Head light trim

Wed Feb 22, 2012 10:08 am

Hello,

My plastic trim on my e30 is looking very tired and faded, the bits i am talking about are head light surroundings and the bits under the windscreen.

What i would like to know is can i spray them with black paint or do i need to lightly sand them prime and then paint?

Has anyone done them and what would you say would give me the best finish?

Cheers Gill

Thu Feb 23, 2012 1:27 am

its a tough one, some times they are oxidised so you could polish them and rejuvenate the plastic, thats simple to do on the trims on the scuttle

the front grills are a bit more challenging.

you could scotch them down and re paint them satin black, but its not a permanent solution. it can react badly and get sticky

personally i'd see how much new grills are, if its not too much i'd buy them new

Thu Feb 23, 2012 9:50 am

Nice one bro, i will look into new one's.

Gill

Fri Mar 30, 2012 12:01 am

http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/HOLTS-SATIN-B ... 1c1dc9a5d3

buy this.

Clean the grills and make sure there is no dust or grease on them. then just spray this shit on generously and leave it to dry. it leaves an even factory finish. i couldnt believe it when i used it as to be honest im F'in useless with a spary can. it leaves any trim looking oem.

Fri Mar 30, 2012 12:04 am

+1 for just spraying them! Make sure they're clean then give them a spray, although I've used plastic primer in the past to start with then satin on top and they look spot on

Fri Mar 30, 2012 12:06 am

Good suggestion jim but i really wouldnt worry with this holts stuff. it sticks like shit to a carpet.

Fri Mar 30, 2012 9:25 am

Cheers lad's, car's going into body shop in a couple of weeks thats when i will get all the trim of and paint them up. Will do pic's before and after and get them posted up.

Gill

Sat Mar 31, 2012 8:49 am

i always use auto Glym bumper care on mine, although this isn't permanent of course

Sat Mar 31, 2012 1:20 pm

i'm gonna try some of this one day...need it for shadowline trim as well

http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/ex ... -restorer/

recommended by someone on detailing world.

some people have said peanut butter can work on black trim.....i haven't tried this but can say from experience that meguirs tyre shine on toast is not a good combo

Tue Apr 10, 2012 11:49 pm

Perfect!! That holts spray looks exactly like what I need!!
Worst case and it all goes wrong, or doesn't look right - then I'll price up new bits!!!!

Wed Apr 11, 2012 10:17 am

Has anyone tried vinyl dye to paint them as that is supposed to penetrate the plastic instead of sitting on top like paint so it should give it a better finish as you wouldn't have to worry about the paint being chipped or scratched.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:10 pm

pukar wrote:i'm gonna try some of this one day...need it for shadowline trim as well

http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/ex ... -restorer/

recommended by someone on detailing world.

some people have said peanut butter can work on black trim.....i haven't tried this but can say from experience that meguirs tyre shine on toast is not a good combo

I've used it on my front grills and I'm quite happy with the results! Pics don't really show how well they came up but you get the idea I think:

Before:

After:

I wouldn't say they look new but they are damn close to it, much fresher than before! I'll get a pic of the restored on with the other grill for comparison.

--- EDIT ---

Figured I'll take pics now with the sun being out, difference is obvious I think

No paint used, just a really good clean and that trim restore product.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 2:22 pm

I just use Acrylic Black spray and it does the job well.

Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:12 pm

Jozi wrote:
pukar wrote:i'm gonna try some of this one day...need it for shadowline trim as well

http://gtechniq.com/shop/3s-for-cars/ex ... -restorer/

recommended by someone on detailing world.

some people have said peanut butter can work on black trim.....i haven't tried this but can say from experience that meguirs tyre shine on toast is not a good combo
I've used it on my front grills and I'm quite happy with the results! Pics don't really show how well they came up but you get the idea I think:

No paint used, just a really good clean and that trim restore product.

Wow!!! That looks magical!!!
Wish I'd seen that before I ordered the black spray paint!!!

In fact, this looks so much cleaner and easier, I'm gonna buy some of this as well and try it first I think!!!

Looks like it'll be easy to do all the trim on both my cars, without dismantling, or making a mess!!! Win Win!!!!!

Tue Apr 24, 2012 8:25 pm

Small tip, use cottonbuds to get into the corners and area's fingers cant get and make sure it's thoroughly cleaned!

The black paint will come in handy else where ;)

Wed Apr 25, 2012 9:24 pm

i painted some scuttle vents and facelift black bumper trim and it came up super, put the extra effort and care in and theyl look and last that bit nicer/better

clean
a light dusting of plastic primer (not a proper coat)
leave to dry half hour
then a full coat
leave to dry
then a light sanding with 1200 wet/dry paper with lots of water, gets it nice and smooth
leave to dry

then a light dusting of satin black
leave to dry
then a full coat but not too thick
leave to dry
then another light coat
leave to dry, and see how it looks

you can also use a couple of thin coats of laquer for a really nice finish, and its always better to do thin coats of paint and resist temptation to put too much on, it will make it a stronger more durable finish with regards to scratches and dry niceer and smoother

Wed Apr 25, 2012 10:06 pm

Painted my grilles Satin Black this week, worked a charm. Did it on the slats of my E36 and that lasted 12 months/10k before I sold it and still looked mint if you were worried about longevity.

No lacquer here though, would've turned it too gloss for my liking and turned out it didn't really need the extra protection.