WLJayne

Well-Known Member
Hi guys,

First post here :). I'm currently restoring a slightly neglected 2004 petrol Freelander. I'm doing well with it, just waiting for a new exhaust manifold which should be the last thing before an MOT.

Once it's all back in good condiction mechanically, I'll turn to the aesthetic concerns. Thankfully, the exterior trim and paint is in fantastic condition as it's been sat under a shady tree for the last 6 months while it's been off the road. A jet wash took care of the accumulated crud and underneath it looks lovely. However quite a bit of the silver interior trim is scuffed, scratched and patchy. Quite a bit of a car's value comes down to how pretty it looks, and although I'm not planning on selling it once I'm done bringing it back to life, it would be nice to ensure that the resale value is as high as possible. So my plan is to take out all the trim panels and strip the of their original paint so that I can sand and polish the plastic back to a nice surface finish, then repaint it. I do have spray equipment, but at the same time if there's a good rattle can that would do the job quickly that's fine too. Can anyone tell me what kind of paint the original is? This will inform my choice of thinners for stripping. Also, if there's a color match out there, or even a can of original colour, it would be great to know.

This project has had it's ups and downs but with anything like this, the end product is a priceless feeling.

Cheers guys :),

Will.
 
silver? looks more gold to me.....I found that an aerosol of Ford Platinum metallic did the job fine.
 
silver? looks more gold to me.....I found that an aerosol of Ford Platinum metallic did the job fine.

I think you might be talking about LR's "champagne silver" colour, which is a goldy siver, but mine is definitely an aluminium tone silver :). Thanks for those links Singvogel I'll have a look.

Will.
 
:welcome:Hi , mine has the champagne silver trim , there is a thread on ere ! covering this topic
 
Last edited:
The colour you are looking for is "Ford Champagne Gold", MkII Escort, MkI Fiesta ect. I was going to do mine but I've been experimenting with some carbon fibre effect sticky back plastic first.

What do you think,
IMAG0375.jpg

IMAG0378.jpg

So far, it's not growing on me, but I might leave it on for a week or so, then opt for a respray of the bits I need doing.
 
Looks nice siblo! There are no decent wood kits around for the facelift model :(, shame.

I had another look in good light today, and I'm pretty sure you guys are right - it is champagne silver. There is a more than a hint of gold in it, so that's that mystery solved. Cheers everyone :D!

Will.
 
Plastikote is pretty wicked stuff and a massave range i use it for all my little prodjects, push iron, spitfire dash, hand made pc case bnq also sell it..
 
Yes those are good paints I use them alot. I'm going to buy a can of the original colour as it's only a tenner for a big can. Some of the trim is fine, otherwise I would have stripped it all out and done it all together with a close colour match.
 
unfortunatley my interior is the dodgey cream n green god knows what they were thinking or what colour lense glasses they had on at the time

good job shes only a work bus
 
Vauxhall Platinum is the better match. I took out the centre console from my facelift FL after an Albanian car washer managed to put a huge scratch in it with his vacuum nozzle.
Initially bought the Ford Champagne Gold from Halfords but found it a little dark in colour so repainted with the Vauxhall Platinum, again from Halfords, which was a much closer match. Ended up doing all the door pull trims too, as I had bought too much paint.
Lots of careful rubbing down required and masking the centre console takes a little patience to get right. Use the grey etch primer that Halfords recommend and finish with the clear laquer.
 
Ouch! What a pain! I'll have a look at platium. This seems to be pretty common, I wonder if it's just another LR quirk?
 
Hi guys, now that all the mechanical gremlins have be squashed I'm back to this. Halfords paint needs careful application in my past experience. I'm thinking wet and dry down to the original plastic, then halfords plastic primer, the three coats of Vauxhall Platinum then top it with Clear Laquer. Sound aboot right?
 
Hi guys, now that all the mechanical gremlins have be squashed I'm back to this. Halfords paint needs careful application in my past experience. I'm thinking wet and dry down to the original plastic, then halfords plastic primer, the three coats of Vauxhall Platinum then top it with Clear Laquer. Sound aboot right?
Hi , theres no need to use clear laquer :)
 
having read a few of these threads before I don't think anyone else has realised that the front and rear handles are exactly the same!!!???!!! so if your rear ones are perfect swap them front to back and paint up at your leisure... ;)
 
Ha! Interesting! Well I got the paint, and today I have some spare time so I'll have a go. I've got bigger problems to worry about now, i.e. the rear diff mounts :rolleyes:.
 

Similar threads