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I can’t believe this just happened, but I was at the dealer sitting in a brand new, pristine Cayenne S. As typical I was touching and tapping the materials, hitting buttons, seeing how the switches work, etc. You know, stuff you do in every car to get a sense of build quality. The piano black passenger dash had fingerprints, and looked disgusting. I figured I’ll help the dealer out to make it look real nice and wipe some of those off. I used the cuff of my shirt, something I’ve done with every surface including my glasses for my lifetime without an issue. As I lifted up my cuff, I was like oh no, I just smudged the fingerprint grease all over. Then, I realized (and confirmed with horror) that the apparent new greasy matte black “patch” was instead a permanent smudgy scratched in area, in an otherwise pristine piano black finish. It stood out like a sore thumb. I could see my reflection staring back at me in the rest of the mirror-like finish in shock, a despaired face reflecting back at me everywhere but the newly ruined scratched in patch.
I was so embarrassed, and I told the manager I will gladly pay for the piece. He couldn’t have been more kind. Embarrassment is one of the strongest negative human emotions, and as adults it is rare to experience.
Even more strongly, I am completely dumbfounded how Porsche is using such a material on their dash, and in the family hauling Cayenne no less. I can’t imagine what that dash will look like in a couple years with my wife, kids, and dog! My 2018 Macan Turbo still looks like new inside, with all the abuse over the years. The 991.2 GT3 was tough as nails inside. What is Porsche thinking? I walked out of there disappointed that I can’t in good conscience buy a Cayenne unless it has durable surfaces. I was ready to spend $150K plus. The piano black broke the deal.
Is there an option to change this material to something durable? For the life of me on the online builder, I can’t find it.
I agree with you 100%. The piano black trim is completely impractical and to me, against what I have always in the past admired about German car engineering - engineering that fostered the approach where "form follows function". Not only is the piano black high gloss plastic fragile, it is placed in areas of the car that are frequently touched / handled, and as you've conveyed often need to be cleaned off as they show even the slightest smudge or finger print. Ridiculous.
One of the first things that I did when I got my CPO Cayenne was to polish out all of the piano black material and then ceramic coat it.
The material can be effectively polished, but the fragility of it ensures that it will be a frequent source of issues.
Porsche needs to do better.
"Before" shot. What a mess. Polishing underway. Project completed (for now anyway...)
Ceramic and polich will make it smooth temporarily but will not protect it from scratches. Perhaps ask a PPF installer too add a coating of film. Its almost invisible on my Carrera's exterior.
Ceramic and polich will make it smooth temporarily but will not protect it from scratches. Perhaps ask a PPF installer too add a coating of film. Its almost invisible on my Carrera's exterior.
Yes, as I mentioned, my trim project was completed for now...
For me in my situation (only driver, no kids in the car), the ceramic finish will probably be sufficient. Over the past 6 months since completing the polishing / ceramic coating, there's been no degradation or further deterioration of the finish.
My CPO'ed 2021 Turbo has PPF inisde around the piano black areas...is easy to clean... and helps keeping the look pristine, however i have no small kids and dog NOT allowed in the car
Customers want piano black and they get it. If no one wanted it in their car, car manufacturers would offer other materials instead of piano black.
Fortunately, it is easy to polish off minor scratches, but only PPF can help with fingerprints, and only if it is matte.
Customers want piano black and they get it. If no one wanted it in their car, car manufacturers would offer other materials instead of piano black.
Fortunately, it is easy to polish off minor scratches, but only PPF can help with fingerprints, and only if it is matte.
It looks great when it's new.
But everyone that I've ever known that's had it, hates it.
Manufacturer's offer it because it's a simple cost effective interior finish solution for them that can go with any interior. In other words, a big EASY button for them.
Customers want piano black and they get it. If no one wanted it in their car, car manufacturers would offer other materials instead of piano black.
Fortunately, it is easy to polish off minor scratches, but only PPF can help with fingerprints, and only if it is matte.
Seems customers no longer want it as much because the latest trend seems to be to decrease the piano black, or take it out entirely. 2025 MDX refresh cut it in about half. Toyota is removing it in their new models. Etc. I think 2021 was probably “peak piano black.”
I have it and hate the way dust and smudges stand out on it. I also dislike the touch sensitivity where I sometimes reach down at a red light to adjust the volume on the stereo only to find I brushed the menu buttons and am now staring at some strange screen I didn't want. The actual buttons in my 2016 that were flat black and had to be physically pushed were far, far superior. I look at the piano black as a down grade, just as I look at the poorly designed shifter that requires me to look at the gauges to see if it really shifted into gear because you can't tell from the movement. And then "Park" is a tiny little button on the front that has to be pushed in. Terrible designs.
Beyond the cosmetic stuff, which is bad enough, at certain angles the black reflects sunlight up into your eyes, and it's blinding. On a long drive recently the sun was at the perfect angle for long enough that I took a cloth from my console and covered it. To me, being blinded by your car is a safety issue.
I didn't understand the problem others are having until I saw the photos in this thread. I suppose I'm fortunate that my Cayenne Platinum came with aluminum inlays on much of the piano black. The piano black on the center console is still flawless at just under two years and 18,500 miles. I've wondered how others are getting it scratched up. Maybe it helps that neither my wife nor I wear jewelry except for her plastic Apple watch.
Been following several threads on this forum as I'm anxiously waiting for my 24 TEH coupe, expected within the next month. I love the understated beauty and simplicity of the new interior but I agree with everyone else, the piano black scares me. Not so much the dust or fingerprints but definitely the micro-scratches will drive me nuts. PPF is definitely a good solution. A direct link was posted on another thread for XPEL interior PPF but wasn't exactly what I was looking for. XPEL's website isn't the easiest to navigate but I came across XPEL website (link below) that got me what I needed: precut interior PPF to protect screens, each of the piano black panels and the gloss carbon fiber interior trim I spec'd on my car. Just enter your vehicle details and viola. I received it within a week from order...now just waiting on the car.
The primary problem with the piano black material itself is how ridiculously fragile it is.
Specifically - significant damage to the finish can occur by just simply trying to clean it. Even if you're being very thoughtful and careful about it. The micro-scratching, hazing, and even significant scratching will occur with just a simple wipe across it with a soft cloth or microfiber.
Again, the material is completely unsuitable for use in an automobile.
If you're a maniac (like me) and you are fastidious about how you clean it, as long as it's been ceramic coated, you can avoid 90% of the damage. If you're less inclined to be maniacal about protecting / cleaning it - you absolutely have to get it PPF'd. No question about it.
Post polishing / ceramic coating. The polishing process involved 4 different steps and 4 different products. Porsche should be ashamed for using this material in a car. Lots of time to get it fixed to this level. Virtually all of the micro-hazing has been removed.
Can you share your process and what supplies you needed to do this? I just picked up a 2022 and the piano black is showing slight wear I would love to fix
Originally Posted by Ironman88
The primary problem with the piano black material itself is how ridiculously fragile it is.
Specifically - significant damage to the finish can occur by just simply trying to clean it. Even if you're being very thoughtful and careful about it. The micro-scratching, hazing, and even significant scratching will occur with just a simple wipe across it with a soft cloth or microfiber.
Again, the material is completely unsuitable for use in an automobile.
If you're a maniac (like me) and you are fastidious about how you clean it, as long as it's been ceramic coated, you can avoid 90% of the damage. If you're less inclined to be maniacal about protecting / cleaning it - you absolutely have to get it PPF'd. No question about it.
Post polishing / ceramic coating. The polishing process involved 4 different steps and 4 different products. Porsche should be ashamed for using this material in a car. Lots of time to get it fixed to this level. Virtually all of the micro-hazing has been removed.
07-11-2024, 02:22 PM
Piano black sucks.
