Ok. Since we are stuck at home and know this takes time, I figured might as well paint my chipped key. Disassembles easy enough. Mini screwdriver to take off one side using the slot and a 99 cent box cutter to slip under the other side and pry it off. First step remove the emblem. That was the hardest and most nerve racking one. Using a small drill bit I carefully drilled a hole until I was though the plastic but not into the metal logo plate. This allowed me to push the emblem out using a small precision screwdriver from behind. It is held on by some thin auto “trim” tape. The button rubber pushes out from behind like the emblem but the hole is already there. Then I used 1000 grit sand paper to sand the entire surface. Careful to get the edges and sides of the logo and button area so the paint will stick. My 2 attempts to paint showed me that I really needed to get that area roughed up. When those failed I just cleaned up with mineral spirits. So 3rd time is a charm, but with the knowledge learned from the 1st two. Image Unavailable, Please Login First. Wash the plastic using dish washer detergent to remove any contamination and grease. Then dry with an air compressor. For the successful time, I used duplicolor sandable white primer which is a lacquer. 2 light dusting coats then one medium coat with about 20 minutes between each coat. About an hour later, then duplicolor adhesion promoter. Two coats with 4 minutes in between then after about 8 minutes I started spraying color. For this I used a can of Tamiya Italian Red. When used with the white primer it is a dead ringer for the factory Ferrari red. With grey primer, doesn’t match. My 1st attempt was with grey but I had too many runs in the paint because I was overzealous with the thickness of paint coats. Instead of sanding them out, I decided to soak the plastic in mineral spirits overnight and then wiped the residue off. But lucky for me I ran out of grey primer and found some white primer in my cabinet. 3 coats of the red with about 20 minutes between coats. Then wait 24 hours and wet sand with 3000 grit sanding sponge made for models to remove any orange peel. Then wash with dish soap then dry and spray one last coat. Or that was the plan. I ran out of red paint in the middle and had to order a can from amazon so another 3000 grit wet sand and my final coat will happen this weekend and then polish with ScratchX and reassembly a few days later. Guess if I would have been able to get it on the 1st try then I would have had plenty of paint. Anyway here is it so far waiting for the final coat. Sorry for the crappy lighting. Took the picture on my desk at night so artificial light only. Image Unavailable, Please Login Cheers, Corey Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Paint arrived early. A little light wet sand at 3000 grit once final coat and about 16 hours later a slight polish with ScratchX and the key is done. Can you tell which key is about a month old and and which is the original? Final cost to refinish less than $25 including the fact I wasted 3/4 of a can of paint and have more than 3/4 left to paint something else to match my car. Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
That looks great! I also have one that is brand new and one that is chipped and scratched. Can you post pictures of the cans of paint you used please? Sent from my iPad using FerrariChat.com mobile app
Yes it’s a watch battery. There is a small opening on the logo side to fit a flat head screwdriver to pry the cover off and change the battery.
Here is a pic of the products I used... Image Unavailable, Please Login Sent from my iPhone using FerrariChat.com mobile app
