I need a new power door mirror for my 98 coupe. I found a few options, but I'm wondering if I should get the unpainted black plastic mirror or a silver painted mirror. Both are OEM and both will be repainted white. Is there anything wrong with getting the black one and painting it? Will the paint chip off? Do I need to primer?

 

Get what ever is cheeper. yes, you should prime them. You may even want to use a adhesion promoter aswell.

 

If I get the silver one do I have to remove the old paint or can I paint over the silver? And what kind of adhesion promoter?

 

you dont have to completley strip the old paint but u may want to sand it down a little bit... than prime it let that sit for 30 mins and than use adhesion promoter and than shoot ur mirrors u can also always get aircraft stripper to strip the paint

 

I forgot to mention that both mirrors are the same cost. Money isnt the issue. Im juat looking for the easiest option. If I just use the black plastic mirror, do i still sand and with what grit(s)? What kind of adhesion promoter?

 

Just go with what ever you find better in terms of quality you're looking for.

 

how does this answer anything I asked...?

 

Not being a paint and body guy I'd buy the painted one and sand it down a bit. I do know paint will stick to paint fairly well, getting paint to stick to plastic is a bit trickier, my 2 cents from someone who really doesn't paint/do body work.

 

i would ask a mod to move this paint and body, you likely will get a lot better answers, or just more help.

But manily you just want to scuff up the paint. A scotch brite pad or something will work well for this. You don't want any deep scratches put into it.

You may even want to sand after you spray the primer down just to smooth it out a bit.

 

Ok that sounds about right. I thought it would stick to older paint better than plastic.

I actually posted in the paint and body forum right after I created this thread, but I ended up getting better answers here.

 

Oh hahaha. That sub forum does tend to run a little slower, espically when compared to this one.

 

Yeah I've noticed this forum has the quickest responses. Appreciate all the help

 

i decided to just get the silver one. so what grit(s) do i need to use when painting over paint.

 

sand it with 600 and than smooth it out with like 800 thats what i did with my side skirts

 

won't help much^

sand with with 180-220, then get some primer on it.. if its painted already, you won't need adhesion promoter..

after you prime it, sand the primer with 320 and paint it.. you may want to look for a white/off white coloured primer to help make the white pop..

i would pick up some 2k clear as well..

 

IMO that's too high of a grit to start with.

Dontoh pretty much covered it.

 

Thanks. Exactly what I needed to know. I have a bottle of Duplicolor clear, but what's "2k" clear?

 

clearcoat in a spray can.
usually i just sand with 400 grit, wipe off and spray. 180-220 is kind of rough since you really only need to rough up the clearcoat.

 

Light sanding 400 or 600 should be fine, make sure you clean it well, shoot some primer gray should be fine and then a few coats of paint, wait 20 mins or so in between coats should come out nice, then clear it. done.

 

i wouldn't just sand it and spray on top of the clear.. many paints don't mix, and if whatever he is using doesn't go well with whatever is on the mirror, it will blow up and cause wrinkles/bubbles in it, primer would HELP, but no prevent it..

OP, if you haven't already, I'd buy the mirrors without the paint to help reduce the risk of paint problems..

also, 180-220 isn't that rough, remember you need to rough up the surface ENOUGH so that the paint has good enough adhesion.. 180 is about the lowest you can go without having major sanding marks show through the paint, as long as it's primed and sanded again with something finer

 

So now i have two opposite opinions.

 

have you bought the mirrors yet?

 

No I was about to buy it tonight.

 

pick up the unpainted ones bud, will be better quality as well.. the best paintjobs are stripped to nothing, not painted over top of paint.. plus you don't have to worry about poor adhesion or a bad chemical reaction

 

So what kind of adhesion promoter so I use? And what steps, in order, should I take? I mean, when should I sand, before or after adhesion promoter, etc.?