side windows etch primer
Discussion
Used the standard supplied stuff for my side windows about 18 months ago following the instructions to the 'tee', and noticed that a few months later the primer was pulling away from the plastic in small areas. The trip this week from Le Mans totally 'did-it' for the remaining, and the window started to flap open, so had to use my trusty tape to get back home.
I am sure that the high heat at Le Mans + the helicopter vents creating lots of positive pressure on the journey did not help, but....
What went wrong? Should I try to find something better?
I am sure that the high heat at Le Mans + the helicopter vents creating lots of positive pressure on the journey did not help, but....
What went wrong? Should I try to find something better?
You may be right Steve, I dunno...
I went and had a another look over the weekend and found that the DS screen had come completely away from the primer around the top edge and top front, but has stuck fiercely around the rear. No amount of pulling (without busting) the screen would persuade it to let go, so I guess I am going to have to use the cheese-wire thick to get it ou before I can do anything. I had the same problem with the front headlights, and found my ss wire I had used for securing the exhaust wrap + a couple of screwdrivers turned into cheese-wire 'pulls' came in handy here!
I went and had a another look over the weekend and found that the DS screen had come completely away from the primer around the top edge and top front, but has stuck fiercely around the rear. No amount of pulling (without busting) the screen would persuade it to let go, so I guess I am going to have to use the cheese-wire thick to get it ou before I can do anything. I had the same problem with the front headlights, and found my ss wire I had used for securing the exhaust wrap + a couple of screwdrivers turned into cheese-wire 'pulls' came in handy here!
spatz said:
you will hardly find an ultima not suffering from this problem............
first sanding the applicable area helps.
second if you use epoxy and color it black it will be perfect , i have made tests and the result is good compared to the primer.
Can you elaborate a little Spatz? What is the best epoxy to use, and what is the exact procedure? i.e. mask area, sand with fine grit.. then....first sanding the applicable area helps.
second if you use epoxy and color it black it will be perfect , i have made tests and the result is good compared to the primer.
Yesterday I had it confirmed by the factory that the side windows are made of Lexi 9030, so has no coating on, which I thought might have been the issue where the etch-primer had lifted off the screen edges.
Last night I managed to gently separate the screen from the surround, and I can confirm that the etch primer just lifted off the screen 99%. The only strong adherence was where the mastic had come directly in contact with the lexi itself and was a mare to remove.
So, it looks like (for me anyway) that the primer did pretty-much nothing at all. The primer stuck very well to the mastic, but not-at-all to the screen itself.
Option 1 is to try roughing up the border with fine grit to try to give a key to the etch, but this is a on-way street, so I need to find out if that will make the primer stuff hang on to the plastic well enough before I do that.
Option 2 mentioned by others, is to screw the damn thing in, but I am concerned about the end result.
Option 3 as discussed with a motorsport company yesterday, and they say gives good results, is to dispense with the primer completely, rough up the plastic, then bond it in with the mastic, and then get a vinyl graphics company to make up a black border and fit on the outside of the screen to hide the mastic, form a nice border, and this will also protect the mastic from UV.
Choices, choices...
What do you think?
Last night I managed to gently separate the screen from the surround, and I can confirm that the etch primer just lifted off the screen 99%. The only strong adherence was where the mastic had come directly in contact with the lexi itself and was a mare to remove.
So, it looks like (for me anyway) that the primer did pretty-much nothing at all. The primer stuck very well to the mastic, but not-at-all to the screen itself.
Option 1 is to try roughing up the border with fine grit to try to give a key to the etch, but this is a on-way street, so I need to find out if that will make the primer stuff hang on to the plastic well enough before I do that.
Option 2 mentioned by others, is to screw the damn thing in, but I am concerned about the end result.
Option 3 as discussed with a motorsport company yesterday, and they say gives good results, is to dispense with the primer completely, rough up the plastic, then bond it in with the mastic, and then get a vinyl graphics company to make up a black border and fit on the outside of the screen to hide the mastic, form a nice border, and this will also protect the mastic from UV.
Choices, choices...
What do you think?
andygtt said:
Can you not 'primer' with the mastic and then when it's dry bond it in again with same mastic?
Great minds and all that Andy.... I was pondering this last night as I re-coupled my repaired clip hing! ...sweating like an 'oink! It was so frikkin' hot in the garage, even with all the doors open. My glasses were were so peppered with my own sweat it was like trying to peer through a windscreen in heavy rain with no wipers!However after 20 mins of trying to reposition the clip on my own with lots of pulley wires then rushing round to push the bolts in and then finally do up the nuts, the clip was on, and although I say it myself, the end result was perfik... even better than the original. With the new metal disc suitably drilled for key, and the fully welded tube in place (weld is pure porn!, this ain't going nowhere... before the whole clip get destroyed!
Mind-you, the missus did laugh when I appeared out of the garage.. she said my face looked red enough to explode and someone had thrown several buckets of water over me... Jeez, I was dripping!
I might do a bit of experimenting and see how it might work.
Keith
3Dee said:
Yesterday I had it confirmed by the factory that the side windows are made of Lexi 9030, so has no coating on, which I thought might have been the issue where the etch-primer had lifted off the screen edges.
Last night I managed to gently separate the screen from the surround, and I can confirm that the etch primer just lifted off the screen 99%. The only strong adherence was where the mastic had come directly in contact with the lexi itself and was a mare to remove.
So, it looks like (for me anyway) that the primer did pretty-much nothing at all. The primer stuck very well to the mastic, but not-at-all to the screen itself.
Option 1 is to try roughing up the border with fine grit to try to give a key to the etch, but this is a on-way street, so I need to find out if that will make the primer stuff hang on to the plastic well enough before I do that.
Option 2 mentioned by others, is to screw the damn thing in, but I am concerned about the end result.
Option 3 as discussed with a motorsport company yesterday, and they say gives good results, is to dispense with the primer completely, rough up the plastic, then bond it in with the mastic, and then get a vinyl graphics company to make up a black border and fit on the outside of the screen to hide the mastic, form a nice border, and this will also protect the mastic from UV.
Choices, choices...
What do you think?
I have this problem with one side window and will have it on the front lights when I replace the UV crazed covers.Last night I managed to gently separate the screen from the surround, and I can confirm that the etch primer just lifted off the screen 99%. The only strong adherence was where the mastic had come directly in contact with the lexi itself and was a mare to remove.
So, it looks like (for me anyway) that the primer did pretty-much nothing at all. The primer stuck very well to the mastic, but not-at-all to the screen itself.
Option 1 is to try roughing up the border with fine grit to try to give a key to the etch, but this is a on-way street, so I need to find out if that will make the primer stuff hang on to the plastic well enough before I do that.
Option 2 mentioned by others, is to screw the damn thing in, but I am concerned about the end result.
Option 3 as discussed with a motorsport company yesterday, and they say gives good results, is to dispense with the primer completely, rough up the plastic, then bond it in with the mastic, and then get a vinyl graphics company to make up a black border and fit on the outside of the screen to hide the mastic, form a nice border, and this will also protect the mastic from UV.
Choices, choices...
What do you think?
The factory supplied some 3M primer with the new headlight covers and I am questioning whether to use this method after reading all of this thread.
Has anyone on here got this problem with factory fitted side screens or headlight covers?
Gassing Station | Ultima | Top of Page | What's New | My Stuff