SR5 mirrors paintable?

[Seatown]

I have a Natural White SR5 with black mirrors and have started calling some body/paint shops for quotes on getting them color keyed to match. First call was to Maaco who said the mirrors were probably not paintable due to the finish of the plastic and that the paint would not last more than a few months. therefore they could not warranty the work.

Is this true? I'm thinking he's full of it since I've seen where others have done the same to their SR5s. If you are one of them who has, how's your paint holding up?

BTW, the quote is pretty decent at $150 for both. I saw another post where someone with an '04 painted their own...not a bad idea as I could then paint my grill with the leftover paint....anyways, let me know if these mirrors are paintable or not. Thanks!!

 

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

Yes the SR5 mirrors are paintable and here is a write up on how to do it yourself;

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...ng-black-sr5-mirrors-match-write-up-pics.html

 

[Seatown]

Yes the SR5 mirrors are paintable and here is a write up on how to do it yourself;

http://www.toyota-4runner.org/4th-g...ng-black-sr5-mirrors-match-write-up-pics.html

Thanks Paul; that was the thread I was referring to in my original post. Since my post I've reasearched more and learned that these mirrors are supposed to be "un-paintable". I'm sure they can be painted, and would suspect the sandpapering is a must for adhesion. I wonder how the DIY painted mirrors are holding up today...?

Paul...did you paint yours?

 

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

Not yet, I was going to paint them a month ago while I was on a ‘at home’ vacation but it turned out to be the most humid week in Minneapolis history. I am going to attempt this as soon as I can have a few days to myself and the honey do list is complete.

I think if I sand the plastic and instead of using body primer use a plastics primer which is suppose to bond to plastic it should work, Rust Oleum makes a plastic primer. Everything is paintable if the prep is correctly. Our SR5 grill is metal on plastic chrome, if metal sticks, paint will. These are just my thoughts.

 

[TOYLUVA]

Primer is a good idea as well as sanding and also I've used Krylon Fusion for plastic in a rattle can and had good results.

 

[808inDenver]

mytoy4 has her mirrors painted.

whoever was the previous owner of my SR5 painted housing of the side view mirrors, but not the part that connects the mirror housing to the doors.

i plan to paint all of it in the future too. i may just have an auto body shop paint the grille, mirror connectors (?), door handles and rear hatch.

 

[Uneek]

K.C. got his painted as well.

 

[PaulB-2006 T4R]

Not yet, I was going to paint them a month ago while I was on a ‘at home’ vacation but it turned out to be the most humid week in Minneapolis history. I am going to attempt this as soon as I can have a few days to myself and the honey do list is complete.

I think if I sand the plastic and instead of using body primer use a plastics primer which is suppose to bond to plastic it should work, Rust Oleum makes a plastic primer. Everything is paintable if the prep is correctly. Our SR5 grill is metal on plastic chrome, if metal sticks, paint will. These are just my thoughts.

I finally painted my SR5 mirrors. I must say, DO NOT USE PLASTICS PRIMER because the plastic primer peeled off as soon as I hit it with the Dupli-Color Perfect Match paint.

I originally sanded the shiny off the plastic with 400 grit metal sand paper, hand washed the mirrors with soap and water, thoroughly dried them and then applied Rust Oleum plastic primer. All looked good until I painted, the paint and primer instantly bubble up. I wiped the plastic clean with a paper towel. What a disaster but I continued, I removed all the plastic primer by painting it then wiped it off with paper towel.

Starting over I sanding with 320 grit sand paper (it is what I had), hand washed the plastic with soap and water then I applied 2 coats of Dupli Color’s Adhesion Promoter, 2 coats of their Filler Primer, 3 coats of their color matched paint and 4 coats of clear coat. The mirrors look good and 100% better than the black mirrors. I think the results are good (not excellent) and close to factory but the mirrors are not as shiny as the body paint. I think I can work on the mirrors after a few months of drying with a buffer, rubbing compound and then some wax.

 

[twomonkeysayoyo]

Maaco is notorious for poor prep work. They do a pretty good job of actually painting if you do the prep yourself, which I recommend. For the mirrors on your SR5 you'll first want to sand them with a 400 grit paper, then use a high build primer and sand it at 400 grit. If you bring them in that condition to any paint shop they would be hard pressed to screw it up.