A&Q about Lotus
Q:
Originally Posted by bmw1
Oh c'mon, Lambo? It's all about the Prancing Horse
He doesn't seem to be prancing here.
A:
Originally Posted by AgentTripleX
He doesn't seem to be prancing here.
Nice picture, How'd the guards turn out.
A:
Originally Posted by habendanio
Nice picture, How'd the guards turn out.
Still haven't done them... lagging... really need to because I got some friction the other day already.
A:
Originally Posted by AgentTripleX
He doesn't seem to be prancing here.
A:
So I'm taking my chin gaurds in tomorrow morning for painting. The body shop working on my fastback is going to do it. Should they paint inside and out? I'm going to have the mechanic at work put them on with notes from this thread to make sure it is done perfectly. I had a little scuff last week, nothing visible, but made me realize I need to stop procrastinating.
A:
i procrastinated too long. ugh
A:
Originally Posted by AgentTripleX
So I'm taking my chin guards in tomorrow morning for painting. The body shop working on my fastback is going to do it. Should they paint inside and out?
The idea of painting them only on the inside is so that any scrapes can be "buffed out". The clear plastic will get scratched, but not the paint. If it starts to show, you can polish out the scratch in the clear plastic and it will look good again.
If you paint the outside, then the paint may get scraped off.
If the body shop knows what they are doing, they can paint the inside and it will blend right in. Even my Chrome Orange (3 part pearlesent paint) guards came out looking perfect painted on the inside - I had expected them to not look right...
A:
Originally Posted by TimMullen
The idea of painting them only on the inside is so that any scrapes can be "buffed out". ...
It's also to hide the silicone used on install.
A:
Originally Posted by pianomaniac
It's also to hide the silicone used on install.
But if you painted the outside, the silicone would still be hidden...
A:
Originally Posted by TimMullen
But if you painted the outside, the silicone would still be hidden...
haha....yes, you are correct. In my mind, I was thinking about painting on inside vs. leaving them clear. Listen to what I think, not to what I say.
No, on second thought, don't do that either. You may be very afraid of what you find.
A:
Thanks all... I'll tell the paint shop to do only the inside. Once that's done I'll have to compile everyone suggestions from this thread on the silicone and how long it should be on before attaching it to the car and screws too. Gotta stay on top of things.
A:
So today I found the box my chin guards were in and guess what? They came with directions. Yes, it says paint the inside. About the silicone though it doesn't say wether it should dry first or not. It's all coming together though. Next week they should be on. Getting painted today or tomorrow.
A:
Finally got my chin gaurds on. Not flush, but the point for me it save on repair/replacement costs of my clam. Silicone was applied on along the tops and sides. Today I walked around the shop and felt the bottoms of 3 Lotus cars we had in for service. All of the bottoms were not smooth. One actually had chin guards, including a center piece I was not familiar with, but am very interested in. That car had really been using it's guards We had an Exige in and I was thinking maybe next time someone hits me instead of chin gaurds I'll put on a splitter. It probably protects the car as much as the gaurds and looks cooler.
A:
Originally Posted by AgentTripleX
Today I walked around the shop and felt the bottoms of 3 Lotus cars we had in for service. All of the bottoms were not smooth.
Felt up three Lotus cars, hmmm. Better ask your shrink about that.
A:
i'm going to put a splitter on mine,reverie has a very nice one.
A:
Originally Posted by AgentTripleX
I already have the clear guards though. I don't want to buy them again just so they come painted.
I am interested. Please post pics. Please
A:
Originally Posted by AgentTripleX
I was thinking maybe next time someone hits me instead of chin guards I'll put on a splitter. It probably protects the car as much as the guards and looks cooler.
Unfortunately, a splitter usually hangs lower to the ground and is more likely to get hit or scraped. If you are talking about carbon fiber splitters, you are also talking about expensive replacements when they get cracked.
Sometimes you just can't win...
A:
The only thing that has damaged my splitter was the license plate. I removed that and take it easy on drivway approaches.
A:
For the record, I have yet to scrape my clam. I installed the chin guards "just in case".
I'm not saying that a splitter is a bad idea, it's just that like everything in life, there are pros and cons. I suspect that if I decided to get a splitter, I'd opt for a fiberglass one instead of carbon fiber - easier to fix the inevitable scrapes or cracks.