Device2

So my center caps were looking a bit aged and before forking up the cash to get nice new original Porsche center caps. I figure why not give the old ones a once over buff with the headlight restore kit sanding pads. Figured since the top layer of the original center caps look like they are clear plastic. So I went to town masking the surrounding area then sanding the center logo and increasing the grit just like it's done when using them to do headlight restoration. After a few short minutes, bling and the caps were looking like new. Tossed a coat of Armor-All extreme shine spray to finish off the new shinny look and now they are as good as new for a few more miles. Just wanted to share in case anyone else was in the same boat and was debating on paying the Porsche royalties for original Porsche parts on those center caps.

*Also if your center caps are loose just apply a little bit of hot air via a heat gun to bend the retainer prongs back. Just be careful not to over heat or melt the prong. I had one that would not stay in the infamous center cap position. But now it's tight and stays in place.

dkraige

Looks nice!

Device2

Boomvang

Wow, can't wait to try this. Thanks much.

beetleything

Nice

That's what's good about the 996 forum - everyone has a go DIYing stuff...

over on the 99cough7 forum they would be posting where is the best place to buy them etc.

Cuda911

Wow, I never saw the caps get crappy looking like that on any car, but yours came out great!

ZuffenZeus

Just like 91One's recent thread... this is what happened to my OEM center caps. The darn crest came unglue and flew off. Uggh! You'd think Porsche would use something more than just glue for those metal crests.

dporto

^This^ I refinished my center crests as well - they came out nice. Shortly therafter one of the crests flew off. I was able to find a fairly nice replacement for about $30 on ebay, and I felt "whole again" Then I lost another... Maybe I'll just break down and buy a new set

rymerc

If they're original, I'd pop the crests off, refinish them, then reglue. I've lost 3 crests already, must be a bunch of porsche crests littering the roadways out there.

ZuffenZeus

I just refinished some old 993 versions that look really good on the wheels. But I also bought some Chinese knock offs. They work fine, but the fit is not perfect. They're like 1-2mm off around the edge.

Here's a picture of them...

Device2

B3, I will heed to your warning and make sure mine are attached well and not be another contributor to the liberated Porsche crest movement that now roam free through the highways and byways.
That original adhesive looks like a shot of glue from an old hot glue gun.. Cough, I mean special Porsche proprietary special adhesive. Lol.

Ck986

I polished mine then reglued them with epoxy. One cell off and bought a new one to replace it. After seeing a new one, I decided I wanted to replace the rest.

91One

Would you mind sharing where you bought the new crests? I want to refurb my oem caps.

peterp

There is a pretty simple solution to the crests falling off. I posted this way back in 2005 when I had my first 996. The advantage of the solution is that the crests will NOT come off, they can't easily be stolen, and they also look a lot better because the holes are filled. It only takes about 20 minutes to do once you have the materials. The solution is outlined starting on post #30 of this thread: https://rennlist.com/forums/996-foru...-question.html

peterp

Once you have the crests clean, you can keep them that way permanently by spraying them with Krylon Crystal Clear ( ). This stuff is different from regular clear coat paint. Clear coat goes on very thick and it would be obvious that they are coated. With the Crystal Clear, it goes on super thin, so that you really can't tell that anything is on it, but it protects the surface. It also enhances the color/gloss a bit, but it doesn't look like it is coated with anything. Once the Crystal Clear is dry, it's good to top it with wax as an extra layer protection. As thin as this stuff goes on, I would still only coat the crest rather than the entire wheel center.

I have used the Crystal Clear for a lot of other things. I had a copper street number emblem that was too shiny when I got it, but looked great after a week or so of aging, and then started to look started to look pretty bad as it darkened further and unevenly. I polished the copper to make it clean again, then let it age a few days until it had just the right amount of darkening, then sealed it with the Crystal Clear and it locked in that color and still looks the same 2 years later. This is bare solid copper and you really can't tell that there is a coating on it.