GabiOsz

I have searched and found some useful advice on this topic, however there are one or two things that I am not sure about.

I want to paint a pair of front lower lip spoilers, which are already painted but in a different colour. I know most of you will think me crazy for trying this myself and even crazier for using spray cans, but the parts are small and not very noticeable as they are on the lower and underside of the front bumper.

I want to know what i need to do to prep the parts seeing as they are already sprayed. Do i need to strip the parts right back? if so how do I do this? I would also like to point out that the current paint has cracked and is peeling off in places, which leads me to think that the prep work had not been done properly when they were originally painted.

Any advice would be appreciated.

dr kenneth e garchow

i feel bad that you havent had a reply in over 40 reads.
there must be some real painters out there that are more qualified than i.


but will give it a shot, you do need to strip the old paint off as you mention it is cracked and peeling. this has ne worried, because some materials are hard to strip.

ir it is fiber glass or some other hard material you are in luck because you can most likely sand the paint off, prime for fill and adhesion and paint.
if paint to thick you may want a professional stripper to take care of it. they will media blast it most likely w/material that wont harm the part.

if material soft, then you don't have a good option i know of to strip as sanding can cut into the soft finish and damage the part, blasting can pit the part and chemical may melt it.

would it be to costly to start w/new parts? lot less prep!

i just threw away a BMW spoiler i bought used, because of cracked paint on its soft spoiler material, there was no good way to get it down to the base.

there may be other tips and would like to hear about them

Jim Morton

Gabi:

I will take a stab at your questions as I have done this exact job....

Prep:

Do you need to strip the parts back? It would be best to do so, but the problem is how. Most paint strippers will soften the flexible urethanes such that as you strip the paint, you also damage the parts. So... Most folks I know, including me, wet sand the parts back and feather sand in the areas that need it. 400 or 600 grit should be used depending on how fast you want to go. Try and use some sort of flexible backer for the sand paper.

Primer:

You will need a good primer for the flexible material. I used an epoxy primer on mine. YOU can find "bomb" can epoxy primer, at least here in the US.

Finish:

Usually shops use a flex agent in the paint to avoid the cracking that can occur with the flexible parts. Try and find a paint specifically for flexible bumpers or get a paint that provides for the additive.

Hope this helps ! Have fun with your DIY

Regards

Crimson Nape Racing

I painted mine myself for the same reasons you gave. Mine were in good shape so I just primed and painted. However, after a couple track events they were pitted pretty bad (probably because spray cans are not as good - I did use lacquer and put on 5 coats + several clear coats). Anyway, all that to say I got some Wurth wrinkle paint (the same stuff that is on the rocker panels) and that covered the pits/imperfections very well. I painted again with black lacquer and clear and it has held up very well. A couple coats of the wrinkle paint will go a long way in hiding the previuos poor paint job. However, you need to make sure the old paint is good enough to where it does not peel of and take your new paint with it.

GabiOsz

I honesty I think i will paint the original parts which are off the car as a practice run and then have a go at the lip spoilers which have cracked and mismatched paint. Thanks for the advice, I wouldn't dare do the panels but as the spoilers are small relatively inconspicuous parts I think it is worth a try. As far as I can see, from where some paint has come off, the lip spoilers are a black plastic, that don't appear to have been primed properly (otherwise the paint probably would not have come off!).

Anyone know of any UK paint sellers that will do Iris blue in a can?

RS man

I think you can get it made up by places that supply Glasurit. I have a local shop who supply the paint and they said they can supply it in a spray can if I needed it so if you ask around I am sure you will find a place.

Harry