Real wood grain dashboard trim kits vs. Synthetic wood grain dashboard trim kits

There is no better way to add more warmth, comfort and class to your auto's interior than decorating it with a wood trim. With technology advancing at an incredible speed, manufacturers recently were able to simulate real wood grain pattern and look with synthetic plastic materials. When buying a wood dashboard trim kit for your 4x4 pickup or SUV, you have to decide if you should buy classic real wood-grain like we supply or modern synthetic that others supply.

We will present things the Soni way - without any marketing hype or hyperbole. We will just present facts and let you decide for yourself. Here is a result of a study done by NYU students

Real Wood Grain Dashboard Trim Kits

+ Pros:

Appearance: No doubt about it, just as artificial flowers can never compete with real flowers, synthetic wood trim cannot compete with the look of the real wood trim
Match with elegance of high-end vehicles: All high end vehicles like Jaguar, Rolls Royce, Mercedes, Lexus come with manufacturer installed real wood trim

- Cons:

If you target real wood to intense heat and moisture over a long period of time in a lab, the wood will eventually expand and contract, creating cracks so theoretically this could happen
Over time real wood changes its color
Since prolonged exposure to the sun might cause the wood to change or lose color, real wood trim is not recommended for convertible automobiles
Price. Real wood dash kits from most manufacturers are on average 30% more expensive. Beware of Chinese company, they use printed paper instead of real wood. Paper grain looks almost identical to real woodgrain, but rarely last a year

Synthetic Wood Grain Dashboard Trim Kits

+ Pros:

Easier installation. Simulated wood grain material has better flexibility, thus allowing for easier and faster installation.
Better match to low-end cars and trucks that have synthetic wood grain trim installed from the factory.
Better durability of the finish. Lab experiments proved that synthetic wood grains were almost unaffected by the prolonged exposure to UV rays.
Price. Synthetic material is cheaper and therefore cheaper to acquire

- Cons:

Appearance. Synthetic wood grains do slightly give out an edge to real wood kits in grain and color depth.
Real Thing is always superior in texture and feel