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I got a mirror today at salvage yard. On line and on the phone they said it was black. I get there and it's actually dark blue. (It was honest mistake as It looked black to me at first and they knocked off $20). If I just got a can of Duplicolor and didn't sand and prime would it still hold up or would I have issues? Proper way of course is to sand, prime and paint but I'm looking for any input from those who didn't go that route and just painted over it.

Primer isn't always necessary. A light sanding with wet 400 grit sandpaper would have been ideal providing that the mirror wasn't pitted from stone chips etc. If it was faded and non-glossy before you painted it you're probably OK but if it still had a glossy finish there's a good chance that will peel off in time, and quicker yet if you use a power washer on your car.

I'd at least sand with 400, then wet-sand with 800 to give a good grit, then paint. Paint needs something to adhere to, smooth cured paint isn't the best for that.

Don't go any finer than 400, then shoot color. Wet sand with 800 after color, then shoot clear. If you don't clear, it won't match. Hang the mirror at eye level to paint so you can get around and under it.

Thanks for the tips. I got all the supplies. I just want to confirm the procedure.

Sand with 400 and paint with black. Then wet sand with 800 and paint with clear coat.

Should I do 2 coats of each?

When wet sanding I am looking to just smooth out paint prior to clear coat, correct?

azu wrote:Thanks for the tips. I got all the supplies. I just want to confirm the procedure.

Sand with 400 and paint with black. Then wet sand with 800 and paint with clear coat.

Should I do 2 coats of each?

When wet sanding I am looking to just smooth out paint prior to clear coat, correct?

I paint cars for a living at a high end shop in tulsa, here's my suggestion for painting with a rattle-can

Sand with 400-600 until the whole part has no gloss to it.
wipe it with a wax and grease remover if possible, if not, dawn dishsoap and water or a can of spray foaming glass cleaner.
Spray light coats until it is 100% covered.
Let it flash(dry) until it is dry to handle.
Sand with 800-1500 lightly just to smooth the trash out before clearing.
A tack-cloth (99¢ at o'reilly auto) will reduce the trash tremendously when used before spraying color or clear.
Light thin coats of clear (overlap light coats to make the clear smooth, heavy coats chance runs.) Let it tack up for 5-10 minutes then recoat lightly. Let dry for suggested cure time. If you have any dirt in the clear, lightly sand the bumps with 1200-2000 then polish.

It is finished. Comparing the old mirror (broken one) to the newly painted one the newly painted one looks way more shiny. I guess that is normal since it hasn't aged 8 years yet or is it? I expected a little difference but the shine on this is awesome but doesn't match anything close to what I am replacing.

Busy week. I'll post a side by side in the next day or two.

Finally got mirror installed and was easy using these instructions viewtopic.php?f=18&t=253&hilit=door+panel+removal


Here is a pic of the replacement mirror (top) and old mirror (bottom). Close but orginial has a better gloss.

Polish and wax it.