Console Switch Panel

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I just got my hands on a console switch panel in awesome condition off eBay
The one currently in my car is in horrible condition and I don't really want this newer one to turn like that though
I know eventually the letters would probably come off so I had a solution that might work, my car is outside 100% of the time so I'm guessing the sun will only accelerate the rate at which it degrades
I wanted to put down a clear coat on the panel to maybe make it last longer since these parts are only getting harder and harder to find
So should I put some clear on it or leave as is?

Eh... I'd just leave it. If it gets messed up you can always get a decal from Danco to make it look new again.

Unless you are gonna be using a quality high solids 2k clearcoat, then I wouldn't bother. All the cheap 1k rattlecan clears will not hold up in a high wear area like that console plate. They will get scratched up, yellow, and peel in no time, and the plate will look far worse than if you had just left it to age on it's own. If your not sure what I mean by 2K Clearcoat, it's the kind that you mix 2 parts together (paint/catalyst) in a 3:1 or 4:1 ratio, and then spray with a paint gun. Once cured they are extremely hard to scratch/scuff and make look bad, unless you are using a sharp object. Fingers would never able to tear it up, and make it look bad, like they would a cheap 1k clear.

Yea I thought about using some 2k clear
Maybe something like a satin finish if I can find it

You can get Flat Clearcoat. Might actually be for the best there, since it won't change the look of factory finish as much as a gloss clearcoat will.