Platinum15Ti Posted March 21, 2015 at 07:04 PM Report Share Posted March 21, 2015 at 07:04 PM On my last car, I did the entire grille and surround black. On this car I left surround chrome, since the foglamp bezels and lower grille also have chrome accents. Before Masking it off, I also pulled a garbage bag through the grille and blocked the radiator from being sprayed 5 coats starting with a very light coat and applying heavier the next 4 roughly every 20-30 minutes Finished Hybridbear and lonzo71 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonzo71 Posted March 23, 2015 at 11:12 AM Report Share Posted March 23, 2015 at 11:12 AM good job! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted March 24, 2015 at 02:10 AM Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 at 02:10 AM Thanks, here's some better pics Rexracer and Hybridbear 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonzo71 Posted March 24, 2015 at 07:37 PM Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 at 07:37 PM I think i will remove the name tags from the doors. Clean look looks much better. Any suggestions? I saw online about using a hair dryer and string? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted March 24, 2015 at 07:58 PM Author Report Share Posted March 24, 2015 at 07:58 PM I used a heat gun to warm up the adhesive and they nearly fell off. On other cars, I've spent an hour plus with a heat gun and dental floss. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardbc Posted March 26, 2015 at 01:31 AM Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 at 01:31 AM Platimun15Ti, your car looks fabulous! Mine is white too. Do you have any concerns about the plastic coming off while being washed at a commercial car wash? I go to one that advertises to be a "hand" wash, but it still goes through some spray areas. Sorry but I'm not going to wash my car myself. I take it to a car "spa" maybe 3-4 times a year. I just sent an email inquiring about darkening the grille at a local body shop who has done other minor work for me and who was very reasonable and has good reviews. I haven't heard back from them yet. If you have any advice for me, it would be much appreciated. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted March 26, 2015 at 10:14 AM Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 at 10:14 AM Thank you! No, no worries. The grille on my 2014 which my mom now owns has been done for a year and has been driven through washes and went through a salty Michigan winter with no issues. Do several thin coats so you end up with a thick layer in the end. I've been told the thicker it is, the easier to pull it off if you ever decide to remove it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonzo71 Posted March 26, 2015 at 11:05 AM Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 at 11:05 AM Did you worry about the other side of the grill?. I mean, you are spraying so I would think some might get inside unless you papered that... Also what company did you use? recommend? Seems there are a few names on amazon... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted March 26, 2015 at 12:10 PM Author Report Share Posted March 26, 2015 at 12:10 PM I pulled a plastic garbage bag through the grille to protect the radiator from getting sprayed and removed the bag after it dried. I used Plastidip that was purchased from Home Depot. It can be found in the isle with spray paint. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardbc Posted March 28, 2015 at 12:14 AM Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 at 12:14 AM Hi, Platinum15Ti, you've done 2 of the Fusions, right? What year was the first one? I took my 2013 to a body shop and they said the bumper would have to be removed before they could install the Plastidip. And the cost would be $318! I am so disappointed. They also said it would take 2 full days so I would have to either rent a car or get a taxi to home and back. This is a full-service body shop who has done a minor job for me. They have good reviews. But I think I will shop around and see if I can find another decent place to darken the grille for me. But does the bumper of the 2013 have to be removed to get to the grille? It doesn't make sense to me - looking at your photos, which I printed up and showed to the body shop but I wasn't sure which year Fusions you had done this on. Thanks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted March 28, 2015 at 02:00 AM Author Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 at 02:00 AM My last Fusion was a 2014 and the new one is a 2015. The bumpers and grilles from 2013-2015 are the same. I did both cars without removing it with zero overspray on the car or radiator. Personally, I wouldn't spend $318. I did both cars with the same $7.00 can and a few hours of work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardbc Posted March 28, 2015 at 03:15 AM Report Share Posted March 28, 2015 at 03:15 AM Thanks so much. I'll check some other places in hopes of finding someone to black-out the grill on my 2013 for less money. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardbc Posted April 3, 2015 at 12:50 AM Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 at 12:50 AM Hi, Platinum15Ti - just wanted to FYI you that a friend and EV owner did the Plastidip job for me! I showed him your step-by-step photos and he followed that. We couldn't figure out how to put anything in between the grill and the engine area, so he inserted 3 or 4 pieces of stiff paper down in that area and it covered everything behind the grill - I hope. I think you wrote something about "pull garbage bag through the grill," so maybe you were saying to do basically what my friend did except he used paper instead. The grill looks awesome. I've driven it once since he did the Plastidip job and no problems so far with overheating or anything. This wonderful man and his wife are friends of mine. He is the President of the local Electric Auto Assn. They have an older Prius plus a Ford Focus EV. He wants to do the Plastidip on the Focus but he is leasing it - although I can tell he is tempted since he can peel the Plastidip off before he returns the car. But thank you again for the great photos! And encouragement. Hybridbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonzo71 Posted April 3, 2015 at 11:59 AM Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 at 11:59 AM howardbc, would like to see pics of your new grill! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted April 3, 2015 at 05:41 PM Author Report Share Posted April 3, 2015 at 05:41 PM I'm glad you were able to get it done! My car is also a lease and besides the grill, I lowered it, tinted it and removed the door badging. The dealership doesn't seem to mind. Would love to see photos of yours! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardbc Posted April 4, 2015 at 02:02 AM Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 at 02:02 AM I keep trying but cannot get the photos to show up here. Sorry. Very frustrating. I took them on my Samsung cell phone, sent them to my Gmail, saved them in My Pictures, but can't get them in here. My car looks great - just like Platinum15Ti's. I was also trying to put a photo of the electrical outlet sticker on my charge port. I would welcome any direction on getting a photo put into a reply. I've tried dragging them from the My Pictures folder, and nothing is working. I have Windows 8. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
murphy Posted April 4, 2015 at 10:12 AM Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 at 10:12 AM (edited) Click on the "More Reply Options" button at the bottom right of the Reply box. Enter the text that you want to appear above the picture. At the lower left click on "Choose Files...". Browse to where the file is located on your computer and select it. The file will be uploaded to the web site. Place your cursor in the message where you want the photo to be displayed. At the bottom of the post to the right of the icon display of your picture click on "Add to Post". The picture will not appear in the reply box, just a link to where it is stored on the server. Add any additional text, if needed, below the picture. Click on "Preview Post" to see what it will look like. If it looks okay, click on "Add Reply". Edited April 4, 2015 at 10:15 AM by murphy howardbc and Hybridbear 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
howardbc Posted April 4, 2015 at 06:40 PM Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 at 06:40 PM Hi, everyone. Thanks to murphy's help, I hope I can put a couple photos in this post. In addition to a shot of my car with its blacked-out grill, I thought I'd also put a shot of my charge port with the electric outlet stick-on. Unfortunately the photo of the electric plug sticker is too large. Don't know why. It was also taken using my cell phone's camera. Hybridbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Platinum15Ti Posted April 4, 2015 at 08:24 PM Author Report Share Posted April 4, 2015 at 08:24 PM Looks good! I find it easier to upload the photos to photobucket, then copy the link and paste in the thread. Hybridbear 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lonzo71 Posted April 6, 2015 at 01:12 PM Report Share Posted April 6, 2015 at 01:12 PM yep, looks good! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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