Dyed body parts?

[TurboLexus]

I recently had my NSX refinished with the Spies system but noticed they had not painted the trim pieces that run the length of the door at the base of the window and the pieces they connect to (the pcs with the NSX emblems). The owner stated to me today that those pcs are dyed with that colour from the factory and would not come out properly if painted. He reiterated the same for the rear window garnish, which was also not painted. I'm familiar with bodywork, having done some myself in the past, but was unaware that those pcs were dyed and not just painted...I question the accuracy of his information and need some confirmation either way. After several visits back to the body shop to get everything right, i'll be glad to finally have all the details taken care of. Being a perfectionist is not fun sometimes.
Thanks guys,
- Jon

 

[TurboLexus]

Anyone?

 

[Hiroshima]

The piece that runs the length of the window is made of rubber and felt (the piece that actually rides against the window). The piece that is attached to the weather stripping is made of painted plastic/metal (the piece that the NSX plaque sits on is metal, the long thing that runs along the door is plastic) At any rate. The non-rubber part *is* painted.

The piece at the back of the rear hatch is made of black plastic. I would not say it is dyed, more like the color is in the material. I am almost certian that this piece is *not* painted.

HTH

 

[LJSB]

I agree with your repairman. You should not paint these, it would not look correct.
If they need refreshing buy new ones. It would make your car look much more authentic if you are trying to achieve a "as new" factory appearance.

 

[W]

I don't agree with the statement that they would not come out correctly. It depends how you define correctly. I do not doubt that they are dyed and the color would be difficult to match from scratch if so desired.

 

[LJSB]

I don't agree with the statement that they would not come out correctly. It depends how you define correctly. I do not doubt that they are dyed and the color would be difficult to match from scratch if so desired.

Correct as defined and used when referring to cars and in particular the auto restoration business. For example: the solaris silver wheels from a 1995 vintage NSX would look great, fit and work fine on a 1992 but it would not be "correct".

I assumed that since this fellow is a perfectionist that has gone back several times to get things just so, that a painted belt molding, no matter how perfectly it was painted, would not look at all how he would expect or demand because it was not painted by the factory in the first place.

In this case it's not the color match that would be a problem but the appearance. The plastic on this part looks different than a painted surface and after primer, base and clear would even have a small shape/dimension change. It would not be "correct" and easy to spot and I get the impression TuboLexus wants it to look like it was when it came out of the factory.

That does not mean they can't be painted. They can be and I have done so though it's usually a different color than black, It is a common mod performed on many type of cars. Heck I've had some guys want to paint 1/2 their windows.(no not on a NSX )

 

[TurboLexus]

Thanks for the responses. The pieces aren't in need of repainting, but in the interest of 'perfection' I thought they should have been done. They explained to me that the window pieces would not come out to my satisfaction, mostly because the colour is applied to them at the factory before the weatherstripping is affixed...they said they could paint them but could not separate the rubber from them prior to painting, so the edges would not be perfect. pbassjo...if you've done them and agree that it's better not to paint them, then i'll defer to your judgement.

- Jon