Product Review: Chrome Door Handles
01-12-2007, 12:06 PM
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1992 Mercedes 400E
Product Review: Chrome Door Handles
Cost: $50 + $20 shipping
Source: Ebay (Seller 175535)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BENZ-...spagenameZWDVW
Installation: Very easy
Time: 45 minutes
Product rating: 4.5 out of 5
Well, chrome door handle covers, since there is no such thing as chrome door handles for our 124's.
Before I bought these I looked at other cars that did have chrome handles to see if I would like them on my car. Would it be too much? Would people have to wear sunglasses when they look at my car? Would they refuse me food at the local MBCA Christmas Dinner this Saturday?
I saw chrome handles on Lexus ES330's, Infiniti SUV's, and a few other cars, and liked what I saw. Despite the fear of being called a "chromophile", I took the plunge and ordered them.
They came shipped from Taiwan, as usual. Opening the box revealed the parts, as well as a cleaning pad and a tube of "K-520 Primer Adhesion Promoter". Ok, clean & stick, this should be straightforward.
I started by cleaning the door handles with a strong household cleaner and paper towels. Five paper towels later, the handles started to get cleaner. Between the fact that these handles get,um, handled daily by dirty hands, and that they are black so dirt doesn't show up, I couldn't believe how dirty my handles were. Ugh. On the bright side I'm sure that my car now gets better mileage as it's probably half a pound lighter : )
After cleaning the handles 4 times, I repeated it with rubbing alcohol. More gunk. Finally I cleaned it with the "K-520 Primer Adhesion Promoter", which smelled and cleaned like the rubbing alcohol anyways.
Installation is a simple matter of peel & stick. Make sure you position it accurately the first time since with 3M adhesive tape you only get one chance.
I have attached a couple of close-ups so you can see the fit & finish, which is actually quite good. You can also see where the chrome cover ends, as it obviously can't wrap itself around the back of the handle.I think this will be a nice touch especially for the earlier models that have just all-black handles.
Pros: understated bling for your W124
Cons: a slight "commercial fridge handle" look, handle feels slightly bigger, you feel the ledge between the cover and the handle, soft surface can scratch easily.
Overall I like it. I think it's overpriced at $70; it's made in Taiwan probably by some 10-year old in a factory for around $5 for a couple of pieces of chromed plastic. But at least I can remove them anytime.
The last two pics are before-and-after shots. Note the,um, chrome turn signal side mirror covers. I'll do a short "how to install" on those some other time.
Source: Ebay (Seller 175535)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BENZ-...spagenameZWDVW
Installation: Very easy
Time: 45 minutes
Product rating: 4.5 out of 5
Well, chrome door handle covers, since there is no such thing as chrome door handles for our 124's.
Before I bought these I looked at other cars that did have chrome handles to see if I would like them on my car. Would it be too much? Would people have to wear sunglasses when they look at my car? Would they refuse me food at the local MBCA Christmas Dinner this Saturday?
I saw chrome handles on Lexus ES330's, Infiniti SUV's, and a few other cars, and liked what I saw. Despite the fear of being called a "chromophile", I took the plunge and ordered them.
They came shipped from Taiwan, as usual. Opening the box revealed the parts, as well as a cleaning pad and a tube of "K-520 Primer Adhesion Promoter". Ok, clean & stick, this should be straightforward.
I started by cleaning the door handles with a strong household cleaner and paper towels. Five paper towels later, the handles started to get cleaner. Between the fact that these handles get,um, handled daily by dirty hands, and that they are black so dirt doesn't show up, I couldn't believe how dirty my handles were. Ugh. On the bright side I'm sure that my car now gets better mileage as it's probably half a pound lighter : )
After cleaning the handles 4 times, I repeated it with rubbing alcohol. More gunk. Finally I cleaned it with the "K-520 Primer Adhesion Promoter", which smelled and cleaned like the rubbing alcohol anyways.
Installation is a simple matter of peel & stick. Make sure you position it accurately the first time since with 3M adhesive tape you only get one chance.
I have attached a couple of close-ups so you can see the fit & finish, which is actually quite good. You can also see where the chrome cover ends, as it obviously can't wrap itself around the back of the handle.I think this will be a nice touch especially for the earlier models that have just all-black handles.
Pros: understated bling for your W124
Cons: a slight "commercial fridge handle" look, handle feels slightly bigger, you feel the ledge between the cover and the handle, soft surface can scratch easily.
Overall I like it. I think it's overpriced at $70; it's made in Taiwan probably by some 10-year old in a factory for around $5 for a couple of pieces of chromed plastic. But at least I can remove them anytime.
The last two pics are before-and-after shots. Note the,um, chrome turn signal side mirror covers. I'll do a short "how to install" on those some other time.
Last edited by natural_person; 01-12-2007 at 12:13 PM.
01-13-2007, 03:14 AM
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bmw
Cost: $50 + $20 shipping
Source: Ebay (Seller 175535)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BENZ-...spagenameZWDVW
Installation: Very easy
Time: 45 minutes
Product rating: 4.5 out of 5
Well, chrome door handle covers, since there is no such thing as chrome door handles for our 124's.
Before I bought these I looked at other cars that did have chrome handles to see if I would like them on my car. Would it be too much? Would people have to wear sunglasses when they look at my car? Would they refuse me food at the local MBCA Christmas Dinner this Saturday?
I saw chrome handles on Lexus ES330's, Infiniti SUV's, and a few other cars, and liked what I saw. Despite the fear of being called a "chromophile", I took the plunge and ordered them.
They came shipped from Taiwan, as usual. Opening the box revealed the parts, as well as a cleaning pad and a tube of "K-520 Primer Adhesion Promoter". Ok, clean & stick, this should be straightforward.
I started by cleaning the door handles with a strong household cleaner and paper towels. Five paper towels later, the handles started to get cleaner. Between the fact that these handles get,um, handled daily by dirty hands, and that they are black so dirt doesn't show up, I couldn't believe how dirty my handles were. Ugh. On the bright side I'm sure that my car now gets better mileage as it's probably half a pound lighter : )
After cleaning the handles 4 times, I repeated it with rubbing alcohol. More gunk. Finally I cleaned it with the "K-520 Primer Adhesion Promoter", which smelled and cleaned like the rubbing alcohol anyways.
Installation is a simple matter of peel & stick. Make sure you position it accurately the first time since with 3M adhesive tape you only get one chance.
I have attached a couple of close-ups so you can see the fit & finish, which is actually quite good. You can also see where the chrome cover ends, as it obviously can't wrap itself around the back of the handle.I think this will be a nice touch especially for the earlier models that have just all-black handles.
Pros: understated bling for your W124
Cons: a slight "commercial fridge handle" look, handle feels slightly bigger, you feel the ledge between the cover and the handle, soft surface can scratch easily.
Overall I like it. I think it's overpriced at $70; it's made in Taiwan probably by some 10-year old in a factory for around $5 for a couple of pieces of chromed plastic. But at least I can remove them anytime.
The last two pics are before-and-after shots. Note the,um, chrome turn signal side mirror covers. I'll do a short "how to install" on those some other time.
Source: Ebay (Seller 175535)
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/BENZ-...spagenameZWDVW
Installation: Very easy
Time: 45 minutes
Product rating: 4.5 out of 5
Well, chrome door handle covers, since there is no such thing as chrome door handles for our 124's.
Before I bought these I looked at other cars that did have chrome handles to see if I would like them on my car. Would it be too much? Would people have to wear sunglasses when they look at my car? Would they refuse me food at the local MBCA Christmas Dinner this Saturday?
I saw chrome handles on Lexus ES330's, Infiniti SUV's, and a few other cars, and liked what I saw. Despite the fear of being called a "chromophile", I took the plunge and ordered them.
They came shipped from Taiwan, as usual. Opening the box revealed the parts, as well as a cleaning pad and a tube of "K-520 Primer Adhesion Promoter". Ok, clean & stick, this should be straightforward.
I started by cleaning the door handles with a strong household cleaner and paper towels. Five paper towels later, the handles started to get cleaner. Between the fact that these handles get,um, handled daily by dirty hands, and that they are black so dirt doesn't show up, I couldn't believe how dirty my handles were. Ugh. On the bright side I'm sure that my car now gets better mileage as it's probably half a pound lighter : )
After cleaning the handles 4 times, I repeated it with rubbing alcohol. More gunk. Finally I cleaned it with the "K-520 Primer Adhesion Promoter", which smelled and cleaned like the rubbing alcohol anyways.
Installation is a simple matter of peel & stick. Make sure you position it accurately the first time since with 3M adhesive tape you only get one chance.
I have attached a couple of close-ups so you can see the fit & finish, which is actually quite good. You can also see where the chrome cover ends, as it obviously can't wrap itself around the back of the handle.I think this will be a nice touch especially for the earlier models that have just all-black handles.
Pros: understated bling for your W124
Cons: a slight "commercial fridge handle" look, handle feels slightly bigger, you feel the ledge between the cover and the handle, soft surface can scratch easily.
Overall I like it. I think it's overpriced at $70; it's made in Taiwan probably by some 10-year old in a factory for around $5 for a couple of pieces of chromed plastic. But at least I can remove them anytime.
The last two pics are before-and-after shots. Note the,um, chrome turn signal side mirror covers. I'll do a short "how to install" on those some other time.
Word on the writeup. But i personally like the look of the original handles and mirrors. It just too gaudy looking for my tastes. But to each their own.
