Paint mirror covers and small exterior covers

Small exterior plastic covers

Guide to painting mirror covers and small exterior covers

Mirror covers and small exterior plastic covers need clean plastic, adhesion primer, a matched colour coat and a clearcoat that can handle weather and washing. The process is compact, but surface preparation matters because these parts have edges, curves and handling points.

What do you need to paint mirror covers and small exterior covers?

Cleaning and degreasing

Mipa silicone remover and Mipa silicone remover spray remove wax, grease and silicone before sanding, filling, primer or coating work starts.

Plastic adhesion primer

Mipa 1K Plastic Primer and Mipa Plastic Primer Spray create adhesion on prepared plastic covers before the matched colour coat and clearcoat are applied.

Clearcoat protection

Mipa 2K Clearcoat Spray suits smaller clear-over-base repairs, while Mipa 2K-HS Clearcoat CC 8 with HS 10 hardener suits spray-gun finishing on larger or repeated jobs.

How to paint mirror covers and small exterior covers

  1. 1
    Remove contamination

    Degrease the cover before sanding and again before primer so fingerprints, polish and road film do not stay on the plastic.

  2. 2
    Key the surface

    Sand the cover evenly around edges and curved faces so the adhesion primer can grip without visible scratch marks.

  3. 3
    Apply plastic primer

    Use Mipa 1K Plastic Primer or the plastic primer spray to create adhesion on the prepared plastic.

  4. 4
    Apply colour and clear

    Apply the matched colour coat, then finish with 2K clearcoat for gloss and weather resistance.

  5. 5
    Cure before fitting

    Let the clearcoat cure before the part is clipped, handled or washed so the edges are not damaged during assembly.

Which mirror cover paint method should you choose?

Small cover aerosol method

Plastic primer spray and 2K clearcoat spray are practical for one or two small exterior covers.

Spray-gun method

Liquid primer and CC 8 clearcoat with HS 10 hardener suit several covers or a finish that must match nearby body panels closely.

Technical details

  • Mipa 1K Plastic Primer is an adhesion primer for many automotive plastics used on exterior parts.
  • Mipa Plastic Primer Spray gives a transparent silver adhesion layer in aerosol format.
  • Mipa 2K Clearcoat Spray is convenient for small clear-over-base repairs, while CC 8 is the liquid clearcoat method.
  • Mirror covers should be coated around edges carefully because handling and clipping often stress those areas first.
Practical suggestion

Paint mirror covers off the vehicle when possible so the lower edge, folded lip and clip side can be cleaned and coated more evenly.

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