How to Refinish Door Handle Trim on a VW Scirocco with ColorBond LVP
We’ve talked about restoring obscure trim pieces for classic cars here on the ColorBond blog before, and we’re pleased to show you another great example. Check out this door handle trim from a 1979 Volkswagen Scirocco, which has become dried out and oxidized. The owner of the car, Nick Frey, told us finding a replacement would be difficult and expensive, so he decided a project to refinish door handle trim was a better idea. To get a great result and make the job easier, he chose to use ColorBond LVP door handle trim paint.
Door handle before
The VW Scirocco was introduced to the European market in 1974, and the US market in 197 5. Created as a replacement for the Volkswagen Karmann Ghia, the car is based on the platform of the first-generation Volkswagen Golf (which is known as the Rabbit in the US). The styling of the coupe was rendered by the legendary automotive designer Giorgetto Giugiaro who created a modern appearance that remains refreshing to this day.
Nick’s car is a beauty. It was a true barn find that he located last summer in the Buffalo, NY area. The original beige metallic paint still looks great, and so does the tan interior, especially since the door handle trim paint has been refreshed. The sliding ragtop sunroof really adds to the character of the car. Back in the day, I don’t remember seeing many Sciroccos equipped with that option.
VW Scirocco Door Handle Trim Restoration
So, back to the dried out and faded door handle trim. Nick looked into replacing it, but unknown, pre 2000’s VW parts are obsolete and buying new old stock might have cost $100 plus per door handle. So, he decided using ColorBond LVP to refinish door panel plastic would be a far more economical alternative to restore the appearance of the door handle.
ColorBond is an Excellent Choice to Refinish Door Panel Plastic
ColorBond LVP works great to refinish door handle trim as well as other leather, plastic, and vinyl interior trim pieces. The paint is formulated to bond strongly and has a high pigment content, which makes it very opaque. This means it can be applied with thin coats to get proper coverage, rather than needing to apply heavy coats. Thick heavy coats are prone to flaking, cracking, and peeling, especially when it comes to soft plastic that flexes. Thin coats help to avoid this. Also, thin coats allow the original surface texture, like the leather grain texture in plastic, to show through.
ColorBond LVP is available in 205 colors, including OEM correct colors, so users can find an exact match for their interior color, or at least one that comes very close to the interior trim color. This was the case for Nick. He found our BMW Mocha Brown # 3242 worked great and told us the paint should work for any MK1 VW with brown interior accents.
How to Refinish Door Handle Trim with ColorBond LVP
These are the steps Nick took to restore his door handle trim:
- Removed the door handle trim
- The piece already seemed rough and scratched so he felt sanding was not needed
- Thoroughly cleaned trim piece with ColorBond Prep Cleaner
- Sprayed 1 light coat (waited 3-5 mins)
- Sprayed 1 medium full coverage coat (waited 45 mins before reinstalling part in car)
Door handle refinished with ColorBond LVP
Nick said the project required only 1/3 of a can of ColorBond LVP. With a can of the door handle trim paint costing $23.35, it offered a great savings compared to a $100.00 replacement part.
ColorBond LVP is the perfect choice to refinish door panel plastic and other interior trim. If you have restored your car, truck, boat, or something else using ColorBond please let us know. We’d love to see and share it here on the ColorBond blog! You can reach us at info@colorbondpaint.com.
