painting front grille all black - bumper on or off job?
- Thread starter cmal1001
- Start date
No, but you could mask up everything around it and have a go but the final finish will be questionable.
Maybe wrapping would be better but ultimately the best result and longevity of the finish will be obtained by removal of the grille .
Maybe wrapping would be better but ultimately the best result and longevity of the finish will be obtained by removal of the grille .
It can be done with some serious amount of careful masking but unless you are 100% accurate, it is far easier to remove. That alone is a whole new job but I have done it on my RS4 by separating the grille from the bumper and then separating the surround.
mine was already painted before but it was the worst job ever... so after i polished the front bumper and took all the overspray off... I repainted mine by masking the front off... don't be a cheap skate and make sure you cover the complete front except for the grill.. take off any bits you don't want to paint (grill logo's, number plate, number plate holder)
Tip: mask the bumper parts next to the grill so that the masking tape folds inwards next to the grill... than mask off a at least 2 inches with the tape the rest can be covered with a blanket etc... and leave the bonnet open but cover the engine bay past the 2 inches of masking tape with a blanket (or plastic cover what ever you use to cover those areas) why so extreme you ask? overspray gets everywhere... once the masking is done you can paint it but don't be tempted to pull the masking tape off before the paint is completely dry. because you folded it in when you remove it it will touch the grill and if it's not completely dry you'll damage your otherwise good paintjob.
Tip: mask the bumper parts next to the grill so that the masking tape folds inwards next to the grill... than mask off a at least 2 inches with the tape the rest can be covered with a blanket etc... and leave the bonnet open but cover the engine bay past the 2 inches of masking tape with a blanket (or plastic cover what ever you use to cover those areas) why so extreme you ask? overspray gets everywhere... once the masking is done you can paint it but don't be tempted to pull the masking tape off before the paint is completely dry. because you folded it in when you remove it it will touch the grill and if it's not completely dry you'll damage your otherwise good paintjob.
It can be just easier and quicker and just better to just whip off the bumper, detach the grille and then separate the surround.
Bumper removal is not that hard , same with grille removal etc.
What a lot of chaps do is to source another S-line grille, which can be purchased for silly cheap money, then remove the surround, prep and paint it , then either refit on the grille it was fitted and swap with the one the car.
It saves a lot of hassle, basically just a swap over and you have a spare gille for emergencies.
Ultimately down to what finish you want and the longevity of the finish given the hammering from the elements it will get on the front of the car.
Bumper removal is not that hard , same with grille removal etc.
What a lot of chaps do is to source another S-line grille, which can be purchased for silly cheap money, then remove the surround, prep and paint it , then either refit on the grille it was fitted and swap with the one the car.
It saves a lot of hassle, basically just a swap over and you have a spare gille for emergencies.
Ultimately down to what finish you want and the longevity of the finish given the hammering from the elements it will get on the front of the car.
