[explorerfx4]

basically what i started with, i dont have any before pics of the car.

then on to this stage

completed pics to come in the morning, its to dark here to get any good ones.

 

[Raven18940]

Very nice, are you gonna do the door handles too?

 

[stipud]

Very nice! How did you get the side trim off? Any prep work?

Looks like you are doing your skirts as well. That should look great when finished!

Nice work on the clear corners too.

 

[i want an aero]

that looks so much beter than faded black

 

[Chris 9-5]

that looks so much beter than faded black

Definitely and wow what a difference changing the small side repeater makes too

 

[explorerfx4]

door handles will remain black for the time being, untill i decide i dont like them. the side trim just pops right off, just put a small screw driver behind it and it come off. eventually i will end up repainting the bumpers entirely along with getting an aero lip. but thats a project for another day. here are some more pics from this morning, enjoy

 

[Chris 9-5]

That car looks absolutely years younger - well done!

So how do you prep and paint the plastics?

 

[explorerfx4]

it really does make a big difference, i prepped using a lot of high to low grit sand paper and a lot of high build primer, plus some filler in spots where the plastic had been dinged up. i used chromabase paint and clear to do the job with flex additive in the clear to make sure it didnt crack when it flexed. i prob have at least around 20+ hours in the project not to mention the hours my frineds put in. its a pain, but WELL worth it!

 

[Chris 9-5]

It's well worth your time, looks fantastic

 

[linearlaunch93]

Wow! That looks really nice - especially getting rid of the huge black rub strip on the front bumper. Hopefully the paint over the rubber will hold up to wear and tear.

Nice job...

 

[Jssaab]

Looks as nice as my Silver Viggen!!! The rub srips are ugly on silver...

 

[fusionrx]

My car is identical to yours right down to the colors and rims....

except it has the faded black strips...

Now to convince the wife and kids this is time well spent all weekend long... Somehow I don't think thats gonna happen... :nono;

 

[Zebulon]

A Beautiful treatment! I saw a pic of a Hirsch 9-5 done in that way some weeks back and was astonished at the look...I was seriously considering trading my Black '03 for a Silver car with that mod in mind....It's a tremendous improvement on an already great car! Well Done!....Zebulon

 

[David Wishart]

Very nicely done. It does makes the car look younger.

Saab should have done that on the 08 9-3's instead of removing the trim....

I've always liked those wheels as well.

 

[Chris 9-5]

On the new 9-5 the side door trim is colour coded - anyone know if Saab sells it like that?

I.E. can you buy the trim pieces already painted?

 

[Raven18940]

On the new 9-5 the side door trim is colour coded - anyone know if Saab sells it like that?

I.E. can you buy the trim pieces already painted?

Doubt it, replacement trim pieces are almost always unpainted.

 

[Chris 9-5]

Doubt it, replacement trim pieces are almost always unpainted.

Perhaps, but they would be prepped for paint

 

[gabis]

You can buy the side mouldings painted for 06+ models from places such as thesaabsite. Unfortunately the newer models do not have front or rear bumper mouldings, so you have to do that yourself. You can also buy the painted door handles for 06+ models and swap them, at least according to the parts guy at my local dealer. I have only been able to find one part number that correlates between both sets of model years, so I'm not 100% on whether it is possible or not as there are 3 different part numbers for door handles.

PN's:
12756110
12756111
12756112
12756113
12756114
12756115

I have also color-matched all the mouldings on my black Aero, and the difference is astonishing. For those who don't have the time/money/resources to do so, some Forever Black every few months will at least keep the plastic looking a deep, glossy black.

 

[Al's Red Wagon]

Armorall

that looks so much beter than faded black

Before:

After:

Just Armorall, a rag, and very little elbow grease. I happen to think that the black trim sets off the paint job nicely. Check me out...(red thread)


But I must say, the painted trim is very slick indeed.

 

[SectorNine50]

It's amazing how much more you notice the body lines with those trim pieces painted. I have a silver Aero and was seriously contemplating doing this, but don't have any painting skills and don't want to ask a co-worker to help me do it as it looks like a lot of work! I may have to wait a while to do this mod... repainting my Aero lip is first on my list I think.