Is cloudy or milky zebrano repairable?

[Gebhard]

My center console is cloudy or milky. Is there anything I can do to repair it? I tried some 3M swirl remover, but it appears the haziness is all the way through the clearcoat.
Thanks!

No easy cure - had the same thing on my burl door wood panels on 560sel. You have 2 choices:
1) get a replacement piece new or used (easiest)
2) send the piece away and get it professionally refinished (expensive)
Unfortunately those are your two choices. Refinish the piece yourself? Don't even think it. The coating on mine was tuffer than steel - you need a pro to remove it without damaging the wood underneath. Don't ask how I know!!

I'm having the wood refinished from my 87wagon. I took it to a furniture refinishing shop locally and they said about a hundred bucks----but about five weeks to get it done. You are right the haze goes through the entire finish so it all has to be stripped off.
They are using some sort of industrial urethane, but it is the process of sripping the old hard finish off that takes for ever. I've seen their finished product and it looks good as new. Only problem is driving around with the interior looking rough.
The next project around here is to get a computer to post pictures, so if I get that done in the same timeframe as the woodwork, I'll post the results
Steve

[Zoni]

Since the thickness of the wood is close to guitars has anyone ever tried having it refinished like a musical instrument?

Zoni - can't do that- the UV from the sun and the extreme temperatures reached in the car will damage the instrument type finish. Just so you all know - I refinished my wood myself. It took me over a month of evenings and week ends to strip the hard finsh off with very caustic stripper and a lot of hand sanding. The white powder and smell made it a very messy job. Once I got them stripped down ( yes I went too far in one spot and that is how I know the burl veneer is very thin and mounted on a mahogany base glued to a metal backing) I used a mixture of stains to replicate the area I rubbed down to far (1/2"x1/4") and I restained the burl- even I can't tell where it was damaged. I then used a two part Behr pourable clear plastic coating as a finish. The flat pieces were a piece of cake- the curved pieces were hard to do as you had to keep turning the the pieces in the air until the coating started to gel to ensure a smooth surface. Took me several tries on the curved pieces to get it right. I did this two years ago and the finish is still like new. Would I recommend anyone doing it??? Not on your life!!! If I would have known what I was getting into I would not have started. Once started I sweated all the way to completion. When I get my car out of winter storage in a couple of months - I will post pictures.The reason I used the Behr pourable finish was to get about the same thickness as the factory stuff with the slightly rounded edges of the finish. If anyone wants to try this be forewarned - when you strip the pieces you also remove some of the factory stain and each piece has a different glow to them. I used mineral spirits to wet the stripped wood to see what the end color would be. That is why I had to re-stain all the pieces to match. If you try to do only one piece - make sure you have the proper color match to the other pieces before finishing. If anyone still wants to try it themselves - post on this thread and I will provide what info I have although - don't say I didn't warn you!

[ck42]

Well, I haven't said anything until now since I thought that this place was already well known....maybe it isn't.

The place is called HeritageWoodworks and the owner's name is Jean.

I've emailed Jean about some refinishing cost. My inqueries were actually centered around having zebrano converted to burlwood tho. Jean said that he could 'convert' my pieces, all of them, for about $500. Otherwise, his refinishing cost for individual pieces are unknown...but from the sound of the alternatives, proababy reasonable.

Apparently his work results in wood trim that is as good as factory new condition if not better...plus you can request whatever customizations you desire (within reason of course).

He also says he has "a lot of salvage yard wood trim" if you were missing any pieces.

[Gebhard]

Thanks for all the valuable advice. Looks like I'm shopping for a new piece. FYI, I purchased this set on eBay, it was described as "like new". The two top pieces are good, but the console piece is very cloudy and the plastic underneath that holds the fader switch is broken. So far, the seller has refused any compromise or refund. I usually find some good deals on eBay, but this one sure turned out sour, so keep your guard up if your shopping there.