# Blacking out chrome window trim



## PJD (Mar 15, 2008)

I would like to black out the chrome window trim, without paying hundreds to a wrapper or sprayer... thinking that plastidip is probably my best option?

I found a write up here, - just wondering if anyone had any better ideas since this was written in 2012? :thumb:

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=671155


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## vtaylor78 (Feb 21, 2012)

I've looked at doing this but decided against .
From what I can gather it easily chips and therefore all has to be done again, as you can't just touch it in.
Wrapping would be your best and longer lasting option, if you can remove the trims it's not that costly a job.
Good luck with whatever you decide.


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## stevier88 (Nov 5, 2015)

Never had plastic dip but I haven't heard great things about it. What's your budget for wrapping? I was quoted £180 for my grill, air vents and window trim to be done in gloss black which I thought was pretty good.


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## Guitarjon (Jul 13, 2012)

I'm not a big fan of plastidip. I've tried it several times. If you ask me it's only a temporary measure. For something that lives outside in the weather and travels around on roads it's just not a perminent fixture. What's it's good at is being able to see if you like something without wrecking something as its co pletelh reversible. I was going to do it to the trim on my e61 but decided it wasn't worth forking out 15 quid for a can or what ever it costs with postage. If you can remove the trim you'd be better off just sanding, priming and painting.


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## PJD (Mar 15, 2008)

Thanks everyone. Some helpful replies and food for thought... - off to see if I can find a guide on how to remove the trim...


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Take a look at cardip uk, far superior products but similar use


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## PJD (Mar 15, 2008)

Well I found a trim removal guide, - it's not straight forward... so I'd prefer to avoid that route really...

Vinyl wrap... - this guys starts to make it look straight forward, but then the section where there is a rubber seal alongside the bottom of the main window, connected to the Chrome trim, is completely skipped.






Plastidip video, and he also addresses the bottom seal. On my car, the rubber seal on the bottom of the window is literally stuck on top of the chrome strip, so could be tricky...

Looks straight forward though here, and the finish looks good to me...






So in short, I am not ruling out the plastidip idea - I am starting to think that this might be my best option. Despite the general feeling on this thread.. 

I had a look at cardip uk - thanks - no applicators near me however.

I would like my rear windows tinted soon, maybe the guy could also do my window trim...?


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## PJD (Mar 15, 2008)

I got a quote to wrap the side window trim; £150. Sounds maybe a little steep....?


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## ffrs1444 (Jun 7, 2008)

you can do it your self very easy and cheap to by the wrap, even easyier if you get the trims of


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## PJD (Mar 15, 2008)

I have read a bit about people doing it, - literally taking about 10 hours... I have now been quoted £100, - after I buy the trim, I might go that route... - unfortunately it's not an easy job to remove the trim on my car - I've had a look into it. Cheers


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## Mcpx (Mar 15, 2016)

I've been doing some experimenting recently, can't really comment on your desired application but can shed some light on the options you are considering.

First off I wrapped a couple of pieces of interior trim. I have a Volvo V50 with the floating waterfall console in the centre and the skin is real brushed aluminium which looks great but is about as tough as a Dairylea Triangle, so with dents and scratches I thought it would make a good project. So firstly, wrapping is nowhere near as easy as 98% of the videos on YouTube make it look, which is kind of to be expected, but if you are dealing with complicated shapes, its really hard. Most wrap now has air release adhesives so getting the air bubbles out is not as much trouble as it used to be, but merely getting a 2 dimensional sheet to conform to a 3 dimensional shape is harder than it looks. The piece I was doing was particularly difficult, so it took me a few hours, a lot of help from a heat gun and a bin full of wrap. The end result was better than expected, and to be fair I bought the cheapest wrap I could find to practice with, but better quality vinyls not only give better results they are also much easier to work with.

For your application I would question the longevity of a wrap, you can definitely diy it with a bit of practice and choosing a quality branded product would help enormously, but I learned that thin strips of vinyl are always at risk of compromise because there is just not enough surface area of adhesive there to hold them like there is on a larger panel piece.

This week I have been playing with Plastidip. The original idea was to do some testing to see if it was actually viable for wheels and while it probably is, with the quality of finish, you really wouldn't want to. I have blacked out my plastic chrome front grille, which has seen better days, so we'll see how that stands up to a few stone chips. I have also blacked out the badges on the rear of the car to check out the 'peelability' this stuff is famous for, and while it does work, there seems to be a fine line between number of coats and dry time where it either peels roughly or pulls the whole thing off. Again, its probably something you'd get better at judging with practice to pick the optimum time to peel it.

I would say there are two things that Plastidip is very useful for, firstly for trying things out, it is after all a temporary coating which is good because if you don't like it you can just rip it off and start again relatively easily, but on the other hand if you do want it to last you might end up disappointed. Secondly it is good for things like the lettering and car emblems, which can't easily be masked or removed, but once again, achieving a good result takes time and practice. Even with good technique, Plastidip gives a matte rubbery like finish, good for what I've used it for but like I said, not a finish I'd want on my wheels.

Where both methods score is in the ease of preparation, basically all you need for either wrap or dip is a clean sound surface and away you go, but you pay the price for that convenience in terms of longevity and quality of finish. Overall I would say that for anything you can mask or remove you will get a more permanent solution and a much better finish by painting. I have done trim pieces before with rattle cans and the preparation required is very time consuming, but worth it in the end. I have got hold of another console piece that I am preparing for custom paint and when the dip fails on my grille (which it will) that will probably get replaced, but for now it has a new lease of life. The dip on my lettering does look really good (black letters on silver paint) but I don't expect it to survive my wash schedule, so it will have to go.

For your chrome trim I would say wrapping would be a mistake. You could try the Plastidip and see how you get on, it will cost you 10 quid and an afternoon and if you don't like it you can rip it off, but it will probably be good for a couple of months if you are happy enough with the finish.


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