2nd Gen R56 Cooper S Most liked posts in thread: To all the Joey modders

I wiped mine out with alcohol, and used plastic-dip. Let it dry overnight and put it all back together the next day. No problems..

 

Same here, haven't had a problem with it yet.

 

I have done a few Joey mods and the problem you are seeing is two fold.

1. The inside needs to be scuffed a little and cleaned with lacquer thinner prior to painting.
A. Get silver chrome like finish or strip it as much as possible with a towel and lacquer thinner.
B. Also after the housings are prepped doing the above be sure to apply a thin coat of adhesion promoter. (Very important)

2. Before you reseal the lens to the housing you need to let the paint "gas" / cure before it is sealed back up. I speed up the drying / curing process by using a heat gun on low in a sweeping motion between paint layers. I apply (1) layer of adhesion promoter and 3-4 light layers of paint and dry each one with a heat gun on low.

After the paint is dry and you can touch it, clean the inside of your clear lenses to remove fingerprints and reseal the units.

What you are seeing a chemical reaction between your paint and the "chrome like" surface paint inside the light because of the prep process.

Hope this helps you out and good luck.

 

Excellent point, and with the problems you are having I would let the paint cure for a day or two before sealing them up. If you decide to bring it back to the body shop I would also see if they could add a bit more hardener to the paint.

I don't know how hard it is to get a hold of this stuff at your location, but you could give Plasti-Dip a try. Just saying, might be worth a try.

 

Plasti dip works great especially if you warm it up really well. I set it out in the sun for a few hours in the Summer. Or put the can in a pot of water on the stove and warm it up in the winter.

When it is very warm it will spray like water and dry nice and smooth.

 

No heat shields will not help as the bubbles are coming from a chemical reaction between the paint and the housing itself. You need something between them.

I also use paint made for plastic since you are painting the inside of the housing and if sealed correctly will not get wet.

I use the below with excellent results every time.
Dupli-Color CP199 Adhesion Promoter; Clear; 11 oz Aerosol
Krylon Fusion Spray Paint for Plastic # 2519 (Flat Black)

Link for adhesion promoter I use.
https://www.google.com/shopping/product/17305152852055601967?gs_rn=32&gs_ri=tablet-gws-psy&pq=duplicolor&cp=13&gs_id=1o&xhr=t&q=duplicolor+adhesion+promoter&pf=p&sclient=tablet-gws&oq=duplicolor+ad&pbx=1&bav=on.2,or.&bvm=bv.59568121,d.cWc&biw=1024&bih=649&tch=1&ech=4&psi=jx3cUv6SDobKsQSZkICAAg.1390157200139.5&sa=X&ei=oB3cUtaNCvfJsQSYlYDIBQ&sqi=2&ved=0CCgQuSQ

 

What is that? Glue? What are you using to seal the lights back up with?

I have never seen anything like that.:confused5:

 

You don't need paint stripper if you clean everything well with lacquer thinner.
Paint stripper works at stripping paint but is a pain in the ass to completely remove from plastic before painting again even with proper prep. If even a little bit is left it will start stripping your 3rd paint job from the inside out.