Plastic "fender" removal !

[Mikael]

Has anyone experienced removing the black "fenders" from the car ?

I am thinking of painting the black cladding in the same colour as the rest of the car but was told by my local dealer that the "fenders" can´t be removed without destroying it. I was also told that the "fenders" were mounted with a double-sided tape. And that is why you must buy new ones if you remove them.
Strange ! Can´t you just buy new tape ??


Mikael (the monocrome-guy)
(sorry for my bad english)

[gibbons]

I am speaking in general, not specific to the XC70 because I haven't had to yank off a "fender" (flare). Based on how well and how tightly the flares fit the metal body panels, I would guess that there must be some type of adhesive holding them continously all along the edge. If that's the case, when you try to just pull them off, the plastic will most likely distort and stretch so they won't fit properly when you try to put them back on.

A trick that body shops use is to heat the plastic pieces with a heat gun, which softens up the double sided foam tape. You have to be really careful though, you don't want to scorch the paint or melt the plastic.

[Mikael]

Thanks Gibbons !

That was a very thorough answer to my question !
And I think you are right ! You can se the black foam-tape along the whole flare if you look carefully.

We´ll se if I have the courage to take one off ! !

[AWD*V70XC]

Mikeal, you say you want to remove the sides to paint them the same colour as the car, if you are any good as a sprayer why don't you mask the car and surrounding area and spray the flares in place. On my car you can get some thin cardboard behind the panels, mask the rest with newspaper and plastic sheeting (to avoid overspray) and hey presto you have saved yourself a lot of trouble.

I would not suggest removing body panels as most of us would never get them back to their original position. Where you also thinking of doing the bumpers as well?

[gibbons]

My brother is a "body technician", and I have hung around body shops way too much. I hate mask lines. Many years ago, I had a brand new white Accord, with the stock black door mouldings and matching bumper trim, which made a "black belt" around the whole car. I wanted it all white. I removed the door mouldings and painted them separately, then re-installed them. I removed the bumpers, too, and painted them complete. That satisifed my aesthetics wishes. No mask lines and no overspray.

So, looking at the XC's flares (and mouldings), I see that they don't just taper to nothing, or provide a crisp sharp edge, they have a slight roll under. That would be really hard to mask because wedging the masking tape under that slight curl would give you a dandy "break line", and be very obvious. Modern flexible vinyl masking tape isn't going to save you.

That being the case, if it was my car, I would either remove them with the understanding that I might be buying new ones if I muffed them, or just leave it as-is with the contrasting color/texture.

Speaking of texture, that pebble finish is going to require special weapons and tactics to paint. You can't sand it or you will make the pattern non-uniform. The best you can do is scuff it with an abrasive matrix pad (Scotch-brite), but take it easy. You need to find a paint shop who knows how to chemically etch the plastic, then apply special plastic primer before painting. My brother's shop knew how to do that, and my old Accord looked great for 14 years. It can be done.

[ChicagoXC]

Hey Gibbons,

Could you articulate on the "chemical etching?"

My '01 Blue/Blue XC has some horrible fading on a few parts of the plastic moulding, especially on the front near the grill.

It looks like somebody waxed the car and got some of the wax on the plastic. Then, when it was buffed off, the white haze remained.
I am pretty sure it's NOT wax haze, but probably fading.


So, what is the process to chemically etch the blue back on AND who does it (and how much does it cost)

*Note: I tried brake cleaner on a rag - in the event it WAS wax residue.. no dice and no difference.

[AWD*V70XC]

The "chemical etching?" Gibbons described is a process that makes the plastic 'accept' the paint onto it's shiney surface. It makes the plastic pitted and removes the shine, like a primer would do on raw metal. If done properly the paint should not flake off in a couple of years or so and should last as long as the propertries of the paint remain as described.

I must think about doing someting with my front grill as it looks a real mess at the moment, what with different coloured circles on it. The guy next door is a bike nut and has just painted over some brand new chrome bits with matt black and it looks great, same sort of process I guess, it is all about getting the impossible to happen without the enevitable happening :eek:

[gibbons]

The kind of chemical etching I was talking about is a spray on stuff which kind of melts and softens the plastic, it makes it feel sticky. You couldn't leave it in that state, and it doesn't leave the plastic looking nice. The primer adheres to the etched plastic really well, and the paint goes on the primer, and all is good. By the way, the paint needs to be the flexible urethane type so it won't crack as the plastic pieces flex. Whoever can paint V70 bumpers (correctly) would have the right stuff.

[TrueBlue]

Gentlemen,

If my experiences are anything to go by, be very careful when attempting to spray plastic bits.

I have sprayed two rear spoilers (in the days when they were only available plain), did everything I was told to on the tin, and the results after 9 months or so are 'orrible; crazing and cracking. I guess, partly due to having to use spray cans. On the other hand a sizeable repair to SWMBO's front skirt (!) using the same materials has been excellent.

IMHO you need access to proper paint equipment, spray guns, good working conditions and possibly some heat to do the initial cure.

The spoiler is small and relatively stiff, but the plastic bits on the XC's are very flexible, so be warned.

I would be inclined to exhaust the possibilities of 'back to black' first.

[gibbons]

No doubt that spraying plastic is risky business, but it can be done, look at all the cars with plastic facias on the front and rear bumpers.

The worst case scenario I ever had was a spoiler I bought for an Accord. It was made in Austria by a company called Foha. It was a Honda approved unit and even had the Honda "H" moulded in. Anyway, it came with a little booklet showing approval stamps for use from all of the European country authorities where it was legal to sell. The grey market importer I bought it from said that it had to be non-ridgid to meet the requirements for bolt-on accessories. It's surface was very soft, I could depress it easily by pressing on it with my finger. I had it painted with Glasurit poly-eurathane enamel and never had a crack or problem in 14 years.

By the way, I was intrigued by how the European transportation guys made an accessory be tested and approved. In the US, people will bolt anything on their cars. Some of the giant wings and foils kids bolt on cars are rediculous. They would be like a guillotine (spelling?) in an accident.

[NeuDaddi]

ChicagoXC,

Have you tried Mother's Back to Black to fix the hazing problem? Our XC isn't old enough to have shown any wear/fade/haze on the bumpers, but this product has been used by a number of other Forum members to handle the fading of the bumpers on their cars and it sounds like it works very well.

[littlewaywelt]

505 will prevent sun fading. I only did it a couple of times and almost four years later the cladding, especially on the rear bumper looks plain awful. It's splotchy and in some areas, like the front bumper you can see evenly spaced lines from the milling or molding process. It's even more obvious when the car is freshly waxed and washed. You can find 505 at boating stores and hardware stores.

I would advise using it at least two-three times a year.

The back to black helps a little, but it doesn't last more than a few weeks.

We don't garage it, so that has no doubt sped up the process.

[Art]

I assume that what LLW is referring to is actually 303 aerospace protectant. I realize this is a bit OT here but I recently switched back after using both McGuiar's natural vinyl protectant and Mother's Back to Black with mediocre results. I discovered that both of these products were more prone to attracting dust than that of 303. The Mother's product doesn't come in a spray applicator and because of this, I found that it didn't apply as evenly as the others. My experience was that it also required more applications over time than the 303 product. 303 leaves more of a natural matte finish and exhibits little or no streaking.

Just my .02 FWIW. :)

[littlewaywelt]

I assume that what LLW is referring to is actually 303 aerospace protectant. I realize this is a bit OT here but I recently switched back after using both McGuiar's natural vinyl protectant and Mother's Back to Black with mediocre results. I discovered that both of these products were more prone to attracting dust than that of 303. The Mother's product doesn't come in a spray applicator and because of this, I found that it didn't apply as evenly as the others. My experience was that it also required more applications over time than the 303 product. 303 leaves more of a natural matte finish and exhibits little or no streaking.

Just my .02 FWIW. :)

...umm, yep, that's what I meant.
...at least I didn't call it 501 (the all-purpose degreaser) :)

[gibbons]

I used 303 already on my 6 month old car. I like it on the XC cuz even though it doesn't give a sheen, it makes the plastic slick so the bugs wash off easily. I have used it for a few years on the tires of my show car and vinyl interior of my boat. It is great stuff.

[TrueBlue]

Pleas would somebody enlighten a poor Brit - who makes 303?

I need something good now as the detailing from my dealer (think that's the expression) has worn off and I can see his poor cleaning....

Thanks,

[jkochis]

http://www.properautocare.com/303-16.html

[TrueBlue]

http://www.properautocare.com/303-16.html
Thanks for that JK. I'll do some more research to see if it's available in Europe