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WWYD: De-Chroming

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Hi all,

So I am thinking of a few options on how to get rid of all the chrome on my MS and wanted to see what opinions were on the subject.
I have thought of Plasti dipping, wrapping or painting the following items:
Door Handles
Door trim around windows
Rear & front T
Model S and 85D emblems
Rear applique

I've never plasti dipped anything but I'm worried about how it would hold up to washing and repeated hands on the doors..
If I painted them, I would most likely want to buy the parts, take them to the shop to have them painted and swap the newly painted parts with the existing.
I have also never had anything wrapped but same with plasti dip, how well will this hold up in key areas (plus any seams)
 
I'd done Handles, Rear & Front T, Chrome below doors, door sills, Front Fender Emblems using overlays from RPMTesla. I still want to do the trim and the windows and mirrors but think the only option for that is plasti dip or having a professional shop add vinyl. One shop I went to was concerned with doing the mirrors since they fold in and out everyday.
 
Plastidip isn't the most durable. Most dippers don't seem to mind, as they just peal and re-dip. I don't have personal experience with it, so I can't say how frequently they re-dip. Could be once a month, could be once every couple of years.

Someone on this forum has dipped their entire car, or, more likely taken it to a professional. There is specialized equipment for spraying the stuff. Check out dipyourcar.com. Lots of great info there. They have a ton of youtube videos as well.

If you are comfortable enough with disassembling parts of your car, you might try vinyl wrapping. I wrapped all my P85D chrome trim (except the lettering which I simply removed). Most of it was pretty easy. One of the most difficult parts was the chrome in the nosecone. The wrapping itself wasn't too bad, but separating the chrome trim from the cone itself was a curse-laden affair. There are a ton of clips, and they are in there TIGHT.

All the chrome can be wrapped in one piece (so no seams) with the one exception of the mirrors. I wrapped it in three pieces: one for the part that moves with the mirror, and two for the stationary part (top and bottom). This took a long time, and eventually pulled away (shrank) exposing slivers of chrome. This spring, I'm going to remove the mirrors so I can disassemble them and wrap them properly.

I found a wrap from Avery that exactly matched the color and matte finish of my wheels, so everything fits nicely.

I just realized I lied. I left the front and rear "T" chrome. They would be fairly easy to wrap, but I've been going back and forth about wrapping them in real carbon fiber or making 100% CF replacements.

If you go the wrap route, there are several things you will need along with the film, which you may already own. You need to have a break-away knife (and break off blades very frequently), heat gun and way to measure the actual heat of the film, various tools to smooth the film and force it to tight crevices. There are also optional cleaning chemicals and adhesion promoters you may want to buy. The good thing is that film is really inexpensive. I bought twice what I needed to be sure I had plenty for repairs and perhaps a re-do if it fades over time.

The durability has been fine. I've had no issues except with the mirrors I described previously.

If you go the paint route, I would consider giving the car to the shop for 2 days. The labor costs would go up, but not duplicating all that chrome would offset that some. You also avoid all the time and hassle of getting the mirrors and door handles out.

Are you going to leave the chrome trim in the front fascia, under the doors, and in the rear diffuser? I wrapped those in place. I don't know how those trim pieces are attached. Some might not be easily separated.
 
Wrapping is better long-term but I have dipped wheels & exterior mirrors--more of a protection thing but really liked the appearance. Yes, they need to be re-dipped at some point since the finish is more of a wear item especially with frequent washing. My dip on the exterior mirrors lasted about a year until it started to thin out & got a stone chip. Peeled it right off & no damage from the stone. I will probably dip or 3M clear the exterior mirrors when I get my car.
 
Wrapping is better long-term but I have dipped wheels & exterior mirrors--more of a protection thing but really liked the appearance. Yes, they need to be re-dipped at some point since the finish is more of a wear item especially with frequent washing. My dip on the exterior mirrors lasted about a year until it started to thin out & got a stone chip. Peeled it right off & no damage from the stone. I will probably dip or 3M clear the exterior mirrors when I get my car.

I've never talked to anyone experienced with dipping.

Did you use the rattle cans?
How many coats does it take?
How easy is it to get a smooth, uniform finish?
Where does the finish fall on a scale of matte to high gloss?
What does the finish feel like (rubbery, like regular paint, like paint protection film)?
Do you topcoat it with car wax or other protective products?

Dipping might be the easiest way to de-chrome.

How well do you think dip would last on the door handles? I've seen videos of people dipping door handles, but thought that it would get scratched pretty easily. Maybe paint protection in strategic places would take care of that.
 
I will try to address your questions based on my experience. You have to visit Plasti-Dip You Tube channel to see all the tips & how-to's.

I've never talked to anyone experienced with dipping.

Did you use the rattle cans? Yes
How many coats does it take? 2 base then 3 or 4 color; sounds like a lot but the first few coats are very light
How easy is it to get a smooth, uniform finish? Takes some practice but yes
Where does the finish fall on a scale of matte to high gloss? Usually matte but new products from Plasti-Dip have higher gloss finishes
What does the finish feel like (rubbery, like regular paint, like paint protection film)? Can be a bit rubbery/filmy but new Dip Coat product hardens it up a bit; I would think that door handles won't last as long as non-touch surfaces
Do you topcoat it with car wax or other protective products? I only used Dip Coat but did use Griot's Speed Shine to clean it up rather than wax or polish

Dipping might be the easiest way to de-chrome. Could be but you should look at as many You Tube videos as you can stomach then experiment to be sure you like the results. One thing I am going to try soon is adding Metalizer to the mix (still using rattle cans) before the clear finish coat to add a little sparkle to it. Good luck!

How well do you think dip would last on the door handles? I've seen videos of people dipping door handles, but thought that it would get scratched pretty easily. Maybe paint protection in strategic places would take care of that.
 
Only thing on the wrap is that the professional told me white is one of the hardest colors to match (I have the solid white), that's why I wanted to go to paint route, but I'm sure it would cost a lot more than the wrap.
Forgot about the chrome door sill part! And I also wanted to do something with the side skirts... looks like wrapping may be the best option.
My plan was to do body color on the handles, rear applique, side skirts and black on the TESLA letters on the applique, T and Model S emblems along with the chrome door trim.
 
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I've dipped a few cars most recent was the Jeep SRT I had prior to the tesla. I did a full car dip and it help up extremely well, it was on the truck for about 1.5 years through 2 winters on the body and wheels with no issues. My handles were sprayed and did have any peeling issues. YMV however, sometimes on sharp edges it may start peeling and need to be redone. Otherwise it was very satisfying experience, protected the paint like nothing I've ever had before it was like brand new when I peeled it before turning it in. I plan on doing my MS in the coming month or two, haven't quite decided on the chrome just yet. As others have mentioned I have some concern over the folding mirrors and the fact that the handles move in and out of the body, so may experiment with those items first before doing the body to see how they react with the dip.
 
I'd done Handles, Rear & Front T, Chrome below doors, door sills, Front Fender Emblems using overlays from RPMTesla. I still want to do the trim and the windows and mirrors but think the only option for that is plasti dip or having a professional shop add vinyl. One shop I went to was concerned with doing the mirrors since they fold in and out everyday.

Pictures?? I'm also deep blue metallic and strongly considering vinyl on all lower sills. Thanks!
 
Pictures?? I'm also deep blue metallic and strongly considering vinyl on all lower sills. Thanks!


I'll take some tomorrow and post. We got dumped on in Colorado so I've been waiting for enough snow to melt before getting the car all cleaned up again. We should be in the high 50's tomorrow...waaahooo! It's nice not having a cold soaked battery every time I get in the car.
 
We recommend vinyl wrap. We use vinyl in our chrome delete applications. Quality vinyl is important as it will last for years and avoid peeling if done correctly.

Here are a few images of chrome delete on several of our customer's cars. Hope this helps. Feel free to message me with any questions.

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I really wish there were more shops like yours in Colorado. Those pics look amazing.


We recommend vinyl wrap. We use vinyl in our chrome delete applications. Quality vinyl is important as it will last for years and avoid peeling if done correctly.

Here are a few images of chrome delete on several of our customer's cars. Hope this helps. Feel free to message me with any questions.

View attachment 111005View attachment 111002View attachment 111003View attachment 111004
 
We recommend vinyl wrap. We use vinyl in our chrome delete applications. Quality vinyl is important as it will last for years and avoid peeling if done correctly.

Here are a few images of chrome delete on several of our customer's cars. Hope this helps. Feel free to message me with any questions.

so those rocker panels are all vinyl? So you need to remove them to apply? I want to color match my rockers all around and my detailer is recommending vinyl as well. Looks great!
 
Thank you! You could always have it shipped here :biggrin: the white Model S is a customer from Northern California and we're in LA :cool:

I really wish there were more shops like yours in Colorado. Those pics look amazing.

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Yes the white car is all vinyl. The car car has the Unplugged Performance Front Fascia, Side Skirt Set, complete vinyl wrap and chrome delete. Vinyl is definitely the best option besides a full paint job. Again, as long as high quality vinyl like Avery or 3M is used.

so those rocker panels are all vinyl? So you need to remove them to apply? I want to color match my rockers all around and my detailer is recommending vinyl as well. Looks great!
 
Thank you! You could always have it shipped here :biggrin: the white Model S is a customer from Northern California and we're in LA :cool:


- - - Updated - - -

Yes the white car is all vinyl. The car car has the Unplugged Performance Front Fascia, Side Skirt Set, complete vinyl wrap and chrome delete. Vinyl is definitely the best option besides a full paint job. Again, as long as high quality vinyl like Avery or 3M is used.



I see that car has black handles, I assume that its wrapped but how much of it is wrapped, just the exterior piece or the whole handle?
 
The entire handle is wrapped. Typically we will either wrap the entire handle in black or the inner part to match the color of the car depending on customer preference

I see that car has black handles, I assume that its wrapped but how much of it is wrapped, just the exterior piece or the whole handle?

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Thanks for the kind words :cool:

Not nearly as nice as what Bulletproof posted but here is mine all cleaned up.
 
I wrapped the entire car...but before I did the entire car, I did the Chrome Delete including Windows, Handles, Rear Diffuser, and all emblems. Then did the rest of the car and rockers (side panels) and all black plastic. I initially did the Chrome Delete in white, however, it was hard to match the Pearl White, and the first wrapper I chose was cheap and it showed.

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