simon wrote:why does that make it sound like it would cost me a million dollars to do?
Powder coating is cheap, but only for metal parts. Plus, powder coat really is NOT up to everyday wear and tear. The coating will flake off after no time.
Your best bet is to do a proper spray paint job yourself. You need to sand the parts down properly first. Coarse sandpaper to get off all the coating, and gradually working down to about 800 grit sandpaper til the plastic is smooth. Doesn't have to be perfect just yet.
Next prime it with some plastic primer. It's fairly thin, and the trick is to spray just enough so that it melds together and isn't bumpy, but not so much that it run. Do about 2-3 coats of primer and sand it smooth between with 1200 grit sandpaper.
Use automotive paint, as it is the hardest wearing and best bet. I'd suggest matt black for the interior. Same technique as above. Spray so that the droplets just meld together and sand between coats with 1200 grit wet n dry sandpaper (use it dry tho!). You need to leave each coat for 24 hours, otherwise it WILL be wet.
On your final coat (about 3 coats should be fine) make sure you sand it smooth, now you need to leave it for ONE WEEK to dry.
Now use some autosol metal polish with a clean dry cloth and buff the paint to smooth it. You can also add a clear top coat for extra hardiness or just use some autopolish. Be careful when polishing that you don't go too nuts!
Keep in mind that automotive paint actually stays wet in the lower levels for up to a month, so you want to be careful!
P.S: The entire cost of doing this yourself should only be about $70. That includes the plastic primer, sandpaper, paint (you should only need about 2-3 large cans) and the metal polish.