Letsrunem

Earlier this month i took my car to a local AUTO BODY & Paint shop to see if they could do something about the chrome trim around my windows and the chrome trim around the grill. The man i spoke to is a friend so he advised me not to....i took his word but found a DIY here and i suddenly got the urge to do it. To make a long story short, i messed up and just end up PEELING the paint off.

Question 1...why did the guy at the body shop advise me not to??

Question 2...WHAT THE HELL DO I DO NOW?!?!?!?!!?!?!

BoOst3d

iTrader: (1)

use self etching primer to paint on chrome

Letsrunem

Well heres the problem. When i first started to sand it down, i used the 40 grit sand paper cuz i thought i had to make it as dull as possible....So i dont know if its really chrome anymore

iKenn

iTrader: (1)

what kind of paint did you use? did u prime?
seems too me like you used the wrong paint.

Letsrunem

I did everything in the DYI you wrote up and it looked pretty good but it all started going wrong when i went to put my grill back on. The paint started to smear and its just a mess right now...

PaPaHoFF

iTrader: (19)

did you let it dry? how is it smearing? provide pics for the best responses.

iKenn

iTrader: (1)

yeah, how long did u wait for it to dry? And do u have any pics?

Letsrunem

well to begin with, i was having trouble putting the grill back in. I dont know why it just seemed like it didnt wanna go in, and so i noticed the paint was begining to smear and i just got really upset and pealed it all off

iKenn

iTrader: (1)

haha seems like an anger management prob to me
jk jk

Letsrunem

hahahaha well i spent a lot of time and to see it not work really frustrated me lol. Ok here is the best explanation. When I took off the grill to paint, i somehow only removed the chrome part instead of the whole grill with the emblem in the center. I painted everything and let it rest for about 3 hours. When i got home from dinner I attempted to put the now painted part back into its spot but it wouldnt fit in. I had gloves on this whole time so i wouldnt get any fingerprints on it but after tugging and pushing and wiggling, i noticed that the paint in some spots was smearing and after about 20 unsuccessfull minutes, i just gave up

iKenn

iTrader: (1)

hmmmmm, can u tell me what brand of paint and did u sand and prime?

Retro21IS

Shoulda just had it professionally done man. Did the guy you brought it to give any reason why he advised against it?

Brian231

I would just have it done at the body shop by the pro's now, or buy new trim and a grill (LOL). I think it wll turn out fine with a body shop paint job. DIY for painting can be a risk not worth taking. Plus, you prbably want a good clearcoat if you are not using flat paints.

WALDIS350

iTrader: (1)

best thing to do now is to get some paint thinner and start over and see if u can get it right the second time and be really patient with it majority of the time we all hope it just goes back in the way it came out easier said then done its easy to take things apart but its remembering where everything went when we put it back together

sirCharles

Absolutely, it's a Lexus! Pay then play.
Those chrome accents compliment the car well TO ME