VW Golf R32 (MkV) – Entry 025

David Conway    Personal, VW Golf R32 (MkV)     official r32 entry, vw golf r32

Yesterday I spent the morning removing electrical tape and black paint from the eight slats on my front grill in preparation for a professional recovering. When I originally sprayed them they looked fantastic, but over time, tiny stones and general weather conditions have taken their toll. Once I’d peeled away the tape, I was greeted with a patchwork of unsightly black paint which I carefully removed with a knife for over an hour.

After seeing fellow forum member Nathan’s (Greenouse) car and what a good job had been made of his front grill, I decided to follow suit and drive over to Alex at Chameleon Auto Graphics to have my front slats and rear badge covered. Originally the plan was to have the slats covered in black vinyl and the rear badge colour matched to blue (the black plastic bit behind the chrome VW emblem) but on the way over, I had the idea of trying carbon fibre vinyl. I met with Alex soon after 10am and after discussing ideas and seeing the CF weave I decided this was the way to go.

The idea of taking the front grill off was quite daunting (and nerve wracking for me) so we phoned Nathan for advice as neither of us were feeling confident. After telling us what to do (including being brave, thanks) we started the removal. The grill has two clips at the top, two screws in the bottom left, two in the bottom right and two located in the middle area below the licence plate (the latter Nathan forgot to mention!). Upon removal, we found a large number (maybe 50?) of tightly fitting clips that were a nightmare to work with. Given this, we decided to see how good the slats would look with Alex covering them in situ. Superb is the answer; and you have to be very close to spot they’re covered (much better than my electrical tape efforts).

Next up was the rear badge which was an easier job. There is a tiny hole located at the bottom so that the chrome cover can be prised away from the plastic backing. The vinyl took to the plastic without issue and the chrome emblem was then glued back on top. Again I’m really happy with the end result, especially as it matches my OSIR rear valance perfectly.

During the day, I had several mechanics from the unit next door and a few young lads comment positively on the car and how good the CF vinyl looked. It’s great when you have people admire something you adore! For both the front and rear, Alex only charged me £40 which is an absolute bargain. In future he may charge a bit more (I would) but as it stands, out of every mod I’ve done to date, this is probably the best value.

Thanks for reading.

Get/stay in touch with me on personal or professional matters: