. So if you are reading this and thinking about re-spraying your rear numberplate panel don't do what I did!What you will need
- 200-600 wet and dry
- Plasti-coat primer
- Tempest Grey spray paint
- Masking Tape
- Newspaper
- white spirit
So the rear plastic panel had faded and become several shades of grey / black / beige. An odd combination. I think it let down the appearance of the car and since I am trying to put it right I figured I could start here.
Pic of rear panel before
Unfortunately - I should have preoperly prepared prior to painting - and perhaps shouldnt have chosen a day of light drizzle. I figured that since the plastic was textured and since I was working in the garage neither would be an issue.
I prepped by masking up and covering with newspaper all rear panels. I took my time over this partly because i didnt want ,massive amounts of overspray and partly because the masking tape was a bit rubbish and wouldnt stick properly. I used some vaseline to cover the 16v badge from any paint. This worked very well.
Prior to painting i cleaned with some white spirit and then applied the tempest grey spray paint. In hindsight i should have primed this as it turned out that the halfords tempest grey spray paint did not apply very well. After a coat or two i noticed that the paint wasn't drying properly. It was a different shade on the left hand side. When it came to keying the paint it would split and peel off.
Lukily I had plenty of paint and as it only took 10 mins to touch dry between coats I could re-apply. I did this about 4 to 5 times. Unfortunately due to the humidity i noticed that the paint wasnt drying properly as it was drawing in water and moisture from the atmosphere changing the colour. I wiped with some tissue paper to remove as much as i could between coats.
The end result? Far from perfect - if i was generous i'd give myself an 7 out of 10. I may re-do this properly again in the summer. But I have noticed that it has cured well and doesnt seem to scratch or peel (so far!)
You may notice the finish isnt quite right here on the left hand side.
But i am generally happy with the overall finish.... and lesson has been learnt. I wont be making this mistake again.
