to pinch makefish's title thread ive now had my new grille sprayed which i fitted over the weekend. the one thing that put me off the octavia before buying was the chrome grille that i thought stood out too much and didnt match anything as there is no other chrome on the car!

the new grille was sandblasted by myself to remove the chrome so the paint could be sprayed onto the bare plastic (after primer). The sandblasting part was a pain in the *** due to the thickness of the chrome so i ended up doing a lot of peeling and wetsanding to get the finish back. The grille was then sprayed and laquered in a bodyshop with 9598 island green paint.

Before

everything removed

new grille fitted to black grille

new grille fitted with new skoda badge

i have had a couple of slight problems. i need to get hold of some of the foam trim tape that holds the botton of the chrome grille to the black insert as the foam fixers I used instead of the original arn't sticking properly. anyone know where id get some foam trim tape from??

the paint i got is also slightly brighter than the cars paint so the new grille stands out a bit more. Im off to see the paint suppliers who supplied the paint to see if anything can be done (that i doubt without a re-spray) but the tin does state to colour match before use. :( I just dropped the paint off at the bodyshop with the grille so its really my fault for not checking. The slightly lighter colour is growing on me though after its had multiple coats of collinite 915 and it isnt that much different.

and a final one from the front

I was expecting not to like it, but I think it looks good

You already know I'm a fan of the look, good job

Welcome to the 'colour coded grille' club (as you know mine is already).

Top notch job.

The tape you need is 'double sided trim tape'. I have a roll I bought from Halfords some years ago; probably available from all good motor factors etc.

Nice paint job, looks good. Has anyone painted the surround in black on a car in a body colour other than black? If so, can you post a pic please?

Welcome to the 'colour coded grille' club (as you know mine is already).

Top notch job.

The tape you need is 'double sided trim tape'. I have a roll I bought from Halfords some years ago; probably available from all good motor factors etc.

ill check out halfords today

anyone got any tips on darkening paint

I quite like it Stu.

Looks pretty sweet...black on black!

http://www.briskoda.net/forums/new-octavia/black-grille-black-vrs/86146/

Very nice I like it, when I read the thread I thought uh-oh but it does look stunning. Has anyone done it on a Mk1 or is that a silly question.

Looks very good. I personally like the crome too. I have a L&K and think is it is a shame that the car has plain black side protector strips. The car would look better I think is they were body coloured.

Yes it can be done to the Mk1 too.

It looks brilliant. The colour match isn't the end of the world - it still looks like a quality finish!

Nice paint job, looks good. Has anyone painted the surround in black on a car in a body colour other than black? If so, can you post a pic please?

I did a mock-up with black insulating tape on my red vRS before deciding that it did not look right and to colour-code, red with red, would be the answer.

Here are pics of the mock up and my final painted result;-

Comment?

What would a bodyshop charge to do this ?. Will stonechips affect the grill any differently to say the bumper ?. Is it standard preparation to strip the chrome off before painting ?. Thanks.

I'm quite liking that black on red grill bahnstormer.

But then my taste has never been in line with others. Hence buying a Mazda before they befcame cool, and well, erm owning a Skoda or 2

I think colour coding is the way forward! Sworall's new colour coded grill definately suits the car more than the chrome!

I like the look. It's one reason I went for an aftermarket grille is that it would be 100% silver, and my chrome was starting to look quite peppered with scratches and chips. Colour coding is cool I reckon. It's one reason I attacked my door handles last weekend, but only got 2 done, and the finish is not the best. I need new handles to colour code first, then swap them over.

What would a bodyshop charge to do this ?. Will stonechips affect the grill any differently to say the bumper ?. Is it standard preparation to strip the chrome off before painting ?. Thanks.

i got quoted

If you have a maplin electronics nearby, that is the cheapest source I've found for the double sided foam tape. Its about 2.99 for a huge roll, where Halfords is 6 quid for a small roll

thanks quattro, will try maplin and halfrauds tomorrow with maplin being first call

I am liking these painted grills. Anyone do a silver RS?

Thanx for posting the pics Bahnstormer. Funny, I actually prefer the black surround. It maintains the proportions of the grille in the 'face' of the car and perfectly matches the intakes in the lower bumper. Each to his own though...

sworrall - you have done a nice job there. Looks very professional.

Need to see it in the flesh before I can decide if its for me or not (but I've got a little bit of a change to my car ongoing at the moment). Hopefully it will be finished and pics posted within the next week or two.

I am tempted to put a black grille surround on my black L&K but I would need a second grille as it's a lease car and they won't be impressed with the modification when it goes back.

Does anyone know how much the entire grille assembly would set me back?

I am tempted to put a black grille surround on my black L&K but I would need a second grille as it's a lease car and they won't be impressed with the modification when it goes back.

Does anyone know how much the entire grille assembly would set me back?

All you need is the Chrome grill surround (the bit you want to paint). Less than