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UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

34K views 98 replies 47 participants last post by  SLazz 
#1 ·
I thought I would start a thread up to show your improvements made to enhance the look of your SRX.

What do you see or notice in rear of the SRX photo below? (That drives me nuts) :thepan:



Have you ever noticed or followed a SRX around town? Did you happen to see the silver lower rear axle arms and the large muffler under the bumper and wish it didn't stand out so much? If so ... you have noticed the same thing I have and wondered why GM doesn't have their muffler vendors paint all their mufflers to match the undercarriage!

A friend of mine and I were talking when he first bought his new SS Orange Camaro. We both stared at the rear of his beautiful Camaro and said why oh why didn't GM paint their mufflers a mat-black finish to hide the muffler??? :confused:

Below you can see two examples of before and after that drove me to finally painting the mufflers! First one is my 2012 SRX and the second is my wife's 2011 GMC Terrain.









So.... what are your thoughts of the UN-painted mufflers and or rear axle areas?

 
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#3 · (Edited)
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

I always though the same to myself. I thought about doing it but wasnt sure. Now that I see it I will def do it, looks great ! what type of paint did you use ? high heat ?
I used a small pint of "mat" black finish made by Rustoleum. The paint which is designed for painting the extreme heat of a charcoal grill so it should be able to withstand the high temps of a muffler too.

My friend with the SS Camaro says it is holding up very well and looks great even after he painted his a year and half ago. :thumbsup:
 
#7 · (Edited)
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

I love it . . . . so ummm. . .when can I come over so you can do mine? lol
Sure I would be glad to help you out. :D

Marc, I LOVE IT!! I will definitely paint the mufflers and rear axle areas of my 2012 SRX. Did you spray or brush the black paint. Also did you have a lift to raise to get under the car. I am not to handy so I will go to a local body shop. You said the paint is for charcoal grills, did you buy from Home Depot or Lowes.
I hand brushed the mat black heat paint while on my sides and back. Good thing I have long arms. Use safety glasses and an old hat too. Lay a drop cloth underneath you so you don't drip paint on your garage floor or drivway... unless you have a black top driveway. :D

BTW: You can buy Rustoleum type paint at any hardware store like Home Depot or Lowes.

Hey, if you know someone who has a garage you can have them do an oil change and then ask them if you can paint the muffer and arms while he is changing your oil... opps forget that idea I forgot that Cadillac now changes your oil for free the first 4 years. :canttalk:
 
#6 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Marc, I LOVE IT!! I will definitely paint the mufflers and rear axle areas of my 2012 SRX. Did you spray or brush the black paint. Also did you have a lift to raise to get under the car. I am not to handy so I will go to a local body shop. You said the paint is for charcoal grills, did you buy from Home Depot or Lowes.
 
#8 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Great job Marc! :thumbsup: That really improves & completes the look of the rear of the vehicle. I'd want to do the same when taking delivery of a new SRX.
I can't imagine any future issues in painting these components. Did you happen to clear the job with your dealer prior to painting? I ask this only from a new vehicle warranty coverage point of view.
 
#9 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Actually I never thought of clearing it with the dealer but I guess it is too late now... ;) To be honest with you I wouldn't think that coating a muffler with heat paint would cause any serious warranty issues.

However, I will ask the next time I am at the dealership.

*Just got off the phone with service guy and agreed that it would look much better painted. He said he didn't think there would be any problem with warranty unless the muffler failed do to the extra thin coating of paint.
 
#10 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

I agree that it looks much better with the flat black paint on the black SRX. I have the Platinum Ice and am wondering if I should do the same or just leave it alone. The black on mine might stick out worse than the aluminum look. Comments?
 
#11 · (Edited)
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

I agree that it looks much better with the flat black paint on the black SRX. I have the Platinum Ice and am wondering if I should do the same or just leave it alone. The black on mine might stick out worse than the aluminum look. Comments?
Steve if you use a mat black finish on the muffler and lower control arm it will blend in very nicely with the lower trim molding on the SRX and IMO will not stick out. Even a gloss or flat black would be much better appearance than looking at the silver rear control arms and the silver (before it rusts) muffler that also shows up under the trim.

Again because the bottom molding is a semi mat black finish I believe no matter what color your SRX is... it will definitely look much better or cleaner looking with a mat-finish painted on those parts.

*The mufflers on the 2012 appear to be a lot lower and or bigger and thus shows up even "worse" than the 2010-2011 SRXs do. :(

**BTW: I have always liked my vehicles to have a nice clean looking (underneath) rear end!

***Take a good peek at my SSR rear end! ;)
 
#12 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Hey Marc, I did same when she was 2 mos old for same reasons. Sorry I too didn't share the idea. Just assumed anyone would see it themselves. My lapse. But you came thru and it sure looks great. I've done it in past also on other rides including my neighbors Honda Pilot, which has a HIDEOUS rear view under her skirt. Honda even ran the exhaust pipes UNDER the split axles! (watch that curb!!) Looks very mechanical and cheap ....until I painted it for him with Rustoleum Hi-Heat. Works great! Ever see a '05-09 GMC Envoy/Chevy Equinox tail? Big drum muffler hanging down.....until presto. It's "gone" with good ole Rusty! LOL New Nox/Rains are just as bad , if ya get the V-6. I guess they think nobody looks under the sheets LOL

Enjoy that new ride!

SS
 
#13 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Yikes I was just told by my contact at Cadillac that my concern or issue with the rear of the SRX being painted was the first that they have ever heard about. At the looks of some of our members here they seem to agree that the SRX would look so much nicer if GM would paint their mufflers and control arms semi mat black finish. This would help take ones eyes off of those parts and be able to focus on the true beauty of the SRX. :D

Here is what I heard back in my email.



Hey Marc,

... I appreciate your comments regarding the rear axle and certainly do not take them personally. Honestly, I have been on the SRX program since 2008 (about 1 year prior to launch) and you are the first person to bring forward this concern. I forwarded your comments to a few people on the team and even received the comment that "the SRX has beautiful aluminum that some may suggest looks good without paint." I think it's safe to say that this particular area is quite subjective and depends on individual tastes.

Anyway, it appears that overall you are very happy with your new 2012 SRX and I hope you will continue to have many happy miles in front of you.

All the best,

Tony


So what do you think? I think there are many SRX owners who feel the same as some of us do about the undercarriage of the SRX. I think we should conduct a poll and send GM a message that there are way more than one customer that thinks the SRX needs to have the undercarriage painted.

What do you think?
 
#15 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Not to mention, usually when you have it undercoated, they usually hide some of that grey.
 
#18 · (Edited)
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Marc, I have a 2012 SRX on order and the very 1st project on the new ride will be to paint both muffler area and rear axle arms. My vote is for painted undercarriage!
i think the black looks AMAZING!!!!

i will definitely be doing this, particularly since i will also be hauling a boat in and out of salt water----a little extra rustoleum should only help.


Kudos to you, Marc!!!! :thumbsup:
So glad to hear that I am not the only guy who believes a rear end should look great! :)

While I was in Michigan this weekend attending the WDC (Woodward Dream Cruise) & "Back to the Bricks" Car Show in Flint; I ran into two of my old GM friends who have since retired from GM. I was talking to their daughter who works at GM and she told me she is now working at the Tech Center in Warren on some future vehicles. She brought up the topic of the rear of vehicles should get as much attention or focus as does the front end gets :holycrap: ... does that ever sound familiar??? WOW... I told her I was thinking the exact same thing too. She mentioned to me that she is currently working on some of Cadillac's newest products yet to be announced. Hmmm I have a young GM person who is very eager to listen to my thoughts. :)

I then proceeded to explain to her that I recently bought a new 2012 SRX and how happy I was with the new refinements and the superb new 3.6 engine. I then mentioned that my old 2010 SRX had some undercarriage exposure and I wasn't too thrilled about it's looks.... and it is even worse on my 2012! Wait a minute... I happened to still have those photos I took before of the undercarriage and the after shots still left in my camera. So I decided to show her those photos and get her opinion of the before and after I painted my new 2012 undercarriage. She was amazed at how much better the after looked! I mentioned to her that because the 2012's undercarriage was even more exposed than my old 2010's was, that I finally decided to paint it. I told her I suffered through the looks of the 2010 undercarriage but I wasn't going to do the same with the newer 2012 undercarriage which now looks more FUG-UGLY! :mad2:

She agreed totally with my thoughts and reiterated once again that the real focus of the back of a vehicle should be on the beautiful lines of the vehicle and one should not be focusing on the undercarriage unless it was to see some beautiful exhaust tips! So SRX members I think we have a new champion who will carry our concerns back with her on Monday. :highfive:
 
#17 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

i think the black looks AMAZING!!!!

i will defintiely be doing this, particularly since i will also be hauling a boat in and out of salt water----a little extra rustoleum should only help.


Kudos to you, Marc!!!! :thumbsup:
 
#19 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Sorry, I'm not believing the rave reviews of "spray painting" the rear link suspension components and exhaust system on your new $45,000 vehicle with a $3 can of rustoleum is quite unanimous. Agreed, the blacked-out looks is nice....but...here it comes...considering the elements including water, salt, ice, sand, gravel, etc. now you will be needing to maintain the look, so you will be touching up rear end of your nice new Cadillac every other month. This is appalling. For example, how can you be so certain that the paint will not entrap salt deposits and lead to early corrosion? Checking out the rear suspension, I actually like the look of the bright aluminum alloy, which is properly finished (anodized) to withstand the elements. In addition, considering that exhaust components exceed temperatures of 700 degrees F, I would think that the paint will virtually burn off in short order. Finally, I don't think the burning paint smell will be all too attractive. Since this is a modification not endorsed by Cadillac, any warranty claims will be flatly denied. I'm not buying into the hype, and will enjoy my ride as it was designed by the engineering team.
 
#20 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Sorry, I'm not believing the rave reviews of "spray painting" the rear link suspension components and exhaust system on your new $45,000 vehicle with a $3 can of rustoleum (1) is quite unanimous. Agreed, the blacked-out looks is nice....but...here it comes...considering the elements including water, salt, ice, sand, gravel, etc. now you will be needing to maintain the look, so (2) you will be touching up rear end of your nice new Cadillac every other month. This is appalling. For example, how can you be so certain that the paint will not entrap salt deposits and lead to early corrosion? Checking out the rear suspension, I actually like the look of the bright aluminum alloy, which is properly finished (anodized) to withstand the elements. In addition, considering that exhaust components exceed temperatures of 700 degrees F, I would think (3) that the paint will virtually burn off in short order. Finally, I don't think the (4) burning paint smell will be all too attractive. Since this is a modification not endorsed by Cadillac, any warranty claims will be flatly denied. I'm not buying into the hype, and will enjoy my ride as it was designed by the engineering team.
(1) I certainly would never try to imply that it was an "unanimous" choice by everyone here... and you have every right to your own personal preference(s). FYI: I PM'd a Moderator a while back to ask if I could conduct a poll on our site to see who thinks it is a great idea and who doesn't like it ... unfortunately I have not heard back from him.

(2) You insinuate that I will all have to touch up the rear suspension or muffler every other month and to me that is grossly over exaggerated.

BTW: I have painted many a under-carriage components over the years; trailer hitches, leaf springs, rear ends etc and mostly with a mat black Rustoleum finish paint and I have never experienced having to touch them up every other month. (Granted one may have to lightly touch up some areas over a much longer period of time but if the part(s) are clean the paint should last for a long long time.)

(3) You suggest that the muffler temps could exceed 700 degrees F. and even if that is correct this Rust-oleum specialty "High Heat" paint is capable to withstand up to 1000 degrees F.

Actually Satin Black "High Heat" paint has been used on many other vehicles exhaust systems i.e. my friends 2010 Camaro mufflers was painted with the same can of paint and as of today he hasn't found the need to touch them up. BTW: He painted them back in the fall of 2009, over a full year and half ago! His friend just bought a new Camaro vert and he liked the look of the painted mufflers so much more that he insisted that the dealer paint the mufflers before he even picked up the car. The dealer agreed and sent it to their paint shop where they painted the mufflers. After it was done his salesman liked the look so much that he told him that he will suggest doing that to all his new Camaro customers in the future. So if the dealer is willing to paint the mufflers for their customers I wouldn't think there would be any issues with warranty coverage. (I will follow up on this concern more)

(4) I just talked to my friend with the Camaro who painted his exhaust and asked him if he has ever smelled any foul odor(s) from the mufflers and or paint? He said he has not smelled any fumes or odors since it was painted.

*It is possible that this procedure may or may not get approved by Cadillac even though a local area Chevy Dealer has already done it for some of their customer(s).
**What I understand is there are couple of small holes in the muffler itself that need to be open to make sure they aren't plugged up with paint in order for any possible condensation to drain out. I will definitely look further into these issues and or concerns and if GM states to me that we shouldn't paint the mufflers with high heat paint I will certainly share that with everyone here.


 
#21 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Looks great. :thumbsup:

And don't worry about warranty concerns- GM painted the mufflers on CTS and SRX models until 2010, and they were fine. No need to touch up the paint, and no problems with heat or corrosion. If anything, having the coat of paint on there will keep salt and contaminants OFF the aluminum, not the other way around.
 
#22 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Looks great. :thumbsup:

And don't worry about warranty concerns- GM painted the mufflers on CTS and SRX models until 2010, and they were fine. No need to touch up the paint, and no problems with heat or corrosion. If anything, having the coat of paint on there will keep salt and contaminants OFF the aluminum, not the other way around.
Thanks for the heads up Tony! :)

BTW: I didn't know that Cadillac had painted mufflers on the CTS and other SRX models before 2010.

Great to know that it has done before. Now if we can only get GM to do it again. :thumbsup:
 
G
#23 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

I have a 2004 Olds Bravada Final 500 just looked and the muffer & exhaust pipe are painted flat black from the factory.
I painted my 2010 SRX muffler but left the suspension unpainted.
 
#24 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Great Idea- I went out today and did it too! I have a pair of car ramps and just backed the SRX onto them. That lifted the back enough to be able to spray the paint just kneeling down. I used a piece of cardboard to block the wheel wells from over spray.
 
#26 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

Does this paint come in a paint on version? I don't want to risk a spray can for over spray reasons.
Yes Steve, I used a small can of Rustoleum paint to brush it on. I didn't want to spray it from up underneath while I was on my side on the ground... perhaps if I had used a hoist I might have tried a spray can using a piece of cardboard to keep from over spraying unwanted areas like the rims etc.
 
#27 · (Edited)
#29 · (Edited)
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

GM has painted other vehicle mufflers before and I have seen pictures of the new 2014 Camaro (below) showing that their mufflers are also painted too. So there is really no reason for you to wait for your warranty to expire before you paint your muffler. :)

*See photo

 
#31 ·
Re: FUG-UGLY to Beautiful in 15 Min or Less!

hey marc,

i did wind up painting it all about a year or so ago. easy as pie with tire ramps, a tarp and 2 different sized brushes for the big broad areas and the more detailed parts. most parts got a double coat until the can was gone, and it still looks mint.
 
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