GenVibe - Community for Pontiac Vibe Enthusiasts

Long time lurker, first time poster...

The crossbars on my '03 Vibe have got a couple large patches of exposed metal where the paint has been worn away (likely from the roof top carrier I used to use on trips). Anyone have any succcess repainting theirs? I found a great thread on here for removing the cross bars, but nothing on repainting.

I haven't seen a re-paint but lots of people plasti-dip them.

I am this close to just scraping all the paint off those suckers! The roof rack has never been used on this thing but both of the cross bars started losing their paint least year. it just flakes off in sizable chunks right down to the metal (assuming aluminum since they aren't rusty.) I have to buck convention and wash the roof last since there's always paint flakes up there that get picked up by the wash mitt. I'd rather not spread those around and make the paint elsewhere even worse than it already is after almost 11 years.

We had a member here many years ago that had the aluminum sides of the rack powder coated, but I don't recall anyone ever painting the cross bars.

I wouldn't mind taking them off and getting some kind of paint on them, but who knows what I'll break in the process. Anyway, I'll definitely be monitoring this thread for potential suggestions!

Rayven01 wrote:I haven't seen a re-paint but lots of people plasti-dip them.

Plasti-Dip??

WinstonWolf wrote:Plasti-Dip??

Plasti Dip. Black is generally available at most retailers and more of the range can be gotten at https://www.dipyourcar.com/home.php" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;.

I was in the same boat as you. Bare metal & flakes. I was going to repaint them, but I figured that I would spend less time removing them than painting them. I just removed them. It wasnt as hard as I thought. Just have to be REALLY carefull removing the caps. I was really hesitant because I didnt want to beak them so I bit the bullet. Looks better too.