cleaning lens covers

[SteveSPG]

i need to refit the front lens covers on the tam

removing them there is a line of black paint around the edge, that needs to be removed.

can I just use cellulose thinners or will that damage the plastic?

any suggestions how this is best done?

[shep1001]

Its supposed to have that? it hides the bonding material used to stick them to the body and helps them stick to the body too.

[monty quick]

Do not use paint thinners. The most agressive thinners will damage the plastic

[SergSC]

How do/did you get them away from the body anyway?
Mine are stuck on with some hard black substance (apparently applied by a someone with wrist nerve damage). I'm not seeing how I would unstick it without damaging the paint or lens.

[peteA]

Sikaflex

Not much fun to remove and a bit of an art putting the covers back too...

[SteveSPG]

Just teased them off gently with a flat wooden stirrer

Most of the black painted edge came off and stayed on the car so just need to remove the remainder

The sikaflex I just cut pack with a Stanley blade

Most times this is done I guess is for a front end repaint so you will remove every trace of sikaflex but I am just refitting mine as they had condensation behind and clearly leaked where they had not been well sealed previously

[monty quick]

When mine needed doing I started to look and then bottled-it! Took it to the professionals and even they managed to break the cover. You have been warned!

[julianc]

X-Works did a great job of removing and replacing them for me.

[ralphmus]

I recently did this on my T350. First for those trying to remove the cover, I use an old credit card/door access card. Just push it thro' the sikaflex bond so you can see the card on the other side of the cover and you should be able to drag it around the edge and split the bond without damaging the paintwork. A word from the wise tho'. If you have had a respray without removing the covers, there may be overspray on the sikaflex, so it might be worth running a blade around to separate the overspray from the main paint work. This will prevent the lacquer chipping around the edge. I used Screwfix silicone remover to dissolve the remaining sikaflex that could not be trimmed away (it did not react with my paintwork, but be careful I have used other solvents that have when removing Armourfend glue Grrr).

Removing the frit band (black paint), I erred on the side of caution and did not apply any thinners etc. I used a Stanley knife blade and scraped the paint off with the blade, keeping it perpendicular to the surface so as to not cut chunks out of the plastic. I used Brasso on a cotton wool pad to polish out any minor scratches. Any bigger scratches were sanded out with fine wet and dry and then Brassoed to a shine.

Sikaflex do a black primer which can be used as a frit band. Simply mask off with masking tape and apply a couple of coats of the primer with a sponge. Then sikaflex the cover back into position. Simples

[SteveSPG]

Great info

So 206 primer AND 291 sikaflex to bond?

Edited by SteveSPG on Wednesday 16th April 14:52

[ralphmus]

I use the 206 primer and Sikaflex 221, but I guess any black PU adhesive will do.

[gacksen]

just did this on the chimaera. use a cheap scalpel set from ebay and cut sharp around the edges.
it will go off quite easy....