Removing inserts to paint

[chanham]

Hi all,

I want to remove a few inserts to paint due to they have faded over time.

First up is the grill. I know how to actually remove the grill as a whole, but is it possible to remove the chrome parts and badge via head gun or anyway else?


second is the tray below the windsheld where the windscreen wipers sit. dont know if anyone has actually attempted to remove this, but it looks tricky.


would like to get a clean DIY job done...just dont know if it would be easier to remove the parts or just mask everything up

if anyone has any suggestions that would be great

[jay.ritchie]

the wings on the grille are held on by 3 or 4 screws on each side. Use a small phillips head to unscrew them, and the wings will literally fall off.

[zch91]

Badge comes off easily, only stuck on with double sided tape. As above grill wings are held on by a bunch of screws (you'll work that out easy) but the chrome surround is not removable - part of the grill itself.

As for the plastic tray thing.. It would involve removing your windscreen wipers plus a whole bunch of clips found in the engine bay.

[chanham]

sweet, grill seems easy - as for the rest seems like bulk masking tape will sort it out

just not a fan of the faded grey look...ive used bumper black stuff on it and it looks 100000 times better. just want to do it permanently

cheers!

[muzza]

Give the windscreen tray a good clean and wipe over with some Pale Boiled Linseed Oil. It air dries and sets in the plastic, giving it back its dark black look like new. Works on pretty much all plastic, give it a run first, very long lasting too.
Check some discussion here: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin ... er-127873/

[chanham]

awesome! yeah i didnt really want to mess around painting around the wipers and glass seals...thanks heaps for the tip!

[sheppo9]

The 'windscreen tray' is calleda plenum grille.
Mothers make a product called 'naturally black' that works well.

[muzza]

It has a bit a smell, reminds you of wood working or cricket bats, but that goes over 2 days, water beads up on it, a little bit goes a loooooooooong way and a bottle of the stuff is cheap as chips.

Just make sure you buy the BOILED stuff, it air dries, normal linseed oil doesn't.

Run another coat of the stuff after a few days to deepen the effect. I've used it on mudflaps, trim and even grey plastic trim, rejuvenates the lot - amazing stuff.

Seems to last ages too, especially after a couple of treatments.

[chanham]

Yeah definitely gonna give it a try, I'll report back and take a few snaps;

Thanks again

[d-chang]

Give the windscreen tray a good clean and wipe over with some Pale Boiled Linseed Oil. It air dries and sets in the plastic, giving it back its dark black look like new. Works on pretty much all plastic, give it a run first, very long lasting too.
Check some discussion here: http://www.subaruforester.org/vbulletin ... er-127873/

Hmm.. this might be a good tip for me too!! Do you buy this stuff at the super market or at a car parts shop (Supacheap etc)?

[muzza]

Bunnings!
Or any good hardware.

[Phoenix]

I removed the grill as well to paint.

The wing comes off with screws and some clips, the surround also comes off with a few screws and some clips too. Be a little careful because the clips can snap pretty easily.... But I was being a bit rough with it.

[d-chang]

O... M... G!! This stuff is fcuking fantastic!!! Thank you Muzza for recommending this! I've gone over everything plastic and faded black and it looks like new again!! Very happy!!

[sjm69]

Bought some today ..... Works a treat on all that's black , bit on the smelly side but does not last to long

[grey07outback]

It seems a bit weird but an even cheaper alternative is peanut butter - smear it on with a cloth and then wipe it off.

The peanut smell disappears in about 30 minutes.

I am totally serious about this working - a no name brand tub will cost around $3.00 and you'll have enough to do the car at least 30 times. Use it on my Outback and have been using it on the collection of Honda's I've got at home for the last 2 years.