King320

I know this question has been discussed numerous times, but i cant seem to find the answers to all of my questions. I'm wondering how much it costs to have a grille redone in black chrome. At it stands now i have two stock grilles, one which i broke a small part of chome off of, and the one that is currently on the car. What wanting to know is:
1)if black chrome requires removal of existing chrome or modification of it 2)how durable it is (my grilles both have chips from bugs and rocks)
3)how expensive it is
4)where i can have it done
5)how dark is it compared to painting or powdercoating
6)do you think it would look too agressive with a stock 320 bumper?
7)Anyone have pics of a 208 or other MB with a black chrome grille?
Thanks

Josh K

I had mine black chromed and wasn't happy with the way it looked (Texture and color left much to be desired). First off, you'll have to find a place the chromes plastic which is no small task. It's not cheap (about $200) and won't match the black of your car. You can't have your grill powdercoated as it's plastic and will melt. I would go for having it painted black. It would match perfectly since you have a black car. As the grill is on the leading end of a car, it will always be susceptible to chips no matter what the coating.

str8ridin

I took mine to a body shop to see what they could do and they siad that they could not strip the existing "chrome" off because it was plastic underneath and possibly plastic as chrome. They suggested to just sand it down, spray it black with paint and clear coat it many times. And like Josh said, no matter what you do besides putting a bra over it, it's gonna chip.

I'm thinking it's a DIY job with some good quality primer, paint and clear coat. If you screw up, I've seen our stock grilles go on eBay for $50-$80.