G Man

Did mine by sanding and cleaning with alcohol. Masked it off and shot several coats of SEM black trim paint. Looks great so far.

Bill51sdr

Andy... p.m. me or give me a call about this. I still have the masks Ron V. came up with to do this in the way we did ours. Mine still looks great, no primer or paint chipping problems. Ron V is on to something here guys & girls...

Chuck Z

I have done this a couple times now and had very good results.

First remove the allen nut holding that holds the lock mechanism in place up against the car so you lift it away from the outter surface of the door. Its on the door above the latch in the jam. Tape everything off and cover the car with plastic to prevent overspray from landing on it. Next clean up the surface with 600 grit sandpaper and/or steel wool. Clean with alcohol and paint with SEM matte black trim paint (no primer required). Will look good as new!

As usual, here are a couple pics:

Bill Ball

I did what Chuck Z did, but with a little less overspray protection. : :-)

Chuck Z

Really looks like I overdid it doesn't it. Actually, I was buffing the car and thought it was a good time to paint the surround.

Flott Leben

I used a primer that was good on aluminum and then a black glossy spray paint I bought at Home Depot - I believe it was called "Appliance Paint." It goes on smoothly and is very durable. It is similar to the paint you find on a refrigerator or stove.

Oh yeah, you can never have enough coverage to prevent overspray, especially from spray cans - ask me how I know.

Bill Ball

With the quality of Chuck's cars, I fully understand the full coverage protection.

Marine Blue

Can someone explain the Jager overlay in more detail? Is it a thin plastic black film that adheres to the surface or is it a metal ring that adheres to the surface? If metal what is its thickness and does it look layered when on the car?

I want to restore my trim and I'm debating between the respray and overlay, I want it too look nice so I don't mind spending time sainding/painting if it looks better in the end.

Randy V

It's a thin black vinyl overlay. Looks good when properly installed.

Bill Ball

His best overlay is the one for the ignition key center. I know, how trivial, but there is no way any paint is going to hold up to the key. I put Paul's little vinyl overlay on probably 3 years ago - looks like it was painted yesterday.

Nicole

This is a very thin hi-tech material, very elastic and sticky, that conforms to the shape you stick it onto. The best part is that it won't scratch, as Bill points out.

So, even if you have perfect lock surrounds, this is what yuo really want: A material that doesn't scratch. Whether you want to protect a perfect original, or restore the look doesn't matter.

We have similar lmaterials also for restoring the rear quarter window trim pieces, which tend to face, and to restore or protect the trim around the windshield. Each kit is US$21.00. I usually have them in stock.

Marine Blue

Thanks everyone, looks like the way to go. My drivers side is beat up but the passenger side looks nearly perfect. Regardless I want them all to match so I will install the overlay on all three locks.

Nicole you mention the rear window overlay, are you referring to the actual metal trim? I am also looking for a good solution for this as one of the previous owners decided to paint it but it appears they used a brush and it's obvious!

I also noted you have the window switch overlays, are they similar? Does the back light shine through the overlays and do I need to remove any existing markings off the buttons?

I will probably place an order some time next week

Sharkbody

Placing an open-ended circular overlay on the trim ring sounds simple, but it is very easy to screw up. The extras you get are for just such a possibility. The adhesive is so tenacious that it's a one shot deal.

bfellows

My Jager overlays have gone through 2 years of British weather and my general hamfistedness without so much as a mark on them. Well worth the investment - I wouldn't get too excited when you open the packet as they're not much to look at, but work beautifully!

Rob Edwards

I was getting cleaned up for Sharktoberfest and decided to try putting on the lock surround overlays that I ordered a while back.

Here's the before: All shiny paint, crappy looking lock:



And the after:



The installation is pretty simple, and the instructions are good as well. I would add that the lock overlays are NOT the hardest piece to install, the rear hatch lock surround overlay is- it's convex, and rubber. I ended up not installing that piece, couldn't get it to lay flat. The vinyl is too shiny over the dull rubber look anyway.

The tip I'd add RE: the lock surrounds: The overlay is actually enough to wrap about 1-1/8 revolutions around the lock. With the 'cut' in the overlay at 12 o'clock, I tacked it down at the 9 o'clock position and worked the overlay around the circle, letting it overlap the 'cut' at 12 o'clock. Then I cut the overlap with an X-acto knife blade.

I also found that I could use the tip of the X-acto knife to lift up the edge of the overlay where there were little bubbles, hit it with the hiar dryer, and work out the bubble towards the outside. Yes, the seam at 12 o'clock is visible if you look for it, but it's pretty subtle. Overall, a huge improvement for $20 and 20 minutes of work. Thanks, Nicole!