jinxy Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I have read a lot of guides on here that have been very useful so thought I would do a quick one of my own. The scratches on the inner door panel near the mirror switches has always annoyed me and it seems to be a common problem due to the strange ‘rubberised finish that Nissan used that is very easy to scratch. Below is the process I used for repainting the handle, please feel free to comment and add any suggestions. Parts required Wet/dry paper Plastic spray paint & primer (I used Plasti-kote, see below) Process 1. First remove the arm rest by lifting it up by hand starting on the end nearest the edge of the door. Might need a bit of a pull but will pop off. 2. Now prise out the screw cover using a flathead screwdriver 3. Unscrew and the panel and lift and unplug the two mirror & window control units. 4. Unclip the control units from the plastic trim. 5. Prep the trim by washing/degreasing and rub over with a bit of wet/dry paper 6. Spay a couple of coats of primer to prepare the surface and improve the adhesion 7. Spray several fine coats of matt black paint and leave to dry 8. Remount the control units into the trim 9. Plug in control units and reattach to door card I found the finish to be slightly textured compared to the original bit still OEM looking and blends in well. Hope this guide helps someone else with the same problem! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zugara Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 looking a vast improvement. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Maccaman Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 That looks really good, you just have to do the rest of the door card. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxy Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 That looks really good, you just have to do the rest of the door card. Yeah, the paint has a nice textured finish that works very well just have to see how hard wearing it is! The other marks aren't that bad on the door card and don't worry me as much as you can't see the white undercoat but might get round to them at some point! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wasso Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 I'd say that looks better than oem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 What about t'other side? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxy Posted February 26, 2012 Author Share Posted February 26, 2012 What about t'other side? Haven't got to that yet! This was my tester, will hopefully get to it next weekend as I am happy with the final result. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
M13KYF Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 looks great added to guides Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveRS Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 An alternative would be to have it wrapped. Mine was also scratched and Taras at RT performance wrapped mine for me, you wouldn't tell the difference between the original and the wrapped one, plus you don't get a textured finish. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Flex Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 What about t'other side? Haven't got to that yet! This was my tester, will hopefully get to it next weekend as I am happy with the final result. Looking forward to that post as my passenger side needs tarting up Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Bounty Bar Kid Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Yummy! Might have to try that one! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Is it quite a rough finish? Sometimes when ive done matt paint it shows marks easily as its been a kind of rough finish. Looks very nice tho, i need to do mine as mine has a few scratches on it - from the previous owner i hasten to add. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Roo Posted February 26, 2012 Share Posted February 26, 2012 Is it quite a rough finish? Sometimes when ive done matt paint it shows marks easily as its been a kind of rough finish. Looks very nice tho, i need to do mine as mine has a few scratches on it - from the previous owner i hasten to add. Ditto can you let us know how it stands up to a bit of wear. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rabbitstew Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Because of the rough kinda finish ive had with matt spray paints ive tended to use satin instead normally as it seems to be smoother. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MITZ@CougarStore Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Nice work... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narcotix Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 That looks Brilliant! I think I'll be having a go at mine in the near future too now ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
taras Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 Very nice job and definitely something everyone should do as nearly every Z we've worked on has a warn trim however may I recommend not using plasti coat. Though it covers very well because it's very thick, it's not very durable and will flake and scratch off very easily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rhys1344 Posted February 27, 2012 Share Posted February 27, 2012 To avoid the textured finish, between coats using a very fine sand paper you can rub it down and build up the coats. This will give a smoother finish with a thicker coat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxy Posted February 27, 2012 Author Share Posted February 27, 2012 Good tips. Thanks for the suggestions. I don't mind the textured finish, looks OEM style still. What paint would you go for then RT? I will have to see how the plastikote stands up to a bit of wear and tare. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthatB0MBSHELL Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Good tips. Thanks for the suggestions. I don't mind the textured finish, looks OEM style still. What paint would you go for then RT? I will have to see how the plastikote stands up to a bit of wear and tare. I would also like to know what paint RT would recommend as i need to do this job on my newly acquired Zed, great guide by the way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 I'm either going to vinyl wrap or carbon skin mine I just can't decide which is the best of the two methods ..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jinxy Posted June 15, 2012 Author Share Posted June 15, 2012 Good tips. Thanks for the suggestions. I don't mind the textured finish, looks OEM style still. What paint would you go for then RT? I will have to see how the plastikote stands up to a bit of wear and tare. I would also like to know what paint RT would recommend as i need to do this job on my newly acquired Zed, great guide by the way The paint I used has stood up to any wear and tare so far... still looks as good as when I first painted it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onthatB0MBSHELL Posted June 15, 2012 Share Posted June 15, 2012 Good tips. Thanks for the suggestions. I don't mind the textured finish, looks OEM style still. What paint would you go for then RT? I will have to see how the plastikote stands up to a bit of wear and tare. I would also like to know what paint RT would recommend as i need to do this job on my newly acquired Zed, great guide by the way The paint I used has stood up to any wear and tare so far... still looks as good as when I first painted it. Thanks jinxy, that's the paint i`ll use then Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SteveW Posted June 16, 2012 Share Posted June 16, 2012 Looks like its gonna be carbon wrap... Bought some Hexis vinyl yesterday. I feel a carbon addiction coming on... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
narcotix Posted May 31, 2013 Share Posted May 31, 2013 Hey, I was going to do my window switches this weekend but wanted to know what grades of wet and dry paper I should be using ... Any advice would be much appreciated Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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