[docjb]

Hi all. My Premiere Edition Convertible had no options. This is not a whine. You take it as it is made and I am pleased with it in almost every way. However, I wanted a carbon fiber dash bezel from the beginning and I find myself still experiencing dash envy when I see pictures of the carbon fiber dash (FAY). I talked to my dealer about retrofitting the stock dash with the FAY and I was told that was not a good idea because Chevrolet did not offer it as an accessory...yet. She said there have been many requests for this part. The Service Manager said that the FAY, if she ordered it, did not come with all attachment parts and that there was a risk of rattles, poor fit, etc. She suggested that I wait until the FAY was available as an "accessory from Chevrolet" and then go for it. I know that there are aftermarket carbon fiber dashes available, but I like the idea of Original Chevrolet parts and the warranty that comes with them. I also am not one to install my own CF dash; I have watched the videos and it looks like disassembling and then reassembling the Space Shuttle. Not in my repertoire. If there is a Chevrolet Customer Care rep watching, or if anyone else has insight, is there any word about Chevrolet offering the FAY as an accessory? Thanks in advance.

 

[Topgun54]

Hi
I purchased and install a carbon dash on my 2lt.

Looks good. And cheaper than the 1k their asking at the dealer.

Paid $600 for the dash and $150 for the install.

Looks good.

I also ordered a carbon a D shape fiber steering wheel, for $2000 - should get it soon. Will load pics.


Sent from my iPhone using Corvette Stingray Forum

 

[docjb]

Hi
I purchased and install a carbon dash on my 2lt.

Looks good. And cheaper than the 1k their asking at the dealer.

Paid $600 for the dash and $150 for the install.



Looks good.

I also ordered a carbon a D shape fiber steering wheel, for $2000 - should get it soon. Will load pics.


Sent from my iPhone using Corvette Stingray Forum

Any rattles or fitment issues?

 

[Topgun54]

Nope


Sent from my iPhone using Corvette Stingray Forum

 

[m3incorp]

I'm not so sure your sales lady is correct. Many people have bought the carbon fiber dash (FAY) through Fitchner Chevrolet and from other companies. No one has complained of improper fit or rattles. If you do a search, there are DIY installs posted.

 

[rdslon01]

Hi all. My Premiere Edition Convertible had no options. This is not a whine. You take it as it is made and I am pleased with it in almost every way. However, I wanted a carbon fiber dash bezel from the beginning and I find myself still experiencing dash envy when I see pictures of the carbon fiber dash (FAY). I talked to my dealer about retrofitting the stock dash with the FAY and I was told that was not a good idea because Chevrolet did not offer it as an accessory...yet. She said there have been many requests for this part. The Service Manager said that the FAY, if she ordered it, did not come with all attachment parts and that there was a risk of rattles, poor fit, etc. She suggested that I wait until the FAY was available as an "accessory from Chevrolet" and then go for it. I know that there are aftermarket carbon fiber dashes available, but I like the idea of Original Chevrolet parts and the warranty that comes with them. I also am not one to install my own CF dash; I have watched the videos and it looks like disassembling and then reassembling the Space Shuttle. Not in my repertoire. If there is a Chevrolet Customer Care rep watching, or if anyone else has insight, is there any word about Chevrolet offering the FAY as an accessory? Thanks in advance.

The Premier Edition did not come with the carbon fiber dash already installed?! I heard that the Coupes had the wrong roofs because of constraints, but I had no idea the Convertibles did not get the carbon fiber dashes.

 

[elegant]

Constraints played a role in these changes from how they were originally announced.

"docjb," it is your car and if you like the CF dash surround, go for it. However, I would suggest that if you do that, you keep the one that came with the car, so if you ever sell it, the buyer, if that person is a "purist," (no negative intent in using this word), will have what he/she wants to restore it to exactly its factory-release condition.

If you dealership is wanting list price for the part, forget that, get it for about $590 at Fichtner's Chevrolet here (buy all my GM's parts from them):

Robert Wendorff
Parts Manager
Phone : 406-628-4618
Fax: 406-628-2025
[email protected]

Tom Dorsey
Parts Specialist
Phone : 406-628-4618
Fax: 406-628-2025
[email protected]

 

[docjb]

Wow! Post a thread early in the day and many helpful responses present! Thank you all!

The Premiere Vert of mine (53/550) came with the standard "carbon flash" dash bezel, not CF (FAY) dash. I expected the CF dash; didn't happen. It does not come with every option. Still, I am happy with it.

I do not have confidence in my DIY skills for this project; nor do I have the inclination to destroy my dash. Yes, Elegant I had always planned to keep the original, as one should on a limited edition car. Thanks for thinking of my future well-being. I also want the warranty that comes from a genuine Chevrolet part and dealer install and I'm willing to pay for both.

I will talk further with the dealer and heck, maybe I need a road trip to visit Fitchner Chevrolet.
A competent install is my anxiety. Any proven competent Chevrolet dealer body shops closer to me here near Champaign, Il?

Again. A.big thanks for all feedback. Doc

 

[rdslon01]

Wow! Post a thread early in the day and many helpful responses present! Thank you all!

The Premiere Vert of mine (53/550) came with the standard "carbon flash" dash bezel, not CF (FAY) dash. I expected the CF dash; didn't happen. It does not come with every option. Still, I am happy with it.

I do not have confidence in my DIY skills for this project; nor do I have the inclination to destroy my dash. Yes, Elegant I had always planned to keep the original, as one should on a limited edition car. Thanks for thinking of my future well-being. I also want the warranty that comes from a genuine Chevrolet part and dealer install and I'm willing to pay for both.

I will talk further with the dealer and heck, maybe I need a road trip to visit Fitchner Chevrolet.
A competent install is my anxiety. Any proven competent Chevrolet dealer body shops closer to me here near Champaign, Il?

Again. A.big thanks for all feedback. Doc

Out of curiosity, did the sticker list the dash as being carbon fiber or not? Did they discount the price for no carbon fiber dash? If not, I would bring this up with a helpful dealership to see what GM may be able to do for you now. On the other hand, if they discounted the price from the original plan so as to account for the dash not being carbon fiber because of the constraints, then all is fair and well.

 

[docjb]

Out of curiosity, did the sticker list the dash as being carbon fiber or not? Did they discount the price for no carbon fiber dash? If not, I would bring this up with a helpful dealership to see what GM may be able to do for you now. On the other hand, if they discounted the price from the original plan so as to account for the dash not being carbon fiber because of the constraints, then all is fair and well.

Hi Rodney: I checked the sticker as soon as I got home from the dealership and no it was not specified on the window sticker. And, no, the price was not discounted at all. Now, having said all of this, I got the clearly silly idea that the FAY dash was a part of the Premiere Vert package because of reviews that I read about the Premiere Vert model. These indicated that it came with the carbon fiber dash. The review (or perhaps reviews that I read and no I don't recall who wrote them--it was not Chevrolet) indicated that the Premiere models came with "all options". This is not true. It did come with "Torque Wheels" (the most expensive wheel), Stingray Center Caps, Stingray door sills, "Premium" Stingray Carpets, and everything else that you would expect from the 3LT. Interestingly, they all had all of the Corvette carpets, Corvette sills and Corvette center caps in the trunk. There is also plaque under the climate controls indicating the Premiere Model and the serial number (53/550). Anyway, close reading of the Chevrolet materials did not specify CF dash (FAY) in any of the Chevrolet materials--so I have no ground to stand on. Now, it is my understanding that the Premiere Coupe does come with FAY, though I have not personally seen one.

I wouldn't want anyone to think I don't love this car. I love it all. I just think that I would love it a little more with CF dash (FAY) that was dealer installed and warrantied. BTW, there was no discount on this car, but no "upcharge either". I walked away from the same model price $2K over list, from another dealer in another state. The dealer did "give" me one of the $400 Chevrolet indoor car covers that is Kalahari colored and which matches the convertible top.

Sorry for the long post. Doc

 

[rdslon01]

Hey Doc,

All that you wrote, and your feelings/desires/analyses make perfect sense.

As for me, after seeing both the standard and FAY dashes in person, I chose to not add the FAY. It is very nice, but just not worth it to me.

At any rate, I hope everything works out so you can go from "loving your car" to "loving it a little more" as you wrote above. Best wishes!

-Rodney

 

[thedemoman]

I got mine from shopchevyparts.com $533.34 plus shipping they have a lot of accessory all GM certified

 

[docjb]

Hey Doc,

All that you wrote, and your feelings/desires/analyses make perfect sense.

As for me, after seeing both the standard and FAY dashes in person, I chose to not add the FAY. It is very nice, but just not worth it to me.

At any rate, I hope everything works out so you can go from "loving your car" to "loving it a little more" as you wrote above. Best wishes!

-Rodney

Thank for the feedback Rodney. Clearly, I tend to over-think things sometimes. And, truth be told, I have never seen the CF dash in person. So, before I pull he trigger on anything, I will want to see one installed on a real Stingray. It isn't so much about the cost to me, but it is more about whether or not it adds something I really like to the whole car. So I will wait and see. But, in the meantime, the Stingray is one smile after another. I'm pretty sure that you understand.

thedemoman: Thanks for the referral for the part and pricing. I appreciate it.

Doc

 

[rdslon01]

Thank for the feedback Rodney. Clearly, I tend to over-think things sometimes. And, truth be told, I have never seen the CF dash in person. So, before I pull he trigger on anything, I will want to see one installed on a real Stingray. It isn't so much about the cost to me, but it is more about whether or not it adds something I really like to the whole car. So I will wait and see. But, in the meantime, the Stingray is one smile after another. I'm pretty sure that you understand.

thedemoman: Thanks for the referral for the part and pricing. I appreciate it.

Doc

Hey Doc,

According to Glen E. (and people I know in real life), I am the king of overthinking things, so I completely understand.

To give more details, I was the kid in elementary school who, for each of his textbooks, had to have a notebook which had to be the same "color" as the dominant color on the front of the textbook. I won't say it had to "match" because I really only know eight basic colors. Red is red (even if they clash), etc. Haha.

My answer in post #11 above, although true, really was not specific enough to give my whole thought process. Since you are a fellow over-thinker, I will now give you all the details.

Matching is a big deal for me (see two paragraphs above). Even with the FAY, there is a black plastic piece which goes around the gear shifter. With FAY, that no longer matches the dash. So, I was left with two choices: standard dash which matches, or FAY which does not match. So, I decided that I would check out the standard dash in person (the first one I saw was FAY). When I finally found a standard dash a few weeks later, all I wanted to know was, "Does the standard dash look cheap?" If so, I was going to go with FAY. If not, then I was going to go with the standard dash. When I saw the standard dash in person, it did not look cheap to me, so my mind was made up: it would be a standard dash for me.

I hope this helps (from one over-thinker to another).

-Rodney

P.S. I began this post talking about Glen E. so I will end it with him as well. Check out his build thread for probably the best way to make the area around the gear shifter look great. If you were to paint that, plus the dash, you would probably have the nicest interior out there. Well, that is my $0.03 (for inflation and overthinking things).

 

[docjb]

Hey Doc,

According to Glen E. (and people I know in real life), I am the king of overthinking things, so I completely understand.

To give more details, I was the kid in elementary school who, for each of his textbooks, had to have a notebook which had to be the same "color" as the dominant color on the front of the textbook. I won't say it had to "match" because I really only know eight basic colors. Red is red (even if they clash), etc. Haha.

My answer in post #11 above, although true, really was not specific enough to give my whole thought process. Since you are a fellow over-thinker, I will now give you all the details.

Matching is a big deal for me (see two paragraphs above). Even with the FAY, there is a black plastic piece which goes around the gear shifter. With FAY, that no longer matches the dash. So, I was left with two choices: standard dash which matches, or FAY which does not match. So, I decided that I would check out the standard dash in person (the first one I saw was FAY). When I finally found a standard dash a few weeks later, all I wanted to know was, "Does the standard dash look cheap?" If so, I was going to go with FAY. If not, then I was going to go with the standard dash. When I saw the standard dash in person, it did not look cheap to me, so my mind was made up: it would be a standard dash for me.

I hope this helps (from one over-thinker to another).

-Rodney

P.S. I began this post talking about Glen E. so I will end it with him as well. Check out his build thread for probably the best way to make the area around the gear shifter look great. If you were to paint that, plus the dash, you would probably have the nicest interior out there. Well, that is my $0.03 (for inflation and overthinking things).

Wow Rodney! My OCD just got put into perspective. There is a process to your thinking and it suits your tastes, so I would say you have been successful--a good choice for you. I can obsess about this FAY thing for quite a while. I have looked at Glen's work for some time and it is impressive/inspiring. Thanks again for your thoughts and feedback. Doc

 

[rdslon01]

OCD? Who, me?

I have three words for you, each consisting of three letters: BIG FAT YES.

1 2 3? 123 123 123

Haha!

 

[docjb]

OCD? Who, me?

I have three words for you, each consisting of three letters: BIG FAT YES.

1 2 3? 123 123 123


Haha!

I would have never guessed that in a million years.
Doc

 

[urrtoast]

Here is a Youtube Video on it . Thank you Vincent Tran.

Happy Pulling and prying on your dash..hehe may the force be with you.

 

[docjb]

Here is a Youtube Video on it . Thank you Vincent Tran.

Happy Pulling and prying on your dash..hehe may the force be with you.

I just don't see me taking this on. I watched the video before. Like I said earlier, it kind of reminds me of disassembling the Space Shuttle and then putting it back together--hoping that there are no extra parts at the end of the job.

 

[thedemoman]

Wow I guess I should research how to install it first instead of trying to find the best price....ouch.
Regarding that the carbon fiber doesn't cover the center console where the cup older and the cigarette lighter are, I found a webpage that does custom carbon fiber accessory, and of course I called and spoke with the owner.
He is in the process to match the OEM color from the GM trim so he can fabricate the parts to cover the center console, and also if you like to cover the areas where the switches are for the windows in the doors, so everything will look carbon fiber.
Here is the website CORVETTE CARBON FIBER INTERIOR & STEERING WHEELS, CUSTOM INTERIOR ENGINE EXTERIOR HYDROGRAPHIC FINISHES.. Since our cars are relatively new, more and more products are going to be available with time.
Personally I`m trying to have the carbon fiber in any expose area inside the car and probably change the steering wheel.