Repairing wiper arms and side mirrors

[Shane731]

OK, so my wiper arms and side mirrors are 15 years old, and so are obviously are showing wear. Here's some pics:





How would I go about making them look better? With the wiper arms, should I sand them down and re-paint them? I think they come off. With the mirrors, should I sand them down and buff them out? They're not the kind of plastic you can dress. They're just a hard, smooth plastic. The mirrors are just pitted. What would you recommend, or is there no fix? I'm just not familiar with working with this kind of thing. I have 3M 3000 grit wet/dry sandpaper (I can get other different grits from O'Reilly), the G110v2 with the Soft Buff 2.0 cutting, polishing, and finishing pads, and M105/M205. Thanks!

 

[rohnramirez]

How would I go about making them look better? With the wiper arms, should I sand them down and re-paint them? I think they come off.

Yes they come off with usually a 10 wrench. It would be more troublesome to repaint them. In my opinion, it would be way better to replace them with the banana type wipers. They also come with the entire wiper assembly, just make sure you get the right size.

With the mirrors, should I sand them down and buff them out? They're not the kind of plastic you can dress. They're just a hard, smooth plastic. The mirrors are just pitted. What would you recommend, or is there no fix? I'm just not familiar with working with this kind of thing. I have 3M 3000 grit wet/dry sandpaper (I can get other different grits from O'Reilly), the G110v2 with the Soft Buff 2.0 cutting, polishing, and finishing pads, and M105/M205. Thanks!

It doesn't look like the molded plastic types with matte/flat black finish. It seems to be painted. you have to assess the depth of the pits first before wasting your time. If they're too deep for a compound, then you can wetsand it with 2000 grit then move on to your polish. But judging by the looks of it on your photo, i think the compound would be enough.

 

[02blackout]

Simple! Dont wear windshield wipers! Im the MAN

 

[rohnramirez]

well, it's a good thing it's not illegal there. i would definitely consider removing them if i wasn't living in a country where storms come and go half of the year. (and if it wasn't illegal) :lol:

 

[Shane731]

Yes they come off with usually a 10 wrench. It would be more troublesome to repaint them. In my opinion, it would be way better to replace them with the banana type wipers. They also come with the entire wiper assembly, just make sure you get the right size.

Why do you say that? I'd really rather just repaint them.

It doesn't look like the molded plastic types with matte/flat black finish. It seems to be painted. you have to assess the depth of the pits first before wasting your time. If they're too deep for a compound, then you can wetsand it with 2000 grit then move on to your polish. But judging by the looks of it on your photo, i think the compound would be enough.

They actually might be fiberglass. I don't know. I can wax them no problem. Should I use just 2000 grit or do I need to follow up with a finer grit?

 

[rohnramirez]

Why do you say that? I'd really rather just repaint them.

Sorry about that. I failed to notice you wanted to maintain your car as an oldsmobile. I have a 96 rav4 and changed to the banana wipers for better performance in heavy storms where i live.

Anyway, if you wish to achieve a uniform look, you have two options:
1. sand it down with 300 to 400 grit. Give it two thin coats of etch primer, two coats of epoxy primer, sand again, then spray your base coat of choice. I would prefer a flat/matte black finish for the wipers (just for looks); or
2. use some thinner to get rid of the remaining paint.

They actually might be fiberglass. I don't know. I can wax them no problem. Should I use just 2000 grit or do I need to follow up with a finer grit?

I doubt they are made of fiberglass if they're OEM. If they're aftermarket, they could be. But it wouldn't make a difference. You work with fiberglass and plastic, pretty much the same way. If you also plan to repaint it, you only need a plastic primer for proper paint adhesion. no need for the other primers(only metals need anti-corrosion elements).

If you plan to just use a compound, 200grit is okay then follow it up with a compound that can handle 2000grit marks.

 

[Shane731]

Sorry about that. I failed to notice you wanted to maintain your car as an oldsmobile. I have a 96 rav4 and changed to the banana wipers for better performance in heavy storms where i live.

Anyway, if you wish to achieve a uniform look, you have two options:
1. sand it down with 300 to 400 grit. Give it two thin coats of etch primer, two coats of epoxy primer, sand again, then spray your base coat of choice. I would prefer a flat/matte black finish for the wipers (just for looks); or
2. use some thinner to get rid of the remaining paint.

2 questions on this. (1) Where would I find etch primer and epoxy primer? What are those?
(2) Personally, would you repaint or strip them down to silver? I'm thinking the original black would look best, but I'm unsure. Here's what they look like now:

I doubt they are made of fiberglass if they're OEM. If they're aftermarket, they could be. But it wouldn't make a difference. You work with fiberglass and plastic, pretty much the same way. If you also plan to repaint it, you only need a plastic primer for proper paint adhesion. no need for the other primers(only metals need anti-corrosion elements).

If you plan to just use a compound, 200grit is okay then follow it up with a compound that can handle 2000grit marks.

Which pad should I use with the compound? I have the Soft Buff 2.0 cutting and polishing pads. I need smaller pads, but that will have to wait for a future purchase. Also, should I dry sand or wet sand? If I should wet sand, what should I use as a lube? I typically hear people say to use Meguiar's #00 High Tech Wash, but I don't have that.

 

[rohnramirez]

Hello again Ciera. I can't tell from the picture, cause from that distance they look fine. Etch Primer is an anti-corrosion primer, an epoxy primer is a prep for paint adhesion, you can get all of those in your local paint supply store. Personally, if changing them was out of the question, i would paint them back to black but not strip it to metal so i don't have to apply an etch primer, just the epoxy primer.

Sorry about the pad question, i'm not a master of that. It's my first time to try the LC pads actually. So i would rather not provide an answer for that. Only have experience with a wool pad on a rotary. That's why i got the DA to fix the scratches from the rotary.

For your other question, i would always prefer wetsanding, it's easier to assess your work and not over-sand. The water helps to keep the sanded area cool, i would advise a pinch of detergent on your water too for a little lubrication.

 

[Shane731]

Hello again Ciera. I can't tell from the picture, cause from that distance they look fine. Etch Primer is an anti-corrosion primer, an epoxy primer is a prep for paint adhesion, you can get all of those in your local paint supply store. Personally, if changing them was out of the question, i would paint them back to black but not strip it to metal so i don't have to apply an etch primer, just the epoxy primer.

Sorry. I looked for a better picture with the wipers in it but I don't have one. I'm confused on that last part there. What would be your process on the wipers?

 

[rohnramirez]

without using primers - your purpose would be to just lightly sand down the finish just enough for a leveled feel. So you just wanna wetsand with 400 or 500 until you run your fingers lightly over the surface and feel it is flat. wash it with some detergent (cheap alternative to grease cleaner) and water, dry it completely. Apply a thin coat of paint. 5-10mins on each coat is fine, just as long as it's thin.

 

[oldmodman]

The wiper arm on my 1992 ford explorer were looking a little tired so I powder coated them flat black. I borrowed an Eastwood powder gun from a friend and bought a bottle of flat black powder for $9.00
It turned out great. I just baked them in an old oven that I had stored in my garage for just this sort of thing.
If I had it to do again I would have used semi gloss black and flat black mixed together so they would have just a little sheen.