM-style flex during installation is safe

• Light bending or panel movement when clipping pieces in is expected

• The coating and repair system will flex with the plastic in normal use

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What to Avoid

Even with proper repairs and flexible coatings, the underlying plastic:

• still has the age, mileage, and history it had before

• can be more brittle on older vehicles

• can fail in areas that were never damaged before if pushed too far

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Avoid:

• sharply twisting panels

• bending parts beyond what they would reasonably do from the factory

• forcing pieces into misaligned clips or brackets

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OEM-level flex = fine.
Excessive forced flexing = not recommended.

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3. Original vs. New Parts — Handle as Restored Components

Carr Designs is a custom shop. Some projects are built from brand-new parts, but many interior pieces—dash pads, pillars, trim panels, bezels, consoles, etc.—are the original components from your vehicle.

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On those original parts, we:

• repair cracks, breaks, missing sections, or failed areas using professional plastic repair methods

• reinforce and correct known weak points when appropriate

• then refinish the part with our coating system

So when a damaged area is repaired, it is structurally corrected and refinished, not just made to “look pretty.”

However, this does not mean:

• a 20–30+ year-old part is now the same strength as when it was new

• the rest of the panel (areas that didn’t need repair) suddenly gained new strength

• the part is invincible to abuse, over-flexing, or careless handling

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The plastic has still:

• seen years or decades of heat cycles, UV exposure, and use

• aged as a material, even if it now looks refreshed and repairs are fully addressed

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In simple terms:

Treat your refinished parts—especially original, older components—like a properly restored original part, not like something you can toss around or force into place.

• Avoid careless or rushed handling

• Don’t force old plastics into place

• Support fragile areas while installing

• Understand that older plastics always benefit from gentler handling, even after being professionally repaired and refinished

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4. Aluminum Trim Handling

Aluminum interior trim behaves differently than plastic—it does not flex.

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Key Points

• Aluminum has little to no give

• Edges and corners can chip if impacted

• This is normal behavior for painted aluminum, including OEM finishes

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Best Practices

• Support aluminum trim fully when carrying

• Avoid tapping edges or corners on hard surfaces

• Never twist, bend, or flex aluminum parts during installation

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5. Installing Parts

Use Hand Tools Only

• Avoid impact guns

• Avoid electric screwdrivers or drill drivers

• Hand tools give better control and prevent accidental slips

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Tighten Screws Gently

• Start threads by hand

• Tighten only until snug

• Do not overtighten, as this can stress mounting points or distort the finish around screw holes

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Test Fit First

Before securing a part:

• Confirm alignment

• Make sure all clips and tabs line up naturally

• If something feels forced, stop and readjust

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Protect Finished Surfaces

• Place a microfiber towel between tools and the part

• Keep tools off painted surfaces

• Maintain a clean workspace to avoid grit scratching the clear coat

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6. Best Practices & Things to Avoid

Best Practices

• Work slowly and with intention

• Keep tools organized and away from finished surfaces

• Handle parts using two hands whenever possible

• Install interior parts at comfortable temperatures (avoid extreme cold)

• Move and position parts carefully, especially larger trim pieces

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Avoid These Common Causes of Accidental Damage

• Over-tightening screws

• Using power tools

• Forcing a part into place

• Dropping pieces on concrete or garage floors

• Striking corners or edges on hard surfaces

• Letting tools slide or fall onto the part

• Installing when rushed, distracted, or fatigued

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Quick Rule of Thumb

Treat refinished parts with the same care you would use installing OEM painted trim or factory wood/aluminum accents.
Normal handling is perfectly fine—accidental damage usually happens from rushing, forcing, or ignoring how old the original part really is.

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7. If You Need Help

If you have questions about handling, installing, or caring for your refinished parts, feel free to contact us. We are always happy to help ensure your installation goes smoothly.