My son wants black flares on his 2011 FX4. His are the rough finish molded plastic flares on dark gray. It seems trying to sand smooth would be a forever chore and lead to poor results. Any recommendations? Paint and prep recommendations for good adhesion? I was wondering about Krylon plastic paint. Thoughts? Thanks!
Smoke

 

I’ve used Krylon Fusion and Rustoleum paint for plastic, both with good results.

I had a 2001 XJ Cherokee a few years ago and all of the black plastic turned a nasty grey. I cleaned all of the parts I wanted to paint with a degreaser, then isopropyl alcohol. I carefully masked the parts that could not be removed, then sprayed the paint. It looked great. A nice satin black. Lasted until it was sold a few years later. One part had to be redone due to it getting scratched a few months later. This was done with the Rustoleum product.

This type of paint chemically bonds with the plastic, so the results are quite good.

 

Actually Smoothing them out is not as bad a you think, you scuff them up with a Maroon Scotch Brite Pad then put 2 heavy coats of primer on with adhesion promoter in the first coat then sand the primer smooth with some 200 then 600. You barely get into the plastic all the sanding is just primer. I did the rear window surround on my 2003 F150

 

Thanks guys. I’ll give it a shot with him. We’re doing the wheels this weekend. They are the factory grey plastic laminated FX4 wheels (20”). I’m actually thinking about equipment enamel. Durable, but a quick repair if damaged. Already have the scotch-brites and sand paper.

 

Great thread with lots of helpful info. I was thinking about getting some fender flares and having them painted.

 

I have a 2002 Jeep Wrangler,( the TJ years, 1997-2006), have a lot of plastic, that turns gray. Fender flares, bumper ends, etc.

Its very common in that world to use the krylon spray. I've done mine in the satin black. Has looked good for years.