2003 Monotone Splashguards?

[Z600]

I bought a set of the grey splashguards for my '03 Vibe, but I hear talk of monotone sets for the '05 model. Are there monotone sets out there for the earlier models? I've yet to put the grey ones on, because they look goofy up against my mono Salsa (the grey doesn't look good at all, shoulda' been black to match rail caps).I wanted to have my grey ones painted, but the Pontiac body shop said they probably wouldn't hold the paint, something to do with the guards being made of a substance that resists sticking, to release easily from the mold or something (Is this true, or were they just shooting me a load of bull?). That's the reason I'm interested in a monotone set.Thanks for any help/advice you can offer!~ Z600

[tnpartsguy]

Nothing in the catalog about painted/paintable mudguards. That said, you CAN paint the grey ones, you just have to make sure to use flex additive. if your body shop can't or won't do it, find one that will. The mudguards will need to be de-waxed, and probablly scuffed a little to amke sure the paint adheres, but they CAN be painted, just like the two-tone cladding can be painted with the correct prep.

[ColonelPanic]

I don't know of any painted ones... The monotone part could refer to the two types of front splash guards that are available for the Vibe, and both types still have the same grey, textured appearance. Basically, in '03 the monotone and 2-tones had the same style of cladding, just that one was painted and one was not. In '04, they developed a new style of cladding to correct some sandblasting/chipping of the 2-tone cladding that occurred on the '03 2-tones. With the change of shape for the new cladding on the 2-tone models, a new set of splash guards had to be developed. The monotone models still use same style splash guards up front that they always have. I now have the newer style cladding on my '03 2-tone, so I had to buy new splash guards after I had my '03s cladding replaced to the new style, since my original splash guards would no longer fit.Like tnpartsguy said, you should be able to get your splash guards painted. The material they're made out of probably isn't that much different than what is used for the cladding. In a nutshell, the monotone Vibes have the same cladding as an '03 2-tone had, and they did whatever prep necessary at the factory's paint shop to make the stuff stick.Find a body shop that will paint 'em for you. If they know what they're doing and prep the surface as required and use the right materials for painting, I don't forsee too many problems. I know if I had a monotone, I would probably be taking my splash guards down to the body shop and getting those suckers painted!

[Z600]

Yeah, I thought they should be paintable, too. How do you go about de-waxing? A good, vigorous alcohol rub? I'd like to prep them as much as possible before I take them back, so there's a better chance it gets done right. They said they'd paint 'em, but no guarantees about it staying on.I really need to get this done... I've had these mudguards for a year or more! ~ Z600