BB451

I just got my Black C63 in September 2009, and now i was thinking about painting the chrome (back deck lid chrome, Side chrome around windows, front grill) on my car black.
How do you think it will look?
Has anyone already done this if so any pictures?

Also should i go with a Flat or a Glossy Black..any sugestions?

Thanks, BB451

mthis

It look good. But don't paint them. They will chip I learned the hard way.

Silververtu

you mean Sept 2008.

PatSC23

i have a totally blacked out range rover sport currently and Im not feeling it that much - its cool, but it gets old quick

i like the contrast of silver rims and some chrome parts on the car...imo its more timeless and classic, what mercedes is all about

im thinking of blacking out my grill on the c63 but I want to at leave the Star and surrounding circle chrome

C63 Guy

I got mine in September, too... Six months of automotive bliss and acrid white tire smoke.

Anyway, I'm slowly working my way towards completely blacking out the chrome on my car. Truth be told I'm not sure I want to go all the way. So far I've done the window trim and the two central grille slats. I'm definitely going to do the fog surrounds and the trunk band, too. But my car's Palladium, so even if I do go all the way with it, it won't be as overwhelmingly sinister as a black car would be. Maybe leave a little brightwork somewhere...

As far as matte vs. gloss, I went matte black on the window trim because of the rubber all around it, and gloss black on the grille bars because of the shiny plastic around it. Matching the surrounding finish makes the mods blend in better and look more factory instead of obviously tuner. I mean, you know, it is a Mercedes after all.

Just my $.02.

PatSC23 - We think a lot alike, check out my grille...



To quote Chuck and Flav:
Black is back
All in, we're gonna win
Check it out
Yeah y'all, c'mon
Here we go again!

Hope this helps (or perplexes),

Josh

C63vancouver

Hey check my pictures threads on my C63 i have painted my grill black too...BUT stone chips is a pain in the Axx.......

BB451

Thanks Guy, I think I am going to just black out the grill now to start with.

Any suggestions on how to have it painted...and how to make it durrable enough to withstand rocks ect.?

Thanks BB451

Ron Jr

Not a C63 but a C300 to give you an idea of what it would look like.

PatSC23

nice job with the grill - im thinking about doing the surrounding piece black as well, leaving just the star and the circle -

and your window trim, is it paint or vinyl wrap?

Azn_C300

here's another c300, but near fully murdered out for you to consider the look. Sorry, car was dirty and I didn't have time to photoshop clean it up.

Ludatwix70

this blacked out enough for u?

https://mbworld.org/forums/c63-amg-w...black-c63.html

C63 Guy

The lower window trim is actually a sprayed plasti-dip, which is really cool stuff because it has a texture very similar to the rubber trim and has been pretty durable so far. The upper trim is... well... it's electrical tape. lol. I guess that's a kind of vinyl wrap. I'm going to plasti-dip that piece too, but it's such a big one it'll be much more difficult than the smaller lower pieces. By the way, I removed the alloy trim from the rubber backing/gasket pieces before spraying it. I wouldn't even try to mask that one and expect any kind of decent results.

Also, I know I just posted that I probably wasn't going to go full blackout on my grille, but I did it anyway. And I LOVE IT! Here's a pic (sorry about having to cut off the bottom, but I have a prototype sumpin' sumpin' that my bosses say isn't quite ready for a public reveal...)



If you're not very mechanically inclined, have a body shop do it. As far as rock protection goes, get it covered in clear vinyl.

If you ARE very mechanically inclined and good with paint, remove all the chromed plastic pieces from the black plastic backings (they all snap apart, but you have to be very (VERY!) careful because the tabs break off far too easily if you're not), scuff the chrome surfaces with medium grit sandpaper (~180 grit, but do it lightly so you don't break all the way through the chrome, you'll regret it), and degrease. Then prime them (3 thin coats), sand with 600 grit, spray the color coat (3 thin coats), wet sand with 1200 grit (or finer!), spray your clear coat (3-5 thin coats), let cure for a day or two and finish by buffing with rubbing compound. This is definitely a project that rewards careful prep and patience. With that said, I just use some el-crapo automotive spray paint from Kragen. Costs about $25-30 for all the materials. I like to think the results speak for themselves:



Good luck!

Josh

nrgy

Hmm, front lip?

PatSC23

how difficult is it to remove the top part of the grill - looks as if it is attached to the hood

midnight AMG

any one ever consider plasti dip?

obsidian05e55

My front grille is plasti dipped. Been 6k miles no chips at all. I thought about it on the window trim, but the texture catches my wash mitts, and micro fiber cloths. So matte vinyl the window trim.

C63 Guy

Wow, I totally forgot about this thread...

Well, all the fancy paint and prep work I did on my first grille ended up not holding up too well in the end. I used black touch up paint on the rock chips for as long as I could. Eventually it got too crappy looking too handle, so I recently replaced the whole grille and wrapped all the chrome in matte vinyl. MUCH BETTER than the paint, way more durable, and it only took about two hours to put on. However, it was my first time vinyl-ing an odd shape and I stretched it too much, so some of the corners are starting to peel. Good thing vinyl is cheap.

Two years in and this car is still an ongoing learning process...

Josh

blackc230benzo

Josh, I wrapped my grille as well and used 3M Tape Primer 94 on the star. Before that I gave the whole grille a quick wipe with a isopropyl/water mixture. No lifting or peeling at all.

Andrei

PistolWhipC63

^any recent pics of your car? I love the way it turned out with the wrap.

blackc230benzo

Just the ones in my photo album and that I have posted before, the car is parked for the winter, so no photos until May.

olszowa12

Gloss black vinyl.
On the second pic, also the roof rack is wrapped but with black matte winyl.

bluejae

i've used plasti dip on my front grill after removing it and taking the chrome parts off... but i don't see how to plastidip the chrome window trims. or can they be removed.

and another big hurdle was trying to figure out how to remove the rear chrome piece above the license plate. there were 2 torx screws holding it in and when trying to pry it off, i could see 4 locking snaps, kind of like what holds in the inner carpet lining to the trunk... i have no idea what to call them... so you would have to tug it pretty hard to get it loose on the sides... but i could not get the middle part loose and could not figure out what was holding it in... so i gave up

if anyone has any tips on this, please let me know

if i can offer a tip, if you try to pull it free, the corner of the chrome piece gets awfully close to touching the paint or scratching it... so i suggest masking the area right under the corner to protect it somehow...

i now understand how the scratches on my car got there. when i bought the car 'new' i noticed that the chrome piece was hanging lower on the right side, so i told the dealership and they ordered a new piece to replace it. after they installed it i never really looked at it again except just to see that it was level all the way and it was...

one day i washed the car and i noticed these scratches on both sides near the chrome piece... it was definitely not there before so i figured it somehow happened when they replaced that piece... and after trying it myself, i totally understand how it could have happened yet i still can't remove it.

i took the car in for them to look at the damage they caused when replacing it and they did something where they apply something there to "patch" it up somehow and then they buff it out and it kind of fills in the scratches... they couldn't get it 100% away, i could still see something if i look close enough. it was either that or i have them repaint the entire trunk. if i didn't like it later, they agreed to do whatever was necessary to take care of it... any opinions on what you would have done?

JeffDL

the chrome piece on the trunk has 2 more torx screws that have to be accessed through the trunk, you need to remove the liner on the underside of the lid to access them. Sort of a PITA.

bluejae

are you serious? i removed the liner to feel around and couldn't tell that something else was holding it in... how the heck am i supposed to be able to see that... lie down inside the trunk with a flash light?

sigh... i guess i may try again

on another note, i went to home depot to buy another can because stupid me forgot to spray the top part of the front grill that is attached to the hood... anyway, home depot had a can of plastidip that is used to dip stuff in. looked like a can of tennis ***** but less than half the height... i also bought a set of brushes, some really thin so i can use it to touch parts up if necessary. i have no idea what it will look like after i touch up a spot and when it dries but i figured it would be easier than trying to touch up a tiny spot with the spray can

and i was also going to try and brush it on the rear chrome piece that's been giving me so much trouble, but since you said that there are 2 more screws behind it under the lining, i may try again.

ZephyrAMG

Do you think we HAVE to remove the parts like in the front grill to spray the plasti dip? You think we can just mask it? I'm gonna get a can tonight...