Summer is here, so the car needs a little bit of work to be done on it. Last month it got an extra radiator fan because the engine gets really worked up on the desert dunes. The belt once popped, but other than that she has been nothing but a sweetheart.
There are other plans for the VTC in the future. I want to upgrade the spoiler and also swap the engine. All this is still uncertain since I am not sure if I want to lose the stock...anything.
Meet Mehrab. No, he isn't stabbing the windshield from the inside. He is just packing the extra material in the dash. Believe it or not, his elder brother used to work on our EG and EFs back in the day. They also worked on our LS400. It is kinda, but not really, a tradition to bring our cars to them for the small work. It has been more than a decade since my friends and I have been loyal clients.
It was kinda difficult to get an interior set for this particular model so we decided to go with a Prado set instead. Everything fits perfectly fine except the pockets in front of the glove box. I wanted it all to be flush but the pockets of the dash set will be sitting over the airbag and I will need to peel the pocket to reach the glove box.
It isn't a major thing since the cover doesn't really inhibit the airbag system at all, it is simply a small inconvenience which I will surely get over within a few days. Also, ignore the trash and the face masks. The Safari is for dunes, a thorough cleaning will simply be redundant.
In the two pictures above you can see the before and after. I want to maintain the original color scheme of the inside since all the interior is still stock. Everything from the roof to the floor mats are stock. The previous owner really loved the car and passed it on in the same condition.
I went with a felt material for the dash since it will help both with aesthetics and also keep it cool. As you can see, it is almost flush. It just covers the passenger side airbag and has to be lifted a little to reach the glove box.
This is the almost finished look. Only need to put the head cushions back on and voila. Like I said, still going with the original beige color scheme to match the original.
The material for the seats are a very thin porous kinda material. It should protect the original seat covers and also not heat up in the summer. Trust me, we NEED to do everything to make sure we can keep as much heat as possible out of the car. When the temperature hits 40-45 degrees Celcius, it becomes a box of hell if correct measures arent taken.
Previously, airbags were put in. Back then it was a temporary fix for the suspension system. I think I am going to stick with it since it does a good job with the ride height and its a simple solution for desert runs.
The previous owner had put in a 4x4 lock on the wheels. I was never aware of such a system but it is pretty cool. You just need to remove the logo from the wheel and toggle a switch. It is easy and convenient.
Something caught my eye when I was waiting inside the shop. Most of the samples are within the beige color scheme. I am not sure if it is a UAE thing or a worldwide thing. Beige seems to be a common color for cars in the UAE. But it also is very cultural.
Maybe I can leave you with this question. What is the common color scheme for interiors in your country?
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