[TRobinson6]

this may be a little hard to describe so i'll give it a try

when looking at the exterior door handle it looks like a notch out of the corner of the door. there are three choices

leave it as it is (blk paint is peeling so will have to repaint)
or
paint the entire door handle assemble the same color as the door panel
or
leave the top half of the door handle assembly black and paint the bottom half the same color as the door panel (just carry the top of the door edge straight across) this way it doesn't look like a notch out of the corner of the door and gives the appearance a more symetrical look

please share your thoughts

i have to put new speakers in anyway so this would be the time to do this

 

[jimvw57]

Personally I don't mind the handles and the surrounding plastic being black, and not the same as the door skin color. Same with the trideon and the gas cover. it breaks up the color a bit.
Plastic is hard to paint unless you use an additive , or a plastic specific paint as it tends to flex and crack the paint.Also plastic tends to get a chalky finish on it when it is exposed to the elements.

I did paint the wheel covers on my 2009 Pure, and they looked great! when I took them off for the winter, people thought I got a different car. Painting the door handles might make the plastic under the wiper arms, wipers, etc look out of place. then when do you stop?? Ultimately, it is up to you as you have to look at it every time you drive Do what makes you happy.

There was a bit on Youtube about adding a washer to the back side to make them open easier, my Pass side one gets hard to open from the outside sometimes.

 

[stevenjb]

My 2012 smart door handles don't appear to be painted. They seem to be molded black plastic. I occasionally use some Back to Black to restore the finish.

Sent from Tapatalk on Android

 

[jimvw57]

They aren't. the wheel covers on the Pure were clear coated.

 

[TRobinson6]

the reason i am asking this is because the black paint is coming off both door handle assemblies leaving the plastic looking a little greyish and sparkly like the plastic is some type of composite. so if i gotta paint it i am trying to figure out which way to go. i don't know how to do a paint on the computer and wish i could see some paint pictures to see what it would look like.