[Kosfactor]

Originally Posted by saikishor

Will wrapping of dashboard affect the opening of the airbags? Since leather is considerably thicker and it will require more force to open.

Yes, older cars used to have a clear cutout where the airbag was, nowadays it's not that clear anymore. Leather in our hot climate will come undone from the dash and make a mess as well.

[iamitp]

Even I've thought about this, especially for curtailing dashboard reflections. First attempt was with Sonax Matte Effect dashboard spray which had no effect. Second one was with a custom dashboard mat/carpet from AliExpress which did work well but gathered a lot more dust and smell over time. After considering issues with airbag deployment and wear & tear, I think I'll just get polarized sunglasses for the dashboard reflections and leave the dash as it is.

[Thilak29]

This car has served you well for long and possibly beyond its prime time. Deadline to complain about hard plastics is long past!

If you’re so keen about interior touch experience, get a car from current lot in the market.

[handsofsteel]

Originally Posted by Thilak29

If you’re so keen about interior touch experience, get a car from current lot in the market.

Please read the post carefully. The OP wants to buy a new car, preferably with soft touch plastics, and not re-do his Santro Xing. If not possible for any reason, wants to know whether an after market solution is possible for the new car. He has clarified it explicitly too subsequently.

[narayans80]

Originally Posted by krishnakumar

Can I salvage some of that premiumness in a VFM cars with an aftermarket treatment to the dash and areas we're likely to touch? Has anyone tried such a solution? What are your thoughts on this?

The way you need to to approach is, what areas you touch and what you don't.

I do understand if you prioritize looks. I certainly did want a black interior and went for when the opportunity came in 2018. I certainly haven't felt the plastics on top of the dash in almost 3 years of ownership since.

The gear lever, steering, door panels, armrest certainly yes. Since you spend a lot of time on them, but anywhere else I haven't really bothered to check for plastic feel.

Eventually it boil down to how much you want to spend on it. I certainly advise against aftermarket fitment.

Originally Posted by iamitp

Even I've thought about this, especially for curtailing dashboard reflections., I think I'll just get polarized sunglasses for the dashboard reflections and leave the dash as it is.

You have answered the question yourself and that's what you should do, get polarized sunglasses. Dash reflections are unavoidable, and its only a matter of angle when you can get caught off-guard.

The investment in polarized sunglasses is much cheaper and independent of the car.

[SibiGeorge]

Instead of covering the entire dashboard with premium plastic/ leather, you will find it easier to do something on the items that you regularly touch.

For eg:

1. Premium steering wheel cover: The steering wheel is something that you always touch while driving the car. The steering wheel is your primary contact for controlling the car. A premium steering wheel cover of your taste will significantly improve the overall experience.
   
2. Good Quality seat covers: Seat covers do improve your overall experience a lot. If your seats are not ventilated, then while selecting seat covers, please select covers that do not cause you to sweat while sitting on them for a prolonged period. Do reconstruct your seat if the foam has compressed and changed out of shape.
   
3. High-Quality gear knob covers & replacement of fabric around gear knob: The factory feel of gear knobs are generally good. However, over a prolonged period of usage, they do wear off and have scratches, indentations that are not nice to touch. You can have a premium feel, tight fit cover on your gear knob. Note that police of few states are against the gear knob cover.
   
4. Sticky Dashboard mats with a premium feel on the top: You can buy non-slip dashboard mats. Please ensure that you are buying non-reflective, non-slip mats, otherwise, it will spoil your experience. Also, try to buy mats that do not cover the airbag region.
   
5. Floor Mats: If you are using the car generally in cleaner conditions/ when your shoes don't carry much dirt, you can go for soft materials around your floor mats. Note that this will increase the cleaning effort on your car.
   
6. Wraps on removable dashboard items, These days, almost all items on the dashboard need expert service engineers with proper tools to remove. If you can find any small items that can be removed, like the stereo controls, then you can wrap them up.

These suggestions above will also prevent any dashboard niggles that can come up if you remove the dashboard.

The next thing to improve the premium feel of your car is to improve other things that constantly interact with your sensory buds like the smell, sight and sound of your car. The following can be done to improve the overall experiences of your car:

1. Change all old leather,rubber covers, floor mats (which are more than 10/15 years old) to remove the old rubbery smell
2. A good quality air freshener of your taste
3. Frequent cleaning of Air conditioning intake region towards the rear of your car. Frequent cleaning of AC filter and vents is also good. Open all doors once in a while to remove the stale air inside your cabin.
4. Deep clean your seat covers. Try to clean off the food and other stain marks on your seat cover.
5. Clean your car once in a while to remove all the dust/ dirt from your car.
6. Declutter space over your dashboard and in your storage spaces. Some people try to stuff in so many things in their storage spaces that make it look ugly.
7. Install smart devices, wireless charging pads etc. Try to reduce all loose wires inside your car like charging cables, audio cables ..etc.
   

[sramanat]

To me as a matter of principle, NO.
It may even appear intuitive at first. An average person is likely to become richer over time - pay hike, promotions, improving fortunes etc. So it makes sense to buy a car that fits today's budget and spend future incomes in making additions to it. People do it to their homes all the time. There are channels like HGTV dedicated to this. But unlike a home, a car is a depreciating asset. This is not to say mods to cars are unwelcome. I have a general thumb rule for a mod. It has to be
1. Functional - bigger wheels/tires, rear view cameras, head units etc. Some may argue that a speaker/subwoofer falls in this category, but that's stretching it a bit.
2. a hobby - some people pursue car mods as a hobby. An expensive hobby, but hobby nonetheless.

Where does your proposed soft dashboard fit in this?

[landcruiser123]

I guess the OP is talking about modifying interiors in a new car. I'd personally buy a used car from a higher segment rather than stripping the dash panels in a (new) car. At the end of the day, nobody can beat factory fit!

I've seen a lot of people use dashboard mats in the US to prevent their dashboards from cracking. Here is a website selling such products: https://www.covercraft.com/us/en/dash-covers. Very subjective, but I find them tacky. If a particular car model you're looking to buy is sold in Thailand/Malaysia(RHD markets), you can try searching Aliexpress/other online stores which will ship to India.

I'd suggest starting by changing four main things:
1. Steering cover
2. Gear knob (more relevant in MT)
3. Seat covers
4. Doorpads - simpler compared to removing the dashboard

[shankarbn]

Just wear gloves instead. Suddenly, EVERYTHING is soft touch.

[kamilharis]

Voted Very important.

If I am getting a new car in this day and age, at least soft touchpoints around the driver area is very important to me. My previous ride was Hyundua Accent(2010) and Nissan Sunny(2011) and I especially hated the Sunny due to rock-solid plastics, it was built to last but the plastic felt like stones to me!

Bought my first new car in 2017 and soft-touch interiors were one of the necessary 'feature' for me. At the same time if in case I am going to the pre-worshipped route I might remove this from the necessity list. But a new car in 2021 with hard plastic is just UNACCEPTABLE.