We’re a little surprised no one has commented on the rear roll bar covers.
When we were first visiting the Z4’s at the dealership we were hugely put off by the aluminum or perhaps stainless steel wannabe color of those pieces when the black interior was involved. For the lighter color interior treatments we thought they weren’t so noticeable, but with the black they were way too contrasty for us. In fact, we disliked them so much we considered them to be a show stopper until the salesman suggested painting them. Consequently at the same time we placed the order for the 2010 we also ordered a set of the rear covers via the dealership’s Parts Department. Those arrived very quickly and a person who expertly paints auto parts was soon at work on them. He first tried various shades of black and brightness of finish on sample cards. It became obvious the black on the panel at the base of the roll bars and the front covers were not a jet black – they have a slight gray cast to them. The first attempt at actually painting the rear covers produced something much better than the original silver, but it was smooth and just not quite right. Then the painter remembered something he had left over from a previous job and tried it. Success! It was a great match in every respect including the crackle finish. When the new 2010 arrived it was a simple matter to swap out the covers and, as they say, we were good to go. We should note we were told it takes a special tool to remove the back covers without cracking them (they are plastic).
So, what was the mystery product which produced such a great match? A
truck bed coating from O’Reilly Auto Parts. The painter sprayed it onto the covers. We noticed the product is also available already in an
aerosol form and would guess it would produce similar results.
Just thought some of you might be interested.
Best regards,
Ed