this is for the people that like blacked out grilles and emblems. over the years I have painted my emblems and grilles black in several different ways and they always end up chipping. the reason is that they are chrome and paint just doesn't bond with chrome plated surfaces. I have tried sanding, scuffing, using etching primer, adhesive promotors and you name it even have had body shops paint them and they have always chipped. the only way to do the grilles and emblems or any other chrome parts in black permanently without chipping is to remove the chrome completely and bring the chrome plated parts into the plastic surface. you can achieve this with sanding but you will destroy your fingers and the surface of the parts and not to mention days of your life. so I did some research and basically came up with the following solution. its a liquid sold at radio shak and probably many other places. this liquid is used to remove the copper etchings from the pcb electronic boards. all of our chrome parts are copper plated and then chromed so this will work perfect. so I bought a bottle and removed all my emblems. then I cut a coke bottle and through all the chrome parts in there and filled it up with the liquid after 5 hours I had perfect chromeless plastic parts. I will do this this weekend to my larger parts such as grille and grille star. this liquid does not damage plastics or rubbers it just desolves copper and chrome and possibly other metals. after this process you have two of the following choices:

1. have a body shop paint it with adhesive promoter just the way they paint plastic bumpers and stuff which is long lasting
or
2. you can use a Rit dye from michaels or most hobby and hardware stores to dye them in hot boiling water(you can see this process on youtube, this has been a process used n the RC car industry for years to paint dye parts black or other colors that Rit dye offer without having to worry about it chipping or fading because it changes the color of plastic. search under dying rc car wheels and many videos show up)

I will be doing the dye first to see how I like it because its a more permanent solution.

after doing on of the two processes add 3m double sided tape and put everything back or for the grille install the chrome parts or in case of the oem grille snap the chrome window that has been changed to black back and enjoy it for many years to come.

P.S. I did use plastidip and didn't like it because it fades after a while and when you wash your car you cant dry it properly because the fuzz off the towels get stuck to it and if you don't dry it will get a white haze over it and also when buffing and polishing the car it will rub off easily. and last but not least it just looks cheap and in my opinion doesn't belong on a Mercedes.

in the picture you can see the liquid, my method of dipping the parts into the liquid and also the chrome that has been stripped and is floating in the liquid. In the last picture with the emblems linedup shows the progress from right to left after 1hr, 2hrs and 4hrs. change liquid if it needed and dip the parts in again. for the grille you will need more of the liquid and a bigger tub.

warning: this liquid is hazardas and make sure to use rubber gloves at all times, also make sure to use plastic or rubber containers only.

disclaimer: I am in no way responsible for any health issues or property damages, I am just writing my own experience. you are fully responsible for doing this project and any health or property damages caused by this.

 

Hey thanks Ash!

I had my chrome grill painted black by a shop and it chipped very badly. They said they would repaint it but I'll get them to apply this chrome remover 1st. Hopefully I can get it over here in the UK!

 

Nice info...