[Mr Rauf]

Hello

Ive been looking around on ebay for a set of gloss kidney grills for my e90 and they are all. Going around for £50.

Is it better to just buy a can of plastidip for £16 and spray the grills?

[M4rius]

It's better to buy gloss black paint

[shrimpvende]

as above, plasti dip gives a matt textured finish, whereas the BMWP grills are gloss. You can get glossifier for plastidip if you specifically want the ability to peel it all back off? I'm not sure how good the glossifier is though.

The other option would be to use a gloss paint and lacquer it, but that would be a permanent finish and they are a difficult shape to paint evenly/consistently without getting runs in the lacquer

[richk84]

Anybody used the gloss black paint from halfords?

I need to do some small bits and want it to match the shadowline trim round the windows and my performance grills.

[M4rius]

Originally Posted by richk84

Anybody used the gloss black paint from halfords?

I need to do some small bits and want it to match the shadowline trim round the windows and my performance grills.

i've used halfords bmw jet black paint and lacquer to paint my kidneys .matches black wing mirrors surrounds perfectly

[Mr Rauf]

Originally Posted by M4rius

i've used halfords bmw jet black paint and lacquer to paint my kidneys .matches black wing mirrors surrounds perfectly

Thats exactly the type of grills I need mate

So shall I spray 1 coat of lacquer, wait until it dries and then spray 1 coat of jet black paint?

Please advice.. Cheers bud

[shrimpvende]

Marius they look great...Did you have to sand them down much and cover them in primer to get a good finish? And did you have any problems with runs or anything? I imagine they're pretty awkward to paint

[GreaseJunkie]

What color is OP's car? I just recently plasti-dipped my grills and chrome trim on my car (330 Black Sapphire) and they look splendid. I love the way the matte contrasts with the metallic without looking too tacky. Although taking a rattle can to my brand-new-to-me Bimmer brought about an eerie, nostalgic feeling from my Honda days :-\

[Mr Rauf]

Originally Posted by GreaseJunkie

What color is OP's car? I just recently plasti-dipped my grills and chrome trim on my car (330 Black Sapphire) and they look splendid. I love the way the matte contrasts with the metallic without looking too tacky. Although taking a rattle can to my brand-new-to-me Bimmer brought about an eerie, nostalgic feeling from my Honda days :-\

Sparkling graphite metallic. . Hmm shall I just go for matt then?

[DuckySpud]

I wrapped mine using 3M vinyl. I originally painted them gloss black and despite several coats of primer, paint and then lacquer, they eventually started to chip slightly after about 6 months. They weren't awful, but I imagine they would have needed redoing after a year or 2.

[Mr Rauf]

Did you wrap them gloss?

How hard was it wrapping them grills?

[Jase 320d]

I bought oem bmw performance ones

The quality is awesome and they wont chip like painted ones. The slats are also completely gloss black too


Expensive at £87 but you get what you pay for

[GreaseJunkie]

The only downside I've found is that after a good polish it's hard to get the white residue completely off the edges of the matte pieces. However, I just do a quick shot of plasti dip on the problem areas, and since it blends perfectly, it looks brand new in 10 mins

[DuckySpud]

Originally Posted by rauf

Did you wrap them gloss?

How hard was it wrapping them grills?

Mine just had a chrome surround, the actual slats were black already. It was just the chrome frame I wrapped, it wasnt too difficult, a bit fiddly but nothing that couldn't be sorted with a bit of patience.

They were wrapped with 3M carbon fibre vinyl and then I sprayed them with clear coat to make them glossy



Not the best photo, it was more to see how the splitter template looked, a work in progress

[Mr Rauf]

Originally Posted by DuckySpud

Mine just had a chrome surround, the actual slats were black already. It was just the chrome frame I wrapped, it wasnt too difficult, a bit fiddly but nothing that couldn't be sorted with a bit of patience.

They were wrapped with 3M carbon fibre vinyl and then I sprayed them with clear coat to make them glossy



Not the best photo, it was more to see how the splitter template looked, a work in progress

Mate them grills look sweet!

I see you have an se too.. those se splitters are a must, will be ordering them soon.. Just waiting for my m3 spoiler to be delivered.

What lip is that btw?

[JJ0063]

I also wrapped mine on my LCI.

Gloss black 3M, no worrying about paint flaking off!

[dest]

Originally Posted by rauf

Thats exactly the type of grills I need mate

So shall I spray 1 coat of lacquer, wait until it dries and then spray 1 coat of jet black paint?

Please advice.. Cheers bud

You put the lacquer on AFTER the paint not before!
Primer goes on before the paint. As its plastic you'd be better using one with plasticiser so it doesn't chip and peel like a cheap Saxo bodykit
Without wanting to sound patronising, if you don't know that then you'd be better off getting someone else to do it for you.

[Thomas_lad]

i plasti-dipped mine and i love how they look

[DuckySpud]

Originally Posted by rauf

Mate them grills look sweet!

I see you have an se too.. those se splitters are a must, will be ordering them soon.. Just waiting for my m3 spoiler to be delivered.

What lip is that btw?

The splitters make a massive difference to the front of the car, I'd recommend them to anyone!

That lip is cardboard haha, it's just a template to get the shape right before I make one properly.

[C.J]

Mine are matt on Sparkling Graphite.

[Jdouglas10]

Originally Posted by rauf

Sparkling graphite metallic. . Hmm shall I just go for matt then?

i have the same colour car. I done the sorrounds of the grill sparkling graphite (paint from halfords) and the inserts metallic black (also halfords) looks great!

[Jdouglas10]

Theres a couple pics