[leon1982]

anyone with color-coded wheel arches has a problem with paint cracking and peeling?
Coz I contacted my dealer and this is his reply:

"it is recommended the wheel arches are not to be painted as the material does absorb paint well.
i can have them painted for additional $300 but there is no warranty on cracking or peeling."

any comments?

[planeguy]

there are plenty of people who know more about it than I do, but its plastic! a properly prepared surface and the right paint additive and work done by a reputable shop and you should have no worries. nearly every car on the road these days have painted plastic parts.

Its an application problem not material

[swamos]

they paint the bumpers, which is the same stuff

[Leccy_Blue]

I've had it done but wasn't too pleased with the finished result. I'm going to have it re-painted soon - properly. The arches have a very subtle texture to them, to get a smooth finish on the arches they would need to apply a plastic promoter - this will give them a smooth finish to spray onto.

When I had my arches sprayed they didn't do this, so when you look closely you can still see a slight texture on the arches, which gives the appearance of a bad spray job.

As long as they prep it properly and use a plastic promoter or similar then the finished result will look good. No need to worry about cracking or peeling

Cheers, LB.

[leon1982]

I haven't heard or read any complaints about paint peeling and cracking off and I was pretty convinced that it wouldnt peel or crack until the BMW dealer told me.

Any fellow Mini owners in Melbourne have any suggestion on where to get the kit and paint and fit them?

[AmRov]

I was talking with a body shop manager about painting plastic trim on another car (hubby's Audi), and I happened to mention I had a MINI. We talked briefly about painting wheel arches on the MINI, and he pointed out that it would take very careful prep due to the texture of the MINI plastic. It is not the same as other plastic that may be painted on other cars. He said it can be done, but if the prep is not done correctly, the paint will chip, peel, etc. He suggsted that the plastic would need to be sanded down to remove the texture and treated to ensure a good hold with the paint. Beware of "bargain" paint jobs!

[Mr.Whizzard]

I have a 03 cooper without and a 04 S with painted arches and aerokit side skirts and I love it!

The surface must be sanded and then prepped with a flexible undercoat, or it will eventually flake.

For a $300 quote run -- away!