Thread: Tow Hook Cover
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      11-20-2012, 08:28 AM   #8
M3 Esq
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Drives: E70 X5, 911 GT3
Join Date: Aug 2007
Location: CT

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You can buy the piece and paint it yourself. When someone stole mine a few years back, I bought a replacement through the dealership. It came with primer on it. I bought a touch up paint kit and painted it.

The only issue with this of course are brush marks, but you can minimize them by following these steps. I heated up the cover with a heat gun (you could also use a blow dryer), get it really nice and warm. Next apply the base coat. Getting the piece warmed up will help you brush on the paint smoother. I also got a lot of paint on there - the more paint you can get on the smoother it will dry. I let it dry over night. Make sure it is covered while it dries - you don't want dust or other particles to adhere. The next day I did the same but applied the clear coat. Make sure you get the piece nice and warm again and apply. Apply a good amount of clear coat. The clear will fill in all of the brush marks you left applying the base coat.

This is a cheaper way of doing it and you will also have the touch up paint kit for future use. Once it was finished, there were no brush marks that I could see. Plus the piece sits low on the car so any imperfections there you are not likley to notice. I am pretty anal about my cars but I was really happy with the results. Total, this is probably a 15-20 minute job. Hope this helps.
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