I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.

I bought my 2007 Chevy Tahoe LTZ a little over a year ago now, and one of the few things that I have disliked about it, is the fading HVAC buttons. Long before I purchased my Tahoe, the buttons for the drivers side A/C and heater controls wore away, along with a few other buttons in the center of the dash.

It seemed like the only way to fix this, would be to replace the buttons by removing the dash. Until I found a cheap fix, these simple and cheap stickers immitate the styling of the old buttons, and give you a near like-new button experience, and make your cabin feel that much nicer.

In this article, I’m going to show you my experience with this method of classying up your dash, what I like, what I don’t like, and if you should buy them.

How do you install it?

Installation of these stickers is a simple process that just about anyone should be able to do.

  1. Clean off the buttons and the remaining paint off of the buttons you are hoping to replace with the stickers.
  2. Fill in the outer areas of each button with a permanent marker. I would likely recommend doing this with nail polish for a better effect, but you will want to be careful with this method.
  3. Utilizing a razor or an X-acto knife, peel and place the stickers where the old paint was.
  4. Press down on the sticker and lay it flat.
  5. You are done!

Now, the above is what you SHOULD DO. When I did my installation, I did not remove all of the remaining paint; instead, I left it as is. The directions told me to do remove “loose, old button covering material from the buttons”, which I took as if it was flaking off (which mine was not flaking), but removing all of the paint would be better. 

However, I think that this is necessary as if you do not remove the paint and do not line the sticker up correctly the first time, pulling the sticker off to reposition takes the remaining paint off and the adhesive with it.

What do I like about it?

1. Extremely inexpensive

At the time of purchase, the sticker pack that I chose was under $5, while replacing the buttons completely not only would have been far more expensive, but I had a hard time even locating new buttons to replace it with. When it comes to any form of automotive repair, if you can do it for under $5, that is well worth the price.

2. Easy to install (if you do it right)

Now, I did the install incorrectly, or at least misunderstood what I had to do, as I did not remove all of the paint on the buttons, as I now know you need to. However outside of the issue on that end, installation was incredibly easy. Once the buttons are cleaned off, it is quite literally just placing stickers back onto the buttons, and lining them up. It takes a couple minutes, and thats about it.

3. It looks great

The final result after you have installed the buttons is fantastic for the price and time invested! While I didn’t even know what many of the buttons looked like in the first place, they are now all crisp and clear, and the dash looks considerably less worn out and old than before.

What do I not Like about it?

1. Instructions were a bit lacking.

As I have mentioned a couple of times throughout the article, I wish they had done a bit better job of explaining the importance of completely cleaning off the buttons. 

While they did discuss removing loose, flaky material from the buttons (you can see the instructions above), they didn’t make it evident that if you mess up, the leftover material will peel off with the sticker when you try to make that adjustment.

Unfortunately, this left one of my main button’s stickers peeling off already, as the adhesive is not functional, and old paint is on it.

Who are these stickers for?

These sticker packs are a fantastic option for anyone that is looking to restore the dash of their vehicle, but may not be mechanically inclined, or have the budget to fully replace the worn out buttons. While I bought mine specific for my 2007 Chevy Tahoe, there are plenty of different sticker packs for anyone, on any vehicle that is prone to fading buttons.

Now, if you are someone that is mechanically inclined, and has the budget to do so, purchasing new factory buttons would be the beter choice. New buttons would not have sticker lines, and would last MUCH longer than these stickers will. 

I have no doubt, I will likely have to replace these stickers (for another $5) at some point in my ownership of this Tahoe.

I get commissions for purchases made through links in this post.