Quote:
Originally Posted by HPsauce
As above, I've tried all 3 approaches, so now have 3 sets of FE centres!
1. Repainted refurbished OEM ones, done by me. Fully dismantled to do it but just not really that great and now starting to peel. Might do them again now I know how.
2. Cheap Chinese copies. Never fitted properly (lugs are wrong!) though I finally found a solution to that but just have my doubts on how secure they are. Don't look too bad though the metal section is shoddy and "rippled".
3. Proper OEM ones bought a few months ago, the "brushed" variant to match my updated diamond-cut wheels. A set of 4 cost me £165 delivered.
I expect that day-to-day I'll run with set #1, swapping set #2 on when parked up and the car is clean.
Set #3 will only appear at "special events" such as car shows, Forum meets etc. and not go on any long/dirty journeys.  |
Hi Andrew
"Might do them again now I know how."
Did you do your Avus caps or just the FE ones??
My Avus caps are shocking. Here's one:
I too am contemplating getting my 18" wheels refurbished but when I enquired with the refurbishing company about painting the caps along with the wheels, I could tell that they weren't interested. So I thought I would look at a cap to see how it was "made up" and found that it was easy to split into 4 parts with the main part being the one that required two different colours of paint - the gunmetal centre and the Avus Z17 silver outer.
But I then started to think about whether my home-painted caps would match the final finish of the refurbed wheels? Would I need lacquer/clearcoat on the caps and if so, what type (if there are different types??)? How durable would they be? Would they look tatty after the first stone hit them?
I did find a
complete new set on Allegro that would be about £72 + shipping but the Polish seller bluntly told me he would not ship to the UK
I found out he would ship to Russia etc. but not the UK. A Brexit thing maybe?
That was about the limit of what I wanted to pay for a new set. I think I was looking at about £125 elsewhere for a new set of 4 and that just didn't sit well with a pauper like me, for 4 bits of plastic (Yeah, I know! So why I am the owner of D2 with that mentality, is what you're thinking
).
So do you have any advice on painting your caps now that you are a past master?
__________________
Dean
Future work on "Red Dwarf": Fridge, solar sunroof, radio-controlled clock, interior and exterior dimming mirrors, Alcantara headlining/pillars/rear shelf, rear US outer lights, passenger memory seat, rear electric (lumbar and headrest) heated seats, Servotronic.
__________________
Current:
2002 A8 D2 S8 FE -
"Red Dwarf" - Misano Red - Platinum/Silver Interior, PDC, Sat Nav Plus with BOSE and hidden Dension Bluetooth, Multi-changer, Heated Front Seats, Bi-Xenons, FE Wheels, Phone Prep with Nokia 6210, Detachable Towbar, Rear Blinds, S8 plate but no other optional extras
1st Place Winner - A8Parts Annual UK Meet 2018
1st Place Winner - A8-Freunde Annual German Meet 2018
2nd Place Winner - A8-Freunde Annual German Meet 2019
2002 A8L D2 with a factory fitted S8 engine and drivetrain - "Evergreen" - Irish Green Pearl (TBC) - magnolia leather seats with magnolia door cards/door trims, magnolia leather head-lining, extended leather pack 3 (dark green leather dash, upper door cards, steering wheel, lower dash, centre tunnel and rear parcel shelf), factory black external trim (in lieu of chrome), self-levelling suspension, Servotronic, Brembo brakes, "gullideckel" / "man-hole cover" / "pie-plate" 8Jx18 polished 10-hole design wheels typically seen on the W12, Park Distance Control, heated windscreen, multifunction steering wheel, Vavona burl (burr-walnut) wood inserts with cream/magnolia door switch trims, phone preparation to the front with Nokia 6091 phone, phone preparation to the rear with Nokia 6091 phone on the central rear console, third phone preparation in the rear centre console, rear blinds, rear headrest release feature, rear electric heated seats with lumbar and recline function (the rear passenger seat has the facility to move the front passenger seat forward), BOSE audio, Rear Screen Entertainment (RSE) with dual factory fitted Alpine screens, integrated DVD player (under the centre of the rear bench with 4 DVD storage slots) and two remote controls (the controls and inputs for the RSE are in the rear centre console and the screens can operate independently of each other,) factory supplied leather headrest covers to hide the rear screens, rear vanity mirrors (standard A8L), dark green rear wedge footrests with cream piping, front passenger memory seat, dark green floor carpeting and mats – piped in cream, rear slumber pillows for the headrests, integrated fridge with integrated tumblers inside the rear centre headrest bar compartment, solar roof, auto-dimming interior and exterior mirrors, factory driver’s seat fire extinguisher, tire pressure monitoring system, first aid kit, 12 V socket in the boot, TRACKER, derestricted – top speed is 155mph plus
2007 A6 Allroad C6 3.0TDI Quattro - Highland Green (Audi Exclusive Colour) - Cream leather interior with Wood, Advanced MMI, Keyless, Bose, Advanced PDC, Sunroof, Heated Memory Seats, Adaptive Xenons, Adaptive Air Suspension, Servotronic
Previous (went to good homes):
2002 A8 D2 2.8 Quattro Sport -
"Big Red" - Tornado Red (Special Order) - Twist Interior, PDC, Passenger Memory Seats, Symphony II with BOSE, Heated Front Seats, Bi-Xenons, Auto-dimming Mirrors, 20" FE Wheels, Servotronic Steering
2002 A8 D2 2.8 Quattro Sport - Aqua Blue Pearl - Twist Interior, PDC, Sat Nav Plus with BOSE, Multi-changer, Heated Front Seats, Bi-Xenons, Auto-dimming Mirrors, Avus Wheels
