Metallic paint on wing mirrors and door handles

R

ReliKa

Member
.... can I do that?

Just bought a silver 1.4 petrol Audi A2 (will be delivered next week, can't wait :) ), the only problem is that the outside mirrors (or wing mirrors) and the door handles (the outside ones) are black (plastic, I think). Can they be painted directly with a silver metallic paint or do I have to replace them?
 
Interesting, I have never seen an A2 with unpainted side mirrors and door handles! Have you got a photo?
 
As lonng as you prepare the surface fully (ie. rub down, prime, rub down again and then paint and laquer), painting is quite easy to do and can be done yourself.

The door handles are more problematic, as you obviously need to remove them to do the job, which means removing the door card.

An alternative is the chrome covers, which are readily available on Ebay. The are self-adhesive and might match up with your cars colour better.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Here are some pictures of a silver Audi A2 (not mine) with black mirrors and handles:

View attachment 611

View attachment 612

View attachment 613

Skipton - do you mean like these?

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Audi...018QQitemZ280079391854QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Audi...009QQitemZ190079734007QQrdZ1QQsspagenameZWDVW

How do I know they will fit? I can't seem to find covers specially made for Audi A2. Not sure I like them either - I think I would prefer the same colour as the rest of the car, not chrome...
 
The door handle covers are what I meant, yes, not the wing mirror covers - I have never seen any of these for an A2.

The handle covers for the A2 are the same as the A3 (old style) and Mk4 Golf, so they will fit.

I knwo what you mean about collar and cuff matching, but it will be a pain of a job to take off the handles, paint them and replace them. It might be worth getting new handles and spraying them up.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Skipton01 said:
It might be worth getting new handles and spraying them up.
Click to expand...

It's not the same thing as taking the old ones off, painting them and putting them back on? In order to replace them, I have to take the old ones off anyway and put in the new ones - why shouldn't I put back the old ones, sprayed?

I think I will go to a service shop and let them do it... don't know how much it will cost, thou.
 
you could mask out the door and air brush them
but you would need to get a expert with air brush
cheers
robin
 
ReliKa said:
It's not the same thing as taking the old ones off, painting them and putting them back on? In order to replace them, I have to take the old ones off anyway and put in the new ones - why shouldn't I put back the old ones, sprayed?

I think I will go to a service shop and let them do it... don't know how much it will cost, thou.
Click to expand...
Yes, you would have to take the old ones off, I agreed, but the change would be instant - the car would not be out of action for a couple of days whiile the paint hardened. hat's why I suggested getting a new set of handles.

I did exactly the same with my mirrors, when I had them metalised - instead of having to driver round for a few days without mirrors, I got a new set of covers, had them metalised and then swapped then out in 30 minutes work when they were done.

Cheers,

Mike
 
Skipton, you are right, I haven't thought about that (the delay until the paint becomes dry). I think I will take your advice, thanks :)

Now, how much did you pay for those mirror covers? Where can I get those and a new set of handles? Is there a site where I can check out the prices or even order them? Or should I go to my local Audi dealer and have him order those for me?
 
My mirror covers were about £50 for the pair from my local Audi dealer.

They do require a bit of preparation to remove the moulding seams (if you're fussy like I am). Don't know how much the handles cost, but either a dealer or VagParts will sort you out.

Cheers,

Mike
 
I just received a price quote from a local Audi service shop - a new set of mirror covers and door handles plus the painting job and their fitting would cost me arround 254 GBP (385 euros).

I think it's quite expensive, don't you think??? The parts alone are around 156 GBP and the painting and fitting - 100 GBP, so I think I will have the existing ones painted, even if that means I have to park the car for a few days...
 
£254 is actually quite cheap, taking Audi labour costs into account (£88-100 per hour in the UK!) but I understand what you're saying.

Do bear in mind that the wing mirrors in particular need to have a really tough finish, because they get the brunt of wind and road debris impacts etc

Cheers,

Mike
 
Well the painting and fitting price I think it's ok (considering that the actual paint is included) - the prices are lower here. But the covers and handles - hmmm....

Mike, what do you mean when you say "tough finish"? More paint on the mirrors? How can I control that?
 
Not more pain, but more coats of laquer and make sure it is applied well and then allowed to cure properly, ideally baked as a bodyshop would do.

Cheers,

Mike
 
I don't think they are going to let me watch how they paint the mirrors in order to make sure that they do it right. Also, I can tell them to put more coats of laquer but I don't think they will do it just because I said so... :(
 
If it's an Audi approved bodyshop, then they will know exactly what to do and you should not worry.

Cheers,

Mike
 
ok, then I shall do just that - have them paint the existing mirrors and handles, should cost me around 100 GBP which I think it's ok.

More details (including pics - before and after) when I get the job done.

Thanks! :)
 
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