Faded hood cowling redone!

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Taylorguy74

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Was getting tired of trying the back to black scrubs and lotions for the front cowling - ordered a used part online, cleaned it well, degreased it, and with a couple coats of adhesion primer and some truck bed liner spray, I have myself a very well dressed like-new cowling! Can't wait to get it installed and the old, sun faded gray one off. Ahh, Texas sun damage! Might get addictive - may end up doing this to a couple more plastic trim parts in the long run.

Here are some pics of the finished product -View media item 353View media item 352View media item 351
 

cperez

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I had the cowling replaced under warranty on both of my LR4s even though both are garage-kept in fairly mild Maryland climate. They got ashy and I could have lived with that but they also developed some curling or warping that kept them from holding tightly to the base of the windshield. Never thought about DIY for this but good call if I need it again.
 

toddjb122

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Those are two excellent posts. Thanks. I too am sick of the chalky sun baked version I have now. When I have tried the back to black things in the past I found them time consuming and they don't last that long. Eventually it wears through and you start to see your brush strokes on any area that you were not consistent in your layering.

Now, that warranty option is a good one as well. You just need to come up with justification. Don't think I can do it in the aftermarket warranty, though. Oh well, but if mine are warped I'm going to try!
 

Taylorguy74

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Very simple process - used part cost me $60 bucks via ebay and less than $20 for the primer/adhesive and bed spray from Napa. I had used this same set up years ago with my Disco 2 wheel arches, rear bumper and roof rails. Even when the headliner was starting to look bad and sagging after a good while, I pulled out the entire thing and rolled a matching interior color truck bedliner onto it. Turned out awesome! The VOC smell was a bit overwhelming at times on sunny hot days for a few weeks, but hey, a small sacrifice for the ingenuity!
 

cperez

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Now, that warranty option is a good one as well. You just need to come up with justification.

I got pushback from one guy at the dealership the first time. He said that the cowling didn't have to form a good seal because any water would drain away and not get into the vehicle. That may have been true or not but I didn't have a good comeback. Then when I went to pick up the vehicle, they had replaced it after all.

With my current LR4, I casually mentioned the oxidation on the cowling and pointed it out to my service tech on my final warranty visit. He replaced it without batting an eye. Can't hurt to try!
 

silvajt

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I had mine replaced recently under warranty too for my 2014. I asked and they replaced it.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

to8nbeyond

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hey ktm,

Would you mind sharing a link where you got it for 80 bucks?

thanks
 

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