Clio 197 Gloss Black Diffuser

Guys I need some advice!

I was undecided whether to wait and get myself a second hand 200 diffuser or just have my diffuser sprayed gloss black. I think it would probably be easier (and I presume cheaper) to spray my existing 197 diffuser gloss black?? It currently looks ok, but like all bumpers of this nature it has lost its deep black appearance.

I’m based in Derbyshire, does anyone know how much something like this would cost to do and does anyone know of a local body shop that could do something this?

Thanks

Mat
 
This is a DIY job if you have the confidence... It's not hard - just undo 4 screws and unclip from the bumper. I sprayed mine a few weeks ago and it went from a faded grey to looking like new. All you need is a socket/torque set and a lifting set - Halfords have a great piece of kit for £50 - includes trolley jack, axle stands, creeper and chocks. Alternatively I think whoever did the How To guide just drove the back wheel onto pieces of wood to gain extra clearance under the car. A tin of spray paint will be around £5/£6 and if you need a socket set one could be picked up for £10-£15. Even if you bought the lifting kit, I'd imagine this would be cheaper than booking your car in to have it done professionally.
 
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Thinking of doing this myself but the only thing stopping me is the actually painting part.

I would expect it to be hard to get a good finish on the parts that are visible from behind but then again its never going to be professional finish if done yourself.

Any good DIY/Sprayers on here with some advice?
 
This is a DIY job if you have the confidence... It's not hard - just undo 4 screws and unclip from the bumper. I sprayed mine a few weeks ago and it went from a faded grey to looking like new. All you need is a socket/torque set and a lifting set - Halfords have a great piece of kit for £50 - includes trolley jack, axle stands, creeper and chocks. Alternatively I think whoever did the How To guide just drove the back wheel onto pieces of wood to gain extra clearance under the car. A tin of spray paint will be around £5/£6 and if you need a socket set one could be picked up for £10-£15. Even if you bought the lifting kit, I'd imagine this would be cheaper than booking your car in to have it done professionally.

Cheers Jamie might have a look into it then. My only fear is the painting part as Gam says, not sure I'd trust myself to spray it evenly. I'm sure I'd bodge it up one way or another ha!
 
It's not difficult - have a read up and watch some youtube clips... This is my effort. Previously I've sprayed the front grilles and door pillar... I used a matte effect spray rather than gloss.

2h3sgfb.jpg

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Hmmm like that in matte, think is I have Deep Black all over so not sure what that would look like.

Only one way to find out I guess!

Edit; Also Jamie could you list the prep stages you went through for this?
 
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It's not difficult - have a read up and watch some youtube clips... This is my effort. Previously I've sprayed the front grilles and door pillar... I used a matte effect spray rather than gloss.

2h3sgfb.jpg

tan1w3.jpg

That does look really smart have to say.
 
Prep? Not much to be honest! Once removed I gave it a good wash - soap and water and a sponge. Painted using Halfords Plastic Bumper Black Spray Paint - the website says its a paint that doesn't need primer. 2 cans was enough for the front grilles, door pillars and the diffuser. A tip I suppose would be to have some fine sandpaper handy in case you do any thick streaks - just sand them down once dry and apply another coat - I did 4/5 coats I think. Oh and do it on a still day or an enclosed space - it was quite breezy when I did mine. Thing is the majority of it is under the car - as long as the top quarter looks ok it's fine!
 
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fernandez on here runs a carbon fibre company called cazan racing, and makes gel coated fibre glass 200 diffusers look exactly like the standard 2oo diffuser.
 
Prep? Not much to be honest! Once removed I gave it a good wash - soap and water and a sponge. Painted using Halfords Plastic Bumper Black Spray Paint - the website says its a paint that doesn't need primer. 2 cans was enough for the front grilles, door pillars and the diffuser. A tip I suppose would be to have some fine sandpaper handy in case you do any thick streaks - just sand them down once dry and apply another coat - I did 4/5 coats I think. Oh and do it on a still day or an enclosed space - it was quite breezy when I did mine. Thing is the majority of it is under the car - as long as the top quarter looks ok it's fine!
Ah I used that stuff to respray the plastic trims on my old corsa, held up for a good 2 years. I'll take mine off and do it in the factory on a Friday afternoon :smile:

@Ryan, aren't they really expensive? I know the streamline one is like £700 big ones.
 
I painted my 197 diffuser satin black (between matte and gloss)

I removed it, cleaned it with soap then let it dry in the sun.

Few coats of primer, three coats of satin black.

Be very careful not to spray too close or too concentrated in one area as it will run and look ****. There was one part on mine where that happened and I had to let it dry and then sand it down and paint that bit again.

If I had the option of doing it again on a black Clio I don't think I would. It might be okay with a 200 diffuser but on a 197 it made the diffuser look higher up. In bad light it was especially bad as you can see below:

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7xw7.jpg
 
I've had all the grills done (Front Grills, Side Vents and Rear Diffuser) in Gloss Black - makes the car look so much better and stops them looking dull and faded!

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...next on the list is a Gloss Black roof to bring it all together :smiley:
 
That looks stunning! How much did that set you back, if you don't mind me asking?
Also can they do different colours?

Cheers buddy. I had it done for free, he wouldn't be a very good mate otherwise.:thumbup:
Normal price for a defuser is £190.
I was tempted in cool skulls pattern, might do my other defuser in that.
It's done by painting the part in a base colour (any colour), depends on what pattern you want I.e. Carbon colours are gold (as above) or silver, so you couldn't use the same colour as the pattern cos it wouldn't stand out very much.