LY7W paint match vinyl wrap?

[rclaus]

It’s that time of year again where I am starting to knock out some projects on my car. Unfortunately while changing a wheel bearing, the vehicle shift slightly and ended up pinching the side skirt against the jack. The other side was already cracked, but this finally pushed me into pulling the trigger and finding some side skirts.



I ended up picking up a pair off a Nogaro Blue S4 from audis4parts.com. Now comes the question of how am I going to paint them...

Being that these are side skirts and I’m not wanting to put a lot of money into replacing them, I am a little hesitant with having them painted. IMO metallic silver is a difficult color to match, and I believe you get what you pay for when it comes to paint.

Seeing that I have been wanting to wrap the car a different color, I ended up doing a quick search of the inter webs and found a comment on Amazon for Avery SW900-803-M gloss silver metallic. The comment stated that it was a near match to a 2001 A4 with paint code LY7W. I bought a small sample and would agree that it is a very close match to the paint. Seeing that vinyl is only a fraction of the cost of paint, this seems like it could work out really well.



Once I get the skirts, I’ll measure out how much material I’ll need and order it. I’ll provide pictures once they’re wrapped and then installed. If the color ends up being a good match, I’ll end up using it in more areas.

Let me know if you have questions!!


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[julex]

Been there done that many years ago on my allroad with the same paint. This is the thread:

http://forums.quattroworld.com/allro...ds/20390.phtml

Before:




After:

[vavJETTAw36]

Even though silver is hard to match, I find that each body panel reflects different and because of this should help blend.

There are so many silver cars out there that look like they have body panels that have been repainted but in reality it’s just the angle,shadows, etc.


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[slvrbulet]

Even though silver is hard to match, I find that each body panel reflects different and because of this should help blend.

There are so many silver cars out there that look like they have body panels that have been repainted but in reality it’s just the angle,shadows, etc.


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Agreed. Especially when trying to match an 18 y/o paint job. curious to see how the wrap comes out.

[rclaus]

Been there done that many years ago on my allroad with the same paint. This is the thread:

http://forums.quattroworld.com/allro...ds/20390.phtml

Before:




After:

Looks good!!!


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[LINDW4LL]

Hmm, think this would be a good enough match for a major panel like a hood? I was considering vinyl options to wrap my spare, undamaged black hood as I've been quoted $600 for paint, but figured it would be impossible to find a good enough match.

[CJ_]

Following, I have been looking at wrapping my bumpers and possibly hood to hold off on repainting. Looks like a pretty good match to me.

[julex]

Note though: I used 3M 1080 G120 (gloss white aluminum) on mine. It was installed 4 years ago and it is holding up pretty well.

If you have money though, go for a repaint. Although vinyl is pretty resilient, it can be fairly easily torn with sharp stuff etc. For that reason front bumper will have damage in no time if you rub against a bush with branches, scuff against a garbage bin etc. Paint wouldn't show it but vinyl might get torn/cut.

I went with wrap because a price to paint two bumpers, skirts and four fender flares was crazy.

[S4UCE]

A little food for though on my experience having black vinyl on my roof for over 6 years before I sold the car. 1) Vinyl will be more prone to microscratching from washing and drying than paint will. Never looked into corrective measures, but not as simple as a quick machine polish. 2) the main flat panel of the roof held up perfectly over the years, but we vinyl'd into the little gullies on the roof line and those areas began to crack where the vinyl wasn't tightly adhered as it began to get more brittle over time.

[slvrbulet]

A little food for though on my experience having black vinyl on my roof for over 6 years before I sold the car. 1) Vinyl will be more prone to microscratching from washing and drying than paint will. Never looked into corrective measures, but not as simple as a quick machine polish. 2) the main flat panel of the roof held up perfectly over the years, but we vinyl'd into the little gullies on the roof line and those areas began to crack where the vinyl wasn't tightly adhered as it began to get more brittle over time.

black is horrible for showing those damn spiderweb scratches i think the only saving grace here is that he wants silver and silver hides just about anything.

[rclaus]

Note though: I used 3M 1080 G120 (gloss white aluminum) on mine. It was installed 4 years ago and it is holding up pretty well.

I saw that yours was a different brand. Based on images it looks close, but like you said earlier, I’m sure if you stare long enough or put it in the right light, it matches.


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[rclaus]

A little food for though on my experience having black vinyl on my roof for over 6 years before I sold the car. 1) Vinyl will be more prone to microscratching from washing and drying than paint will. Never looked into corrective measures, but not as simple as a quick machine polish. 2) the main flat panel of the roof held up perfectly over the years, but we vinyl'd into the little gullies on the roof line and those areas began to crack where the vinyl wasn't tightly adhered as it began to get more brittle over time.

Completely understandable, but black makes any imperfection more noticeable. Reasons why I will never own a black car lol

But if I continue to use this wrap on other parts, I would consider applying a clear bra over areas that would “see more” debris.

At this point, since everything is cheap, I have a lot of room for trial and error


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