Graphite Green 9-5 Aero rescue

[sgould]

That looks like something I'll be doing soon on one of mine.  The mirror on the passenger side is from a 2004 car...

[carrera]

Well, I hope your experience when you get round to it is better than mine.

I moved onto the passenger side today, and initially decided not to remove the 4 screws that hold the surround trim in place. After much effort in getting the cover and plastic trim off I realised I would not be able to get sufficient access to paint all the areas that needed painting, even though this side was in much better condition.

My T10 bit didn't fit, which is when I realised that on this side they were held in place with philips, or more properly Pozidriive screws. This time I fed them diesel to begin with, followed by WD40 and a couple of hours to let it all settle in. With a decent driver, forcing pretty much all my weight on the head and using the other arm to gently apply increasing amounts of torque two of them yielded and came out in one piece. Two of them broke at the head as before.

So it would appear that not only have the original power parking mirrors been removed, but the replacement black ones came from two different cars.

Take a look at the picture below. The drivers mirror has been mounted slightly out of alignment, and I have no idea what has happened to the passenger mirror. It does have the correct electrical connectors in the right place on the back, so is this from a 9-3 or something else. The backing pates seem correct 30 495 / 30 496

When it comes to the painting, after progressing with the drivers side this morning,  I think it's better to flat the existing paint down to the metal surface rather than use filler. You end up with a finish that is too smooth otherwise

 

[sgould]

I'm wondering what has been done to your car.  I've had various mirrors on both 9-5s and 9-3s apart and I've not had any issues with the screws seizing.

The only issues that I've encountered have been with the long legs on the painted back cover breaking.

[carrera]

I think the answer is simple....

Scottish air !   

[sgould]

Mine lived in North Devon for a while, but then that and the 9-3 have survived on nice greasy London air!!

[carrera]

Today I have been rubbing and painting, getting to the point where I am happy that the finish on the triangles is good enough.

As part of that I did a test using some cheap matt black paint earlier today. I am pleased to say that this provides a better finish than the satin product, so progress there.

It's a perfectly acceptable finish, but in an attempt to get the finish as authentic and OEM as possible I ordered some paint online for the final coats. The technical details are that it is colour RAL 9011, graphite black, 2k air activated, in a matt finish, probably 15% gloss content. My usual local motor factor cannot do the satin and matt finishes in aerosol.

No more progress pictures until that arrives, yes, I'm a tease sometimes 

[carrera]

Now it's time for the reveal, as the paint was delivered on Saturday 

In the meantime I realised that my steel grey car is a MY2003 so that's the best and most mobile comparison

First of all, a photo showing both painted triangles, the top one being generic matt black, the second RAL9011 matt

Secondly, I painted the other mirror, and then went over it with a matt laquer

Putting these up for comparison for when others decide to do theirs. Is RAL9011 the right colour ? Well, no it isn't but it is probably about as close as you can get without going for a colour matched paint. Even the matt version is glossier than it should be, so a better finish is achieved with the matt laquer.  Interesting that it is a close match with the satin window trims, which is what I used as my guide when selecting the colour to use.

I don't think these are going to flake and peel again, with the number of coats of paint these have now had.

We'll see what they look like again when fitted to the car

[sgould]

They look fine to me!

[carrera]

Back on this one today.

I have freshly a painted rear door, front bumper and nearside wing to fit. Aim is to get it all back together & the car MOT'd in the next week.

One question, does anyone know how to remove the VIN plate on the front wing - I want to transfer it over ?

[sgould]

I thought that I had a picture of the area from my old 2002 car. but it's just off screen...

If a normal adhesive is used, Im have had success with the AutoGlym Intensive Tar & Adhesive Remover, but put on overnight and the item covered with a thick cloth to prevent it evaporating too quickly.  I used it to remove some badges and it didn't seem to be working quickly enough, if at all.  I left the remover on overnight and covered the area with a damp cloth.  In the morning the badge had slid about three inches down the side of the car.  Depends on the glue of course.

[carrera]

I'm thinking a bit of gentle heat may be appropriate too to soften things up, especially as ambient is around 5 degrees at the moment.

I have spent all afternoon assembling the door. Getting the glass and loom in were relitively easy, and the door handle in one pice was a doddle. However I just could not get the unlock mechanism to work. In the end I decided that perhaps gravity could be my friend and put the door on the car, hoping that the angle of the operating rod would be correct.

I have now found the issue. When the outer of the three securing bolts for the lock mechanism is tightened, it somehow messes with the internals of the lock and makes it so that it will not go on the latch or it jams. I can replicate the problem out of the car. This is a s/h door, but I didn't think there was a problem with it.

Tomorrow I will attempt to dismantle the lock to effect a repair........ or nick one off one of my breaker spares if I'm getting nowhere fast

[sgould]

If the adhesive softens, you could try sawing it off with dental floss.  Although maybe fuse wire would be quicker as the paint on the wing is scrap.

[carrera]

Well, there was nothing wrong with the door lock.

Having concluded they are not really meant to be taken apart I went to rob one off the breaker. It was then I noticed the torx head screws, rather than hex head bolts that came off. Grrr, some body had swapped the fixings over on the s/h door and I was simply re-using what was there.

I did think the bolts looked a bit long, but dismissed the idea of shortening them as a bodge, never considered the door had the wrong ones fitted.  That only cost me 3+ hours 

Lock is in and working perfectly

Looks like I have three spare speaker bolts   

[sgould]

Been there...  I biught some secondhand parts and forund that the bit had been "modified" already.  Lots of time wasted.

[carrera]

A brief update - she's almost ready for MOT.

I have to refit the mirror covers and the rear spoiler / high level brake light, but before I did I though I would get her outside in a bit of daylight for a photo.

You may remember that this was the corner that had the accident damage. Looking much better now. I decided the rubber on the bottom ball joint was looking a little bit suspect so decided to put a new one on. Quite a good job too. It was difficult removing the old bolt even when the nut was released. After quite a bit of easing by hand I set the impact gun on it to spin the bolt around. That did the trick, except that the bolt was in two halves. A quick inspection showed that the bolt had been fractured in the accident which could be seen by the corrosion, but it had not broken until I used the impact gun a number of times. Glad I did, and conveniently I had a spare bolt available from the breaker car

I'm still on the lookout for an Aero lower spoiler though

Anyway, here she is