Interior Exterior
Q:
I had J. Edwin Refinishing in Austin, TX paint all of the plastic grills and louvers on my Elise semi-gloss black. I had a bunch of other work done at the same time, so I don't know the cost breakout.
In retrospect, I would only have the louvers and side grills painted. It's hard to notice the grills in the front and back and not worth the added cost.
Hey fellow Austinite! I just talked to Patrick @ autostrada and he recommended Mick to me for some clear coating (+ I was thinking or taking your idea too). How was your experience with him? In your opinion, are his prices fair? Thanks
0o7
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If you can DIY at all, painting the grills is a very easy, cheap project.
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If you can DIY at all, painting the grills is a very easy, cheap project.
Would you clear coat it yourself too?
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Hey fellow Austinite! I just talked to Patrick @ autostrada and he recommended Mick to me for some clear coating (+ I was thinking or taking your idea too). How was your experience with him? In your opinion, are his prices fair? Thanks
0o7
Mick does excellent work, his rates are reasonable, and he handles nearly all of the Lotus work in Austin. Mick is extremely good at color matching.
Clear coat for what, the louvers and grills? I think you are better off going with semi-gloss black; it looks the most natural. Alternately, you could go with a monochrome scheme and match the body color.
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If you can DIY at all, painting the grills is a very easy, cheap project.
If you have the time and know how to paint, it would be an easy project. I know how to paint, but didn't have the time. My time was better spent working on other projects.
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Mick does excellent work, his rates are reasonable, and he handles nearly all of the Lotus work in Austin. Mick is extremely good at color matching.
Clear coat for what, the louvers and grills? I think you are better off going with semi-gloss black; it looks the most natural. Alternately, you could go with a monochrome scheme and match the body color.
Thanks alot, that's good to hear. I'll give him a call then. I'd like him to clear some CF for me and I might follow your example with painting the grills. Excuse the stupid question but what is a "louver"? Never heard that term.
0o7
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Excuse the stupid question but what is a "louver"? Never heard that term.
0o7
louver: An opening provided with one or more slanted fixed or movable fins to allow flow of air but to exclude rain or sun.
The louvers are above the engine and radiator.
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I forgot, are the rear/front louvers removeable?
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wouldnt have this issue in the first place if you use Zaino. My two cents....
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I've heard that WD40 will remove wax from black parts, but I've never tried it.
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I followed Stan's lead and painted all my vents black last winter. I did them two at a time over a few weekends, and it was easy. The upkeep is the right amount, NONE. I will probably re-do them every other year to keep the car looking sharp. I used a gloss black "car trim" paint I got at Pepboys. I taped off the vents and painted most of them right on the car!
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My car was a mess when it arrived, and Back-to-Black worked great. 2 coats held up for the 6 months that I've had it, although my car is always garaged (that is, when it's not driven).
I used Krylon Fusion on my engine covers, and will probably do the vents with it in the spring. I believe that's what Stan used; I've seen it and it looks awesome, a deep black.
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louver: An opening provided with one or more slanted fixed or movable fins to allow flow of air but to exclude rain or sun.
The louvers are above the engine and radiator.
Oh, ok thanks. BTW Did you look that up in websters?
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wouldnt have this issue in the first place if you use Zaino. My two cents....
What's Zaino?
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Oh, ok thanks. BTW Did you look that up in websters?
That would be a distinct possibility.
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ACLSGuy,
I use the full range of Meguiar's polishing products and have has some similar issues. Let us know what you find that works the best on this.
BTW, with the amount of Meguiar's products I've used over the years, I got to know the Local Meguiar's product representative pretty well. He told me that the #7 Showcar Glaze was formulated to give the best reflections and least swirl marks for indoor car shows. This was done at the expense of a lot of protection from rain, sun, etc. If you use #7, I would follow it up with a more permanent wax. I used to use Meguiar's #16 (old school carnuba) until I switched to Zaino for the top coat.
0o7,
You can check out Zaino here: http://www.zainostore.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc Sal Zaino is a real character if you get a chance to talk to him on the phone. He's got a great New Jersey Italian accent (you gotta problem wit that?) and a great product too. Beware that both Meguiar's and Zaino are pretty time consuming if you do it right, with proper lighting to see the scratches and swirl marks. But then again, I've been known to think spending a couple of back to back 12 hour days buffing and polishing paint is fun. Sick. I know.
John
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Try wet sanding a black laquered Buick. Talk about elbow grease! Took it from dry chalkboard, to black mirror.
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My car was a mess when it arrived, and Back-to-Black worked great. 2 coats held up for the 6 months that I've had it, although my car is always garaged (that is, when it's not driven).I used Krylon Fusion on my engine covers, and will probably do the vents with it in the spring. I believe that's what Stan used; I've seen it and it looks awesome, a deep black.
If you drive the car alot, the engine cover grills show white stains and fading the fastest. Maybe it's largely driving hours related. Due to exhaust heat and sun. Drop the glop, and paint, so the pain of the stain goes away...if the car gets much drive time and you're not into the extra labor. I think the bits look better painted, better than when freshly treated with chemicals.
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Try wet sanding a black laquered Buick. Talk about elbow grease! Took it from dry chalkboard, to black mirror.
Yeah, but nothing looks better than mirror black!
I helped put myself through school by working in a body shop, so I know what you mean. I've wet sanded more cars than I care to remember. I've also repaired more cars that have been damaged by "professional" detailers than I care to remember also. My last "salvage" job was a ZR-1 Corvette show car that I had to airbrush (2-stage) paint back onto every edge that "the best Corvette detailer in Houston" had totally destroyed and took all of the paint off of the car. Ever mask off an entire C4 Vette except for the edges?
John
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Try Wurth's Cockpit Cleaner. It works.