Finest CAR ART S-Line Valence Group Purchase...

[TheHeiko]

Just a suggestion - matte Black valence with Meteor/Monsoon (LX7R)/Graphite (LM7W) Grey mesh insert satin or matte.
Saving the money by not painting - valence is a very 'visible' part of the back end, could be worth the price to get the look you want by painting.

Thanks Greg. Painting the insert Meteor is an interesting idea. This will require some PShop previewing. Any other Meteor Gray owners have PShop skills to see what that combo would look like?

[LoveMyA4]

O.k, I could really use some advice on what color to paint my valence when it arrives. Unlike some other colors, Teak Brown doesn't exactly go with everything. Personally, I don't think grey works well with brown. What would you guys recommend?

[IMG][/IMG]

[audipcanugo]

O.k, I could really use some advice on what color to paint my valence when it arrives. Unlike some other colors, Teak Brown doesn't exactly go with everything. Personally, I don't think grey works well with brown. What would you guys recommend?

[IMG][/IMG]

Matte Black. Black mesh insert.

[jlaudio]

Matte Black. Black mesh insert.

agree
i can't think of anything else that would look good

[Greg Nelson]

O.k, I could really use some advice on what color to paint my valence when it arrives. Unlike some other colors, Teak Brown doesn't exactly go with everything. Personally, I don't think grey works well with brown. What would you guys recommend?

[IMG][/IMG]

Very good question with Teak Brown (metallic IIRC), off the usual here.
Suggest you contact GTO members here - know there's a bunch (local forum on Audizine?) - see if any have Photoshop skills that could help you.
If it were me with Teak Brown, I'd start with a matte black valence - unsure what color to do mesh insert after that - just my thoughts.
Cheers

[LoveMyA4]

Thanks for weighing in audipcanugo and jlaudio. It does appear that my options are limited. Guess it's a matter of shades of black.

[phatAvant]

I vote for matte or gloss black, although I did nearly end up with a teak brown S-line avant instead of my white one and the grey/brown didnt bother me.

Here's the best I can do for you with mobile.de





Close up although looks nearly black, but atleast you get to see it under 3 different lighting conditions.

[phatAvant]

Some more, that's me done for today, should help you make your mind up if you want grey or not.

[audipcanugo]

The grey actually looks fine. Matte black would undoubtedly provide more contrast.

[Greg Nelson]

Matte Black. Black mesh insert.

agree
i can't think of anything else that would look good

Interesting perspectives - good discussion.
I'm looking for contrast between body color, valence and mesh color.
My ride is BB, looking to shoot valence matte BB, mesh Monsoon Grey - currently all trim (back, side windows, and front) is Quartz Grey, plan to do all in Monsoon Grey.

Thinking we need a P-Shop master to assist us here.

[LoveMyA4]

Very good question with Teak Brown (metallic IIRC), off the usual here.
Suggest you contact GTO members here - know there's a bunch (local forum on Audizine?) - see if any have Photoshop skills that could help you.
If it were me with Teak Brown, I'd start with a matte black valence - unsure what color to do mesh insert after that - just my thoughts.
Cheers

Thanks Greg, I'll definitely look into that. The question is, should the mesh insert be a darker or lighter shade of black compared to the valence?

I vote for matte or gloss black, although I did nearly end up with a teak brown S-line avant instead of my white one and the grey/brown didnt bother me.

Here's the best I can do for you with mobile.de





Close up although looks nearly black, but atleast you get to see it under 3 different lighting conditions.

Thanks phatAvant for sharing those pics. It's not that grey and brown look bad, but it just doesn't have the "wow" factor, unlike how it looks on a black car.

To help in the consideration, here is a pic of one of my summer wheels mounted. It's hard to see the true color of the Sunken Treasure finish from that angle and lighting, but it gives you an idea.

[IMG][/IMG]

[[email protected]]

Good News: Valences have arrived!

Bad News: The forwarder took all of the valences out their boxes which they were to be shipped in to each buyer to consolidate the shipment here (which was not asked for, though for freight purposes it was the wisest move). Since they are such an odd shape properly sized boxes need to be ordered in and these will not arrive until early next week.

We are close, but I don't want to ship these unless they are protected and boxes properly as the ends looks a bit fragile with the custom work that was done. So please stay tuned for final shipment and thank you all for your patience; so close, yet so far!

Cheers,

[LoveMyA4]

Good News: Valences have arrived!

Bad News: The forwarder took all of the valences out their boxes which they were to be shipped in to each buyer to consolidate the shipment here (which was not asked for, though for freight purposes it was the wisest move). Since they are such an odd shape properly sized boxes need to be ordered in and these will not arrive until early next week.

We are close, but I don't want to ship these unless they are protected and boxes properly as the ends looks a bit fragile with the custom work that was done. So please stay tuned for final shipment and thank you all for your patience; so close, yet so far!

Cheers,

Great news Alex!! Any chance you could snap a quick picture to share with all of us? I would love to see how they look.

[Pared]

How fragile are the ends looking? Any concerns with them snapping off during an install?

[audipcanugo]

How fragile are the ends looking? Any concerns with them snapping off during an install?

That sounded a little off to me too haha

[TheHeiko]

@Alex: Too bad they did that! I wonder if they could have blocked some together and bundled the separate boxes into larger pieces. Thanks for taking the care to make sure we get them to us in safe packaging.

LoveMyA4/R: I agree that you're sort of "stuck" with black, at least for the valence itself. I think that the gray against Teak in the photos phatavant posted make the gray look dull. I'd say black for the most contrast and complimentary effect with Teak Brown but I would not want to paint the insert black as well. I imagine it would get lost and it is an interesting piece of detail that really helps make the valence what it is. Painting it black against black would take away from it and look boring. I have seen some Korean and Japanese econo cars with OEM rear valences with that look in an attempt to look sporty.

What would I suggest? No easy answer from me. Maybe a darker gray would look good as a contrast or highlight against matte black on the valence. This is a combo I have considered with varying shades of gray being possible. Greg suggested matte black valence with Meteor Gray (body color) insert. That has be intrigued. I'm not sure this would work for either my Meteor or your Teak. Somebody fired up PShop and crank out samples!

[Okan509]

I want more pictures of that teak brown on sunken treasure wheels..

[LoveMyA4]

LoveMyA4/R: I agree that you're sort of "stuck" with black, at least for the valence itself. I think that the gray against Teak in the photos phatavant posted make the gray look dull. I'd say black for the most contrast and complimentary effect with Teak Brown but I would not want to paint the insert black as well. I imagine it would get lost and it is an interesting piece of detail that really helps make the valence what it is. Painting it black against black would take away from it and look boring. I have seen some Korean and Japanese econo cars with OEM rear valences with that look in an attempt to look sporty.

What would I suggest? No easy answer from me. Maybe a darker gray would look good as a contrast or highlight against matte black on the valence. This is a combo I have considered with varying shades of gray being possible. Greg suggested matte black valence with Meteor Gray (body color) insert. That has be intrigued. I'm not sure this would work for either my Meteor or your Teak. Somebody fired up PShop and crank out samples!

Great feedback TheHeiko! I too am concerned about the lack of contrast with black on black. At this stage I think it's established that I'll need to go black for the greatest contrast against the Teak body color. A darker grey for the insert might look good, but I'd really need to get the right shade to pull it off.

I want more pictures of that teak brown on sunken treasure wheels..

I also want to see more of the teak brown on sunken treasure wheels! Unfortunately I haven't purchased a full set of my Michelin Pilot Super Sport tires yet. I had one Michelin PSS tire sitting in my garage so I thought I would mount just one wheel to see how my fitment was with a 5mm spacer in the rear. I've tried mounting the wheel twice just to make sure I'm happy with the fitment, but on both occasions I didn't have great lighting. I'm dying to see how it all looks in the sunlight, which really brings out the color in the teak and sunken treasure. I should have everything mounted within the next few weeks and will definitely post pics of the finished product, maybe even with a new valence. In the mean time, if you want to see pictures from the first mounting check out the link below.

http://www.audizine.com/forum/showth...ent-pics/page2

[sa_seahawker]

Reminds me of B6 USP

[SoCalS4Avant]

That's not a bad thing. The B6 USP fronts and rears were always superior in styling.

[B G 8er]

I hope in that the freight forwarder's removing the individual valances from each separate box, they didn't clang them together and damage them :-(

I guess its good they haven't been painted yet!

Regarding what color with the Teak Brown, I actually like the grey because it gives the car a sporty, elegant look. However, with the black rims, I think I would go black to match them. Although more importantly, the valance should match the grille color if it is also black.

Also, remember, black is always neutral and def. goes with brown.

[B G 8er]

Good News: Valences have arrived!

Bad News: The forwarder took all of the valences out their boxes which they were to be shipped in to each buyer to consolidate the shipment here (which was not asked for, though for freight purposes it was the wisest move). Since they are such an odd shape properly sized boxes need to be ordered in and these will not arrive until early next week.

We are close, but I don't want to ship these unless they are protected and boxes properly as the ends looks a bit fragile with the custom work that was done. So please stay tuned for final shipment and thank you all for your patience; so close, yet so far!

Cheers,

By the way Alex, what is your impression of the finished product? How did they turn out? Will we have much more work to make them perfect for painting or do you consider them ready for spraying?

[tgofsweden]

imo, really worth waiting for guys, totally transformed the look!
have fun

[Pared]

By the way Alex, what is your impression of the finished product? How did they turn out? Will we have much more work to make them perfect for painting or do you consider them ready for spraying?

Seems like there are only a few of us concerned. I would think there would be more given Alex shared the concern already.

[[email protected]]

Sorry about not snapping photos as of yet. I will see if I can get time to lay one out and get out the camera. It's a hard item to photograph whole because of the shape.

The quality looks great to me and they look ready for an autobody shop to prep and paint. In mentioning the fragility that was just in terms of shipping them individually with UPS and USPS who tend not to handle items with care. The ends are stock and a stock valence I'd be just as worried about shipping as well. I want to ensure they ship safely to each of you.

Looking at the valence from the visible portion I wouldn't know how they produced these even. Painted they will look like a factory part.

Cheers,

[Pared]

Awesome Alex. You had me worried. :)

[audipcanugo]

I went with Votex but I'm gonna hang around this thread and see what they look like...Sounds promising.

[Greg Nelson]

Good News: Valences have arrived!

Bad News: The forwarder took all of the valences out their boxes which they were to be shipped in to each buyer to consolidate the shipment here (which was not asked for, though for freight purposes it was the wisest move). Since they are such an odd shape properly sized boxes need to be ordered in and these will not arrive until early next week.
Cheers,

How fragile are the ends looking?

[/QUOTE]

Sorry about not snapping photos as of yet. I will see if I can get time to lay one out and get out the camera. It's a hard item to photograph whole because of the shape.

The quality looks great to me and they look ready for an autobody shop to prep and paint. In mentioning the fragility that was just in terms of shipping them individually with UPS and USPS who tend not to handle items with care. The ends are stock and a stock valence I'd be just as worried about shipping as well. I want to ensure they ship safely to each of you.

Looking at the valence from the visible portion I wouldn't know how they produced these even. Painted they will look like a factory part.

Cheers,

Re fears of 'fragility' of valence ends -
Believe what Alex was referring to was fragility of shipping parts like these, not fragility of parts themselves.
Take a look at Peeet's pics on post #98, and pics on Alex's post #125 - the valence ends (beyond the exhaust outlets) are narrow - approx. 1"-1 1/8". The connections there to bumper are hook clips, not snap clips - should be no problem.
I"ve switched from OEN valence to Votex valence, had no problem.
Cheers

[[email protected]]

These are starting to head out today. They will go out in staggered groups of 10-12 at a time over the rest of this week based on original order date. Stay tuned for your tracking and again thank you for your patience on these, almost in your hands!

Cheers,

[Greg Nelson]

These are starting to head out today. They will go out in staggered groups of 10-12 at a time over the rest of this week based on original order date. Stay tuned for your tracking and again thank you for your patience on these, almost in your hands!

Cheers,

Thanks for the update/good news Alex.
I'll let my paint shop know to be ready

[BarEaterB8]

JUST GOT MY TRACKING NUMBER!!!!! Thanks again Alex for all the hard work. I will definitely post some pics as soon as it arrives.

[jfo]

I also ordered a can of SEM Dark Titanium Metallic Bumper Coater and will do some tests of both to try and get as close to OEM color match as possible using the Platinum Grey filler plate as my sample.

Miraclewhips, have you had a chance to compare the Dark Titanum to the OEM Platimum gray yet?

[jlaudio]

yay for a tracking number
super excited to get this painted/installed

[TheHeiko]

Awesome news! It'll be crunch time to decide on colors.

[MiracleWhips]

Miraclewhips, have you had a chance to compare the Dark Titanum to the OEM Platimum gray yet?

I actually spent most of Saturday staring at the three colors I have in rattle cans. I test sprayed a large piece of white plastic with the three colors side by side.

First, 1LRR, or Audi Platinum Grey Matte from Automotivetouchup.com looks nowhere near what has been pictured in this thread.(I have ordered from them before and they are usually spot on, plus the paint chip listed online matches the actual identically) 1LRR, is also not searchable as a color code either. Can't seem to google it either. So that is currently out.

I am also still convinced the stock Paltinum Grey valances are in at least 2-3 different shades and even textures between recent Audi model lines. My buddies 12 A3' S-line has a rough matte texture grey, whereas the 2013 S-Line A7 in my parking lot at work is smooth, sparkly and a darker grey that reflects light much more. And is this even a true paint is still something I question similar to the Chrome Aluminum used on recent S mirror caps etc.??

I also have two cans of SEM paint:

The Charcoal Grey Metallic that I used for my splitter cap, which I still think is a 1 to 2 shades too dark from OEM. That could work just fine.

I also have Dark Titanium Metallic which is currently winning in my brain. Lighter shade like my filler and grille which will give the contrast I am looking for, but it doesn't have as much sparkle in the light as everything else.



My goal is to be as OEM matching as possible, but still have enough noticable contrast between the black insert and the valance. FML for being so detail oriented!

I also want to identify the right color before potentially heading to a body shop to have a professional spray. Hopefully someone else will get right to it and verify a usable paint code to force my hand, but i want to get this project over with since it is already going on month 5. Otherwise, if the only option for the best color match is in a rattle can, might as well do it myself!

[jfo]

I also want to identify the right color before potentially heading to a body shop to have a professional spray. Hopefully someone else will get right to it and verify a usable paint code to force my hand, but i want to get this project over with since it is already going on month 5. Otherwise, if the only option for the best color match is in a rattle can, might as well do it myself!

Perhaps you are over-thinking this
Mine is Ice Silver and I would be happy to be close to the gray filler/grill, which sounds like it's the same as your's. This will be an easy DIY, so I'll order a can of the SEM dark titanium.

[MiracleWhips]

Perhaps you are over-thinking this
Mine is Ice Silver and I would be happy to be close to the gray filler/grill, which sounds like it's the same as your's. This will be an easy DIY, so I'll order a can of the SEM dark titanium.

Dark Titanium is winning for me. It sprayed on the easiest, probably because it has less metal flake in it and did not need to be constantly shaken to keep mixed.

[A4B8ueg]

These are starting to head out today. They will go out in staggered groups of 10-12 at a time over the rest of this week based on original order date. Stay tuned for your tracking and again thank you for your patience on these, almost in your hands!

Cheers,

Got my tracking number!!!

[P.Neelen]

This is the original colour of the diffusor with black inlay on à Daytona gray A4. Please post pics when the diffusor is painted and installed!

[Greg Nelson]

Just got my tracking # - will arrive late tomorrow since I'm across SF Bay from Alex.
Off to paint shop Fri AM.