Will the chrome trim be an option anytime in the near future? I understand the popularity of the chrome delete look; however, some Tesla’s future owners may prefer that option.
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Will Chrome trim ever be an option?
- Thread starter Dldlaw
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First off, it's not chrome. It's anodized. Chrome looks just like a mirror, and the Model 3 trim does not have a mirror finish.
Second, someone wrote that Tesla are just painting the existing brightwork trim. If that's true, it might work to remove the trim, get some paint remover, and return it back.
Or you can swap your black trim with one of super cool dudes that has brightwork and wants black.
I love my 2020 brightwork. Red with black trim looks boring to me.
Second, someone wrote that Tesla are just painting the existing brightwork trim. If that's true, it might work to remove the trim, get some paint remover, and return it back.
Or you can swap your black trim with one of super cool dudes that has brightwork and wants black.
I love my 2020 brightwork. Red with black trim looks boring to me.
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Depends on whose buying it. People who like a "luxury car" look many times like that brightwork / chrome look. People who want a "sporty car" look generally dont. Since teslas are currently (and even with all the announcements of other upcomming EVs appear to continue to be) the fastest of the EV cars, they will tend to attract more "sporty" car people than "luxury" car people.
Especially when real luxury car manufacturers like Mercedes and BMW get their act together and have more EVs that have higher luxury (but are slower and handle worse), teslas will pivot even more toward "sporty" owners who can put up with the comparative lack of luxury because of how it drives. Those owners will tend to skew toward wanting a sporty car look, which is NOT chrome look.
TL; DR -- As a whole, people who want tesla model 3s probably will pivot more toward black trim than chrome, for the forseeable future, imo.
I happen to think the "imitation chrome" looks like !@#$@ which is why I got it covered up within 2 days of buying the car, in 2018.
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Being that I owned a Cadillac& Buick before my Teslas, you can guess where I land on the “chrome or not” scale …..
Done right, chrome is very classy IMO. I prefer classy to Civic-cheesy fake wings and K&N stickers.
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Yes, some European cars had a "sport" package that blacked out the chrome. My BMW had that, and had that option. But, Teslas, ESPECIALLY the 3's, are high volume, mass produced cars. One of the ways they are affordable is that production is streamlined through minimal option offerings. So it will likely be all or nothing. Personally, I like the blacked out look with minimal chrome; however, the color of the car is a big factor. I got white because of the chrome. Had it been black at the time, I likely would have gotten teh blue. Personally, if Tesla were to offer an option, I'd prefer a cream or some interior color to white (keeping black).
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Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
Chrome is a great metal for trim as it's extremely scratch-resistant, chemical/corrosion proof, can be plated over steel, aluminum, plastic, or any other material and it elegantly accentuates any paint color. Unfortunately it's also really toxic, polluting, and expensive. It made a lot more sense when the trim was metal because chrome is such a great way to protect against corrosion and damage, but now that so much trim is plastic it's really nonsensical to plate it all with chrome.
Tesla is not a very "sentimental" company and generally makes no effort to relate to designs of the past. They eliminated chrome for a reason and the rest of the auto industry is doing the same. You surely won't ever see it offered by them again.
The satin black trim fad will probably define this era just as the ornate chrome bumpers defined the cars of the 1940's-1960's and eventually something different will emerge. Maybe a gloss color? Maybe anodized aluminum? Who knows? But for the foreseeable future it's going to be satin black.
Tesla is not a very "sentimental" company and generally makes no effort to relate to designs of the past. They eliminated chrome for a reason and the rest of the auto industry is doing the same. You surely won't ever see it offered by them again.
The satin black trim fad will probably define this era just as the ornate chrome bumpers defined the cars of the 1940's-1960's and eventually something different will emerge. Maybe a gloss color? Maybe anodized aluminum? Who knows? But for the foreseeable future it's going to be satin black.
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Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
Sure. What else would it be?
It might be stainless steel, but you know, stainless steel is just steel with some chrome mixed in. Usually stainless steel is prohibitively expensive but one modern technique for achieving a chrome finish is to form a very thin sheet of stainless steel over some plastic. The Model 3 belt moldings certainly have a lot of plastic in them so it wouldn't surprise me if they were stainless-clad. But still that's basically chrome.
For example, the "T" hood emblem on your car is stamped from paper thin stainless steel that is back-filled with resin to give it some structure and thickness but the trunk emblem is solid die-cast zinc that's chrome plated. Yet they look identical. Why did they use two completely different materials and methods for nearly identical emblems? Probably because a zinc emblem wouldn't be hard enough to withstand sand and rocks on the hood and a stainless emblem would be too expensive for the trunk.
And note that chrome doesn't just inherently look like a 1950's Cadillac bumper - it merely transfers the underlying surface finish. So just because Tesla chrome doesn't have that dripping mirror finish doesn't mean it's not actually chrome. Perhaps some of the parts are minimally polished stainless steel and they reduced the luster of the chrome plated parts to match. Or perhaps everything is chrome but they just didn't bring it to a full polish for cost or style reasons.
It might be stainless steel, but you know, stainless steel is just steel with some chrome mixed in. Usually stainless steel is prohibitively expensive but one modern technique for achieving a chrome finish is to form a very thin sheet of stainless steel over some plastic. The Model 3 belt moldings certainly have a lot of plastic in them so it wouldn't surprise me if they were stainless-clad. But still that's basically chrome.
For example, the "T" hood emblem on your car is stamped from paper thin stainless steel that is back-filled with resin to give it some structure and thickness but the trunk emblem is solid die-cast zinc that's chrome plated. Yet they look identical. Why did they use two completely different materials and methods for nearly identical emblems? Probably because a zinc emblem wouldn't be hard enough to withstand sand and rocks on the hood and a stainless emblem would be too expensive for the trunk.
And note that chrome doesn't just inherently look like a 1950's Cadillac bumper - it merely transfers the underlying surface finish. So just because Tesla chrome doesn't have that dripping mirror finish doesn't mean it's not actually chrome. Perhaps some of the parts are minimally polished stainless steel and they reduced the luster of the chrome plated parts to match. Or perhaps everything is chrome but they just didn't bring it to a full polish for cost or style reasons.
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Not chrome. Not even close. Automotive chrome has a mirror finish. It's this:
Advantages of Anodized Aluminum
As the negative effects of hex chrome have become more widely known, alternatives have been identified to replace its use in the automotive industry. One such promising substitution is anodized aluminum, which forms when aluminum is treated through an electrochemical process to produce a durable finish. An aluminum became increasingly popular in the automotive industry, increasing by 40% between 1995 and 1998, the use of anodization has followed.Benefits associated with the use of anodized aluminum include:
- Reduced costs in finishing and vehicle maintenance,
- Durability leading to an extended life span and less maintenance, as products made from anodized aluminum are less likely to flake or peel,
- A wide range of appearance choices, as its finishes come in numerous colors and can vary from textured to smooth or matte to bright,
- Lowered shipping costs due to its lighter weight,
- Lowered impact on the environment.
Despite the hazards associated with hex chrome, chrome has still not been fully eliminated from today's automotive industry. However, more organizations are looking to alternatives such as anodized aluminum since there are fewer risks associated with its widespread use.
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Gauss Guzzler
Safety Score = 42
Huh. I'd believe anodized aluminum. Maybe still chrome on the plastic parts because it's easier than coating with aluminum and then anodizing, but I know the door handles are cast aluminum and all the window trim is metal so anodized aluminum would certainly make sense and would also explain the sheen.
Clear anodized aluminum kinda sucks. You can't make it shiny and you can't even keep it partially shiny because in order to look good the coating has to be really thin which makes it vulnerable to corrosion. Kudos to Tesla (and others) for using a more environmentally conscious trim, but it's no wonder why they wanted to ditch that. Colored anodization would be much more forgiving and it won't surprise me if the next trend is grey or black anodization since it can be applied much thicker and still look good but the public probably isn't ready for a jump to matte grey trim just yet.
BTW I've always wondered why the Model S looks so much "fancier" than the 3 even though I can hardly tell the difference at first glance. The S does have genuine polished chrome trim and maybe that's what I've subconsciously been picking up on all these years?
Clear anodized aluminum kinda sucks. You can't make it shiny and you can't even keep it partially shiny because in order to look good the coating has to be really thin which makes it vulnerable to corrosion. Kudos to Tesla (and others) for using a more environmentally conscious trim, but it's no wonder why they wanted to ditch that. Colored anodization would be much more forgiving and it won't surprise me if the next trend is grey or black anodization since it can be applied much thicker and still look good but the public probably isn't ready for a jump to matte grey trim just yet.
BTW I've always wondered why the Model S looks so much "fancier" than the 3 even though I can hardly tell the difference at first glance. The S does have genuine polished chrome trim and maybe that's what I've subconsciously been picking up on all these years?
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The stuff around the windows has been aluminum forever. My 67 GTO has 3 different types of brightwork. When people say "chrome," they often are describing a look, rather than the actual metal. But the stuff that is chrome plated is the stuff that is usually cast, out of what is called "pot metal." The bumpers are, too, but I'm just talking trim. The rocker molding is thin, stamped stainless. The window vents and door handles are chrome plated. The window trim and driprail moldings are all anodized aluimum. And that stuff SUCKS, because it eventually gets cloudy, and the only way to make it bright is to remove the anodization, which is chemically bound to aluimum, meaning it has to be sanded down and off, so it is very time consuming. Then it has to constantly be polished.
Why is black trim considered a fad by some? WHy is chrome not a fad? Because it was first used? So were chrome bumpers......when is the last time you saw any of those? Are LED headlamps a fad, too?
I personally think black trim looks better on modern cars. My 944's were late 80's cars, but even the 911's from the late 70's on look better than the early 70's ones, because the trim was black, rather than chrome. Now, for cars with chrome bumpers, different story. Some cars look good with brushed aluminum (the satin finish looking stuff, like Audi has one some of the S cars). But bright chrome looks as dated as greased back hair and rolled up jeans with cagiarette packs rolled into shirtsleeves.
Why is black trim considered a fad by some? WHy is chrome not a fad? Because it was first used? So were chrome bumpers......when is the last time you saw any of those? Are LED headlamps a fad, too?
I personally think black trim looks better on modern cars. My 944's were late 80's cars, but even the 911's from the late 70's on look better than the early 70's ones, because the trim was black, rather than chrome. Now, for cars with chrome bumpers, different story. Some cars look good with brushed aluminum (the satin finish looking stuff, like Audi has one some of the S cars). But bright chrome looks as dated as greased back hair and rolled up jeans with cagiarette packs rolled into shirtsleeves.
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Go to your local wrap shop and tell them you want "balck-delete" done. 
You'll then have a choice of numerous colors..... 3M Vinyl Colour Chart
You'll then have a choice of numerous colors..... 3M Vinyl Colour Chart
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ElectricGhost
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I already did. $800 or so and after 1.5 years a turn signal is starting to peel.Go to your local wrap shop and tell them you want "balck-delete" done.
You'll then have a choice of numerous colors..... 3M Vinyl Colour Chart
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