2008 X-15 Tower paint fading

[SaltwaterMC]

I would try a 90 degree pick to get underneath the insert and pry. The inserts are secured with double sided adhesive dots, so they should be able to be removed with some patience. Just be careful not to bend the inserts when prying as they are pretty thin pieces of aluminum.

[kcolores]

I have decided to try the $1 fix.....Chisel tip Black Sharpie Pen! I did a test area on the small plate at the bottom of the tower and it has held up for over a month with plenty of sunshine and weather exposure without fading of bleeding. I have decided to do the rest of the areas that have faded. Next I will add a layer of boat wax to help it hold up against the elements. It looks great! I've taken a picture to post but each time I try to attach it the process fails (type, filesize, and demihieght and width all seem in order).

[kev88]

Same problem with sun fade on my 08 X-2. You can not remove without destroying them. Call Jim at Mastercraft by Design and tell him what you need - you don't have to buy the whole set - he sent me what I needed for under $100.

[kcolores]

Here is the work in progress

[rhythm720]

kcolores, I took all my knobs and levers to a powder coat shop and they look brand new. Now with that, "know it all's" on this site are going to tell you that they are anodized, but the powder coating looks great and works and looks brand new. You can also get them any color you want. Now not sure what type of racks you have, but mine were a pain in the butt. There are a ton of plastic rings and washers that are in the racks. Make sure you lube them up and make sure you use loctite when you are putting it all back together. As far as the inserts in the tower, I replaced mine with the red ones and I had to drill a small hole and use a pick to pry it up so I can get a screwdriver to rip them off. Mastercraft in Arizona told me to do the same thing. So if you have any questions or want pictures, please just PM me and I can walk you thru it. It just takes time. Here is a picture of my tower

[MotoCraft08]

Originally Posted by rhythm720

Hey kcolores, I have an 07 X2 and my knobs and decals are fading as well. I spent most of the day removing all my knobs and handles for the wakeboard rack off. I took all of them which was about 12 to 15 pieces all together to a powder coating place in town and they quoted me 75 bucks to re coat them. They said it would take 3 to 5 days to finish. I took some pictures before I dropped them off and Im going to start a thread when I get them back and have a few step by steps on how to do it.

HOw'd they turn out?

[kcolores]

Well my $1 "fix" faded out and looked really bad at the end of the season. After sending MC a couple of emails and not hearing back from them about getting replacement inserts I took matters into my own hands. Was able to pry off the faded inserts carefully with a very fine flat carving tool and a screwdriver. The inserts are more substantial than I expected. There were 9 small double sided adhesive dots each the size of a dime holding the insert in place. I cleaned them off with Goof-Off and then painted them with gloss black spray paint. Used 3M heavy duty double- sided mounting tape to reattach. Looks GREAT. We'll see how they hold up.