Aftermarket Red Inserts?

[Jaytiler 1]

I'm wanting to swap the silver inserts for red but I'm having a nightmare sourcing some. I've found some aftermarket ones but the profile is different. Has anyone fitted these or do they look crap?

[Jaytiler 1]

The bumper and kit inserts I mean

[GLPoomobile 958]

If you've already got silver then just buy some red vinyl wrap and stick it on. Cheap, simple to apply, will look fine and should last well enough and easy to remove if it's damaged or you make a hash of it. Only potential downside is whether it would stand up to UV and be fade resistant, but since most vinyl wrap is sold for use on cars these days you'd expect it to be fine.

[Leslie green 110]

I read on here I think that some powdercoat the silver ones as they are far more durable than the red ones which are made of tinfoil and dent very easy

[farmer 328 1 Cars]

I powder coated silver bumper ones red very successfully and cheaply

[Jaytiler 1]

I powder coated silver bumper ones red very successfully and cheaply

How much did you pay? Just to give me a rough idea thanks

[farmer 328 1 Cars]

I gave him about 50 strips to do

 

Worked out about 3 quid per unit

[Jaytiler 1]

Wow, that's a good price!

Thank you, I will look up some in the area

[farmer 328 1 Cars]

I had a few of course and good friends with the powdercoater

 

Both things to put into the equation a little

[toolie72 67 1 Cars]

If you've already got silver then just buy some red vinyl wrap and stick it on. Cheap, simple to apply, will look fine and should last well enough and easy to remove if it's damaged or you make a hash of it. Only potential downside is whether it would stand up to UV and be fade resistant, but since most vinyl wrap is sold for use on cars these days you'd expect it to be fine.

Agreed

It is a bit of a faff but it covers small marks etc, I used 25mm wide stuff from eBay then just trimmed excess of with a Stanley blade

Over a year, cars never garaged and it's still shiny red (and about 20 metres left lol)

All I could get at time was silver strips so red vinyl was MY best option

 

If I'm right (so I'll be wrong lol) the silver strips are thicker/harder to bend by accident?

[Jaytiler 1]

Thanks everyone ????????

[GLPoomobile 958]

Agreed

It is a bit of a faff but it covers small marks etc, I used 25mm wide stuff from eBay then just trimmed excess of with a Stanley blade

Over a year, cars never garaged and it's still shiny red (and about 20 metres left lol)

All I could get at time was silver strips so red vinyl was MY best option

 

If I'm right (so I'll be wrong lol) the silver strips are thicker/harder to bend by accident?

 

Yep, just seems the cheapest, easiest and best option to my mind. It's readily available, and commonly used for wrapping exterior car parts. It's cheap, certainly cheaper than powder coating and probably painting by rattle can too. It's resilient, so will fare better against a stone chip than powder coating, and can be easily replaced if damaged. And it's non-permanent so the chrome strips don't have to be sacrificed. And lastly, as you can DIY it you have full control of the process and don't risk accidental damage by the hands of someone else doing powder coating.

 

Unless someone can give a sensible reason why it's not an ideal option, to me it seems a clear winner.

[welshpug 1,657]

definitely worth a go, I did my 309's strips in chrome which lasted well.

 

does need to be decent uv resistant stuff that'll stretch, certain types dont (can't recall the names sorry! but any decent vinyl guy will know what to supply)

 

a sharp scalpel and a hairdryer or heat gun are the main tools you need, a squeegee wont be much use on a small delicate part.