# best way to paint chrome plastic parts



## Blue Al (Sep 13, 2015)

hi guys

my mini is far too bling, 
bad enough driving a "girls car"

with chrome headlamps, tail lamps, brake ducts etc its getting all a bit much
i can sort the belt line with some vinyl

but whats the best way to prep the plastic for a rattle can top-coat
or should i just take the lot to a body shop

my local bmw dealer wants £120.00 + vat which strikes me as a bit steep ?


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## m4rkymark (Aug 17, 2014)

can you not wrap the parts?


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## Harry_p (Mar 18, 2015)

I'd be tempted to use a plastidip type product which will create it's own 'cling' and could be removed in the future.

With normal rattle and you'd have to degrease, rub down, plastic prime then satin black, and it'll probably chip off and need redoing over time.


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## 3gdean (Jun 18, 2011)

Harry_p said:


> I'd be tempted to use a plastidip type product which will create it's own 'cling' and could be removed in the future.
> 
> With normal rattle and you'd have to degrease, rub down, *plastic prime* then satin black, and it'll probably chip off and need redoing over time.


etch prime


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## macca666 (Mar 30, 2010)

3gdean said:


> etch prime


Shouldn't etch primer only be used in metal??? Don't know Minis but OP says it's chrome plastic parts he wants to paint.


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## 3gdean (Jun 18, 2011)

chrome plating is metal


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

I would use cardip.uk products. They are a latex based spray, like plastidip but imo much better quality. They will last longer and are more resilient to cleaning etc. 
I hate the faux chrome on audis, we have a quatro A4 and there is nothing "executive" about it in my eyes. Im going gloss black, against the grey body and i think it will look great


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## squiggs (Oct 19, 2009)

3gdean said:


> chrome plating is metal


Surely not on plastic?
Although I'm no expert on exactly how the chemical process that produces proper (metal) chromium works - I seem to recall from my old physics lessons at school that 2 metal parts are placed in a liquid and an electric current is passed from one metal part to the other leaving one metal part covered in chrome.
I don't think plastic parts can be covered in real metallic chrome (but I'm willing to be shot down as it was a long time since I went to school)


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## Clancy (Jul 21, 2013)

I would use plasti dip 

I have painted chrome plastics before, exactly as you wwould paint anything else with rattle cans. Just sanded it back then normal primer and paint etc 

But if I where to do it again I would plasti dip it as it's far easier and reversible


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## 3gdean (Jun 18, 2011)

squiggs said:


> Surely not on plastic?
> Although I'm no expert on exactly how the chemical process that produces proper (metal) chromium works - I seem to recall from my old physics lessons at school that *2 metal parts are placed in a liquid and an electric current* is passed from one metal part to the other leaving one metal part covered in chrome.
> I don't think plastic parts can be covered in real metallic chrome (but I'm willing to be shot down as it was a long time since I went to school)


still metal on plastic


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## rich9 (Jan 28, 2014)

I think they spray on a nickel or copper coating then plate them. It is definitely metal and extremely hard, scotch pads do nothing. I put them in a plastic bowl of hydrochloric acid solution and scotched them. Not sure that it actually did anything, maybe at a micro level.

I used u-pol acid 8 to prime them and it worked well.


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