I have a white/red '14 F-Type V8 S (convertible). As you all know, the '14 and '15 had black lower body cladding / rocker moldings along the sides of the car and ahead of the front wheels and a black rear-diffuser. However, they come body-colored in the newer models.

I was thinking about painting the existing rocker moldings Polaris White (so the car looks like the newer models), but wanted to know if anyone's done it. If so, does the paint adhere well and does it look good? I was also thinking about swapping them out for carbon fiber parts but, because they sit so low on the car, no one but me is even likely to notice.

 

the best aftermarket approach is probably to wrap them in gloss black (or CF) vinyl...a few here have done that.

 

my car came like this; optional package:





...I like it.

Dave

 

Beautiful car. This is mine . . .





I'm still not sure how I feel about white rocker moldings and a white diffuser . . . they definitely look great and give it a 'finished' look, but also visually thicken the car, which I don't love. But my question was more to do with whether anyone knows if painting the black panels so they are body-colored will look good and the paint will adhere (and not easily chip).

 

sorry thought you were wanting to go in the opposite direction. either way, vinyl wrap is your best bet. cheaper by far, and only as permanent as you want it to be.

 

I didn't even know they came black until after I bought mine. After comparing pics and mulling it over, I've decided i like the front white treatment very much and I like the sills white too but I see the "thickness" issue that some have pointed out so I could go either way. I think if my car had the newer, wider sills, I'd be less happy with the body color.

If I was you and I wanted white, I'd get a bodyshop to paint them; any wrap will have a different shade/look to it IMO. I also have XPel clear on mine and I would recommend it as a way to protect the paint. A good bodyshop should have no issue with the job. I'm considering painting my rear diffuser white....

Cheers,
Dave

 

Thanks so much for your suggestions. A wrap would definitely be less resistant to chipping, but the downside (there's always a downside) is the color is unlikely to match up perfectly with the Jaguar paint. However, it might not be that noticeable . . .

 

Thanks so much for your thoughts.

It really does all comes down to taste; I actually like the black treatment on the front splitter. However, I tend to agree with you that covering the lower trim pieces in a white wrap, rather than painting them, might result in a poor color-match. I also agree with you on the newer body cladding . . I was looking at a 2016 F-Tytpe R the other day and felt the body-colored lower moldings flare out a bit too wide and detract from the car's lines. I am going to phone my body shop today for a quote on XPerl clear or similar product for the hood (at least) and to paint the side-moldings.

Much appreciated.

 

What I decided to do was wrap the rocker in black carbon. The kicker is that at the same time, I wrapped my mirrors in the same wrap. You could even wrap your side and hood vents. When the carbon is tied in to other parts, I would bet that you'll no longer feel the dislike as it relates to your rockers.

 

Loving it - especially on the rocker moldings. It might look sweet with the carbon blade wheels.

May I ask what something like that costs?

 

I have the white on white car and the negative of white is keeping them clean. They get dirty and detract from the overall look, unless the weather is sunny all the time (Southern California), I'd stay with black. I don't mind the look when they are clean. Mine are wrapped with xpel too.

 

How about we trade?
I'll trade you my white trim pieces for your black trim pieces. Are they in good shape? I assume the clips would align MY '16 with MY '14, but would need confirmation first

 

Clips and all align perfectly. My car came from the factory with one of each variant installed. I can confirm these can be painted as well, for the same reason; I got 15 skirts installed and painted black after this fault was noted.