Paint mirror cover

creedp

For the second time in a year my drives sides mirror has been clipped. Thankfully this time only the painted plastic cover was damaged and I have a primed cover I didn't use the last time which I was considering doing a DIY paint job on to get me to the next time its gets blown off! My Question is if I got some spray paint could I, as a pure novice, DIY paint it so that it wold look reasonable? I'm loath to go to expense of having it done professionally especially given that there is a L driver using the car and it may only be a matter of time before it has to be done again!! As a matter of interest where could I get a can of spray paint - Ford sea grey?

Thanks

biko

Colour? Car model? Pics?

But yeah you should be able to get it back to pretty decent yourself.

challengemaster

Halfords will have ready made cans or be able to mix up a can. Not sure how good motor factors are for mixing up paint.

Test on something first to check the colour.

Use a tack cloth to make sure there's no dust on the part first. The fact it's already got primer on it means you're ahead. If you can spray it indoors, in a warm dry room with good ventilation you'll get the best results. You want to build it up in coats, maybe 3-5 coats of paint, leaving about 15 mins between each coat.

Leave the paint to dry for a few hours before applying laquer. Same method, but follow the instructions on the can.

It won't be perfect, but it should do the job!

sogood

Assuming that you've used a plastic primer, as opposed to the usual grey primer. The plastic primer is clear and it's no harm to build up a few layers, rubbing lightly with 1000 grit paper between coats.

creedp

Thanks for the comments received. The car is a sea grey 08 S-Max 2l TDCi titanium. I had to replace the drivers mirror earlier in the year and sourced a complete non-Ford branded mirror on-line for about €120 all in. This included a mirror cover which was primed only. I didn't use this part because the cover from the original mirror survived almost unscathed so I avoided the need to paint the new cover. As it ws received primed I don't know what kind of primer was used .. other than it is a very light grey colour.

Incidentially, I'm not very happy with the quality of the mirror as it has become very loose and can basically jiggle around on its base. It also was a pain to fit because the bolt for attaching it to the door was larger thant the original requiring the hole to be drilled out. Sometimes saving money on parts doesn't deliver longer terms benefits!

By the way I enquired off an on-line crowd about the cost of a can of spray paint and was quoted €23 for 150ml. If this is added to the cost of lacquer maybe I wold be as well off going to a local body shop and get the job done properly.

sogood

creedp wrote: »

Thanks for the comments received. The car is a sea grey 08 S-Max 2l TDCi titanium. I had to replace the drivers mirror earlier in the year and sourced a complete non-Ford branded mirror on-line for about €120 all in. This included a mirror cover which was primed only. I didn't use this part because the cover from the original mirror survived almost unscathed so I avoided the need to paint the new cover. As it ws received primed I don't know what kind of primer was used .. other than it is a very light grey colour.

Incidentially, I'm not very happy with the quality of the mirror as it has become very loose and can basically jiggle around on its base. It also was a pain to fit because the bolt for attaching it to the door was larger thant the original requiring the hole to be drilled out. Sometimes saving money on parts doesn't deliver longer terms benefits!

By the way I enquired off an on-line crowd about the cost of a can of spray paint and was quoted €23 for 150ml. If this is added to the cost of lacquer maybe I wold be as well off going to a local body shop and get the job done properly.

I don't suppose it was possible to use the original (smaller) bolt and so avoid having to drill out the hole? And €23 seems to be a bit much for an aerosol. I got aerosols, mixed to original spec at a cost of €15 each. Off the shelf aerosols are usually less than €10. and depending on the age of the car, these can sometimes be a better match. Paint on the car can fade slightly over time.

creedp

sogood wrote: »

I don't suppose it was possible to use the original (smaller) bolt and so avoid having to drill out the hole? And €23 seems to be a bit much for an aerosol. I got aerosols, mixed to original spec at a cost of €15 each. Off the shelf aerosols are usually less than €10. and depending on the age of the car, these can sometimes be a better match. Paint on the car can fade slightly over time.

No Im afraid not, the original bolt was too small for the mirror unit. Thanks for info on paint cost .. will look around further.