# Re-chroming plastic (metalising) - anywhere in UK?



## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

My old GS450h has this style of wheel...









The middle spokes are plastic trims which bolt on and are chromed plastic. They're over £150 a wheel to replace so I'm going to have to find another solution.

Does anywhere know of places in the UK which will re-chrome them?

Failing that are there any recommendations for a chrome spray?

They've been painted silver, which might be what I have to settle for but I would prefer them back to original.

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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

Im sure there will be companies that do it, just first initial search brought up products or companies in China or Australia etc.

Not sure where your based but this looks like one in the UK

http://www.chromespray.co.uk/services/


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## wayne451 (Aug 15, 2016)

Look up ‘hydro dipping’ they’ll be able to sort it for less than £150 a wheel. It’s effectively a painted finish with a water transfer applied (do carbon dipping too!).

Alternative, if doing it on the cheap, would be to wrap them.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Thanks. 

I’ve emailed chrome spray, I suspect they’re one of the people I phoned who said they can’t do car wheel parts but I can’t remember. 

I’ve also emailed a local hydro dipping place to ask them if they can do something. 

Hopefully I get somewhere. 


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## Cookeh (Apr 27, 2017)

If you Google metallising you'll find dozens of UK companies offering this service.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

I’ve not found anywhere and I’ve done loads of googling. Plenty do it with brand new parts in large batches but not found one yet that will do old, previously metalised parts. Some do old parts but refuse to do car wheels. 


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## \Rian (Aug 23, 2017)

Getting them skinned in Carbon fiber would look sweet

Just a thaught


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## Cookeh (Apr 27, 2017)

Nanoman said:


> I've not found anywhere and I've done loads of googling. Plenty do it with brand new parts in large batches but not found one yet that will do old, previously metalised parts. Some do old parts but refuse to do car wheels.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


These two both do:

https://www.dual-metallising.co.uk/reflectors/

https://www.vmclimited.co.uk/


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

VMC were the first ones I tried but they don’t. That other one looks worth a shout. Thank you. 


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## Cookeh (Apr 27, 2017)

Odd, as both have quoted me for remetallising chrome headlights. Hopefully dual-metallising gets back to you.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Cookeh said:


> Odd, as both have quoted me for remetallising chrome headlights. Hopefully dual-metallising gets back to you.


VMC said they won't do wheel parts.

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## Steampunk (Aug 11, 2011)

I've been in your shoes... I've tried to chase originality, and repair original materials that still seemed worth saving, but at the end of the day they almost never are. Just replace them, at the crazy price they are, or spend that money to a better cause like getting a new set of alloys... By the time you fix what you've got, it might make more sense to get new wheels entirely. 

I believe in originality a great deal. After so many years of fighting this same kind of situation you're in, I've learned that the ends don't justify the means. Just don't do it. Don't go down that rabbit whole, unless you're really trying to recreate a bit of history at any cost. Saving components that on the surface look savable, but deep down really aren't, isn't an economy measure. It's an obsession. Just don't go down that road, Nanoman; it's a bad one. 

The work to restore those parts properly is worth more than the replacements, from a manufacturing perspective. Add the powdercoating or refurbing costs for the alloys themselves on top, and you could afford new wheels of higher quality than OEM. 

Hope this helps...

- Steampunk


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Thanks for the advice steampunk, you’re probably right. 

My late father restored vintage tractors in his brief retirement, spending thousands and they’re never worth more than a few hundred when finished. 

Dual metalising got back to me and they don’t do wheels either but they’ve recommended someone else. I’ll give that a try and then give up. 

I’ve managed to get the silver paint off one spoke and get it back to the chrome which is probably passable if you don’t look to close. It’s just a lot of effort to get the paint off. Need to find something that strips the paint but doesn’t damage the chrome or plastic underneath. 


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## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

Odd that they don't do wheel bits. 

I guess it's more of a longevity thing as they know most people will spray all sorts of chemicals over their wheels and it's a pretty harsh environment at the best of times so they can't guarantee the finish.

On the face of it, a plastic wheel trim piece is no different to a plastic headlight bowl or interior trim piece.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

I think it’s the fact they’ll get all sorts of road salt, muck and chemicals on them. 

A headlight bowl will generally be entirely protected from the elements. 


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## [email protected] (May 30, 2006)

if they bolt on and off, and are chromed plastic....

have you considered bolting them off, rubbing them down and having a vinyl company wrap them in chrome and rebolt them on?


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

They’re off and have been treated with paint stripper to remove the rattle can job Lexus did on them. 

Not tried polishing them up yet. Still waiting for responses from some of the companies I’ve contacted. 

Wheel go in next week for a proper refurb minus the chrome trims. 

I’m starting to think just gloss black will look fine if I can’t get them chromed. I would like to keep them original if possible. 


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

Hopefully you hear back soon from someone that can do it, i have to admit like you, i would also like it original as possible. Just watching youtube to see what sort of finish you can get from an aerosol to try and come close to chrome. Came across one, brand name isn't so politically correct






http://www.waynesthisandthat.com/spaz stix mirror chrome spray paint.html

https://supergdrift.com/store/product/ultimate-mirror-chrome-paint-spaz-stix/

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B...&pf_rd_p=6fc81c8c-2a38-41c6-a68a-f78c79e7253f

would come with issues, probably only US based who wont ship aerosols, does come as a liquid form for airbrushes, which unless you have one would probably have to use a Preval Sprayer and the cost wouldn't be cheap.

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Preval-267...sprayer&qid=1592776133&sr=8-2&tag=googhydr-21


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## NickA (Jun 15, 2008)

Have you looked on the 'Projects' section on here as there's a huge thread on there by a guy that has one of these very cars. I'm sure he faced this issue with his wheels (Unless he managed to get them replaced under warranty?)

I'll see if I can find a link to it...

Here you go - https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=382716


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

NickA said:


> Have you looked on the 'Projects' section on here as there's a huge thread on there by a guy that has one of these very cars. I'm sure he faced this issue with his wheels (Unless he managed to get them replaced under warranty?)
> 
> I'll see if I can find a link to it...
> 
> Here you go - https://www.detailingworld.co.uk/forum/showthread.php?t=382716


Thanks Nick.

That was the thread which made me think about buying the car in the first place so I'm quite familiar with it. Just searched the thread again and it seems his chrome trims weren't as bad as mine so he just polished them up a bit.

I still haven't found anywhere willing to re-chrome them so I'm contemplating just making the spokes gloss black. It's going into the bodyshop for a bonnet and front bumper so I could get them done while it's in for not much more cash. It would also be colour matched to the black bodywork.

I dropped the wheels (minus chrome trims) off for a refurb today. Original plan is silver but I might phone them tomorrow and go gunmetal if I'm going gloss black for the trims. I Need to make a decision quick.

In other news I took the opportunity today to work out what polish/pad combination(s) I'm using to tidy up the paintwork. Paintwork is shocking so adding gloss and removing the mop marks from the butchering it had before I got it will be the priority.

When I was tidying up I decided to grab a 10 year old bottle of 3M FCP which should have been binned long ago and an old heavy cut pad to see if it removed the yellowing from the headlights. Delighted to say it did a great job...










The pics don't show how bad it was before I started though.

Then the badge caught my eye so I gave it a blast too with the same combo and it came up well too.










It's amazing what you can achieve when you actually give a **** and decide to keep a car. Not bad for 10 years and nearly 140K miles of abuse.

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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

The above doe's make me think maybe chrome wrap could be good option, can make cars look almost mirror like, and on smaller parts on wheels should hopefully be good enough, unless your cleaning them you'll be at least a metre away, not sure about how you look after wrap compared to paint but if the wheel are cleaned regularly enough should stay in good nick for years but id guess you would have to avoid anything too potent when wheel cleaning.


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

I’m now leaning towards getting the wheels done a darker than standard silver and making the chrome trims gloss black. The car is getting front bumper and bonnet done so they bodyshop will do them at the same time for not a lot more money and it’ll be colour matched with the car. 

I bought some chrome wrap online and will give it a go first though. I don’t expect it to last. 


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## Christian6984 (Dec 20, 2007)

Nanoman said:


> I'm now leaning towards getting the wheels done a darker than standard silver and making the chrome trims gloss black. The car is getting front bumper and bonnet done so they bodyshop will do them at the same time for not a lot more money and it'll be colour matched with the car.
> 
> I bought some chrome wrap online and will give it a go first though. I don't expect it to last.
> 
> Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


Are they hollow on the reverse side? just thinking with a real good clean wrap it round the back give it more to cling onto?


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## Nanoman (Jan 17, 2009)

Christian6984 said:


> Are they hollow on the reverse side? just thinking with a real good clean wrap it round the back give it more to cling onto?


Yes. They are.

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