Nope that's not painted, it's highly polished and may have been lacquered, but not painted IIRC.
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Please don't discuss the car above. I was wondering about chrome trim in general (like around windows). But illustrated the point in the extreme.
I can see I'll have to delete my own thread.
Edited by rtj70 on 20/08/2009 at 00:27
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Dunno. My nearly 20-year-old car cas chrome around the windows, and other bits'n'bobs. I've seen cars with great big bits of chrome strip about 1' wide down the sides, sort of "Fat Director" cars. I've seen Trajets & common cars with chrome door handles, etc., which look highly, *highly* naff and hair-dresserish. A bit of chrome or shiny stuff sets things off a bit, but can easily be overdone.
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common cars with chrome door handles etc. which look highly *highly* naff and hair-dresserish.
My Primera is a common car and it has chrome door handles.
I don't see this as naff though, because the chrome covers door handles that are made of metal, rather than the cheap and nasty plastic garbage that infests most car door handles.
It amazes me that people prefer a soft-touch dashboard to door handles that don't feel like they're made out of wheely-bins and would snap at the first opportunity. Renault, Citroen, Vauxhall and Daewoo, I'm looking at you in particular.
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Hm. www.hemmy.net/2007/12/06/chromed-cars/ - "the chrome paint cost about $500 per litre"
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A client turned up in his brand new XF today. What stood out as he pulled into the carpark was the chrome surround on the window, which was doubtless made more noticeable by the dark red metallic paint. Chrome isn't as noticeable on silver, the most common colour these days.
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So many old duffers on here complain about xenon headlamps dazzling and blinding them, I'm sure they will be spitting feathers about the sun reflecting off chrome trim.
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We've had chrome on cars for decades. My extreme/silly example in the photo isn't what I was really thinking of with chrome trim. Think if an Audi with chrome around the windows or a Mondeo with chrome on the rear lights.
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I suspect some of our oriental cousins have ideas about the use of chrome which don't conform to old-school western norms.
Then there are the fashion victims to consider, regardless of whether they can kick a ball, or not.
Taste is a bit subjective, isn't it?
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conform to old-school western norms.
Depends how western you mean AJH. Detroit used to put chrome everywhere, acres of the stuff.
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Detroit used to put chrome everywhere, acres of the stuff.
Indeed.
Taste is a bit subjective, isn't it?
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There was a fad for highly polished, stainless steel panels on Jeeps in the Philippines a few years back. They had to crack down on it as there were accidents due to people being blinded by the Sun.
Edited by oilrag on 20/08/2009 at 22:21
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I think new cars could do with a little more 'brightwork' in some cases. We've moved away from the amount oif matt balck that was used, especially in the 80's, for grilles, window surrounds, bumpers etc - to more body-coloured bits. Maybe now that silver cars are passing rapidly out of fashion maybe we'll see a bit more chrome trim again.
I can't ignore the car in the photo at the top - isn't it an aluminium-bodied Audi - polished but unpainted?
Edited by Sofa Spud on 21/08/2009 at 01:09
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If you are going to use chrome plate, the job has to be done properly - base metal, hopefully not mazak or 'monkey metal' as the dear old British car industry used for decades, then brass plate, then chrome on top - rather than a tarty job done on plastic that will peel off long before your motor qualifies for the scrappage scheme. I reported on here long ago that I'd seen a 12-month-old Passat estate with peeling 'chrome' roof rail trims.
In the past, some motors that aspired to a quality image, not always successfully, used stainless steel or nickel plating for brightwork. Nice and understated.
In case anyone thinks I'm being sniffy, the XJS, supposed to be 'last of the line when quality issues were solved, etc, etc' - how many times over the years have you heard that about Jaguars? - has chromed door mirror shells rather than body-colour paint and the plating quality is as carp as ever.
I guess it's reassuring that life is as I remember it - you still have to love old Jaguars for their failings...
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Its not painted its been done by using a plastic film coating as used on German taxis,speed camera cars and police cars you can get all sorts of finishes in different colours.
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Chrome is naff. Any chrome, any car
Chrome doorhandles on rotbox primeras is the very worse.
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Chrome doorhandles on rotbox primeras is the very worse.
At least they won't fall apart like the fantastic plastic French junk.
Still, I guess the Fisher Price door handles on the Laguna go with the plastic brake pedal clips that fail when you press on them too hard, causing an accident eh?
Edited by jase1 on 21/08/2009 at 14:26
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Chrome is naff. Any chrome, any car
Can't really agree AE. You're more of an extremist than I am.
Take a look at the front of an Alfa 8C. It has a sort of thin chrome sketch of an Alfa grille. Do you really think it looks naff?
I like plain unadorned cars with beautiful body shapes. Maserati coupe is a case in point. The early ones were better looking than the later ones because more chrome had been added as a facelift. That nearly always makes cars look worse. But the right chrome on the right car looks all right.
All a matter of taste of course. I don't expect you to change your mind.
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Actually the proper plating is:
Copper (brass is an alloy of copper and zinc)
Thick nickel
Thin chrome on top (you can't get a good shine if it is too thick).
Chrome itself is porous so skimp in the nickel (which isn't) the chrome can fall off or the base metal rusts etc.
Some old cars have good plate, most don't.
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I like it where it's used to emphasize shape, especially on dark-coloured cars, as in Alastair's XF example. As another illustration, look at pre- and post-2005 Volvo S60s. My 2002 car has black rubber strips on the bumpers and doors that don't really show up against the dark paintwork; the later cars add a slim chrome strip that looks subtle but very effective.
For the same reason, chromed wheels or mirror shells look awful: the effect is all shouty bling rather than discreet emphasis. Audi S owners, I'm looking at you.
}:---)
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Thanks, I knew somebody would put me right. But my point remains the same. Do it properly or, probably preferably, don't do it at all.
How could anybody want to follow the German fashion and put chrome wheelarch spats on a Merc or a BMW? I've even seen them on American market (thankfully) XJSs.
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My friends in Nigeria where they like that sort of thing in their politicians and rich businessmen sent me the full PowerPoint show featuring that Audi a few years back when it was buzzing round the internet. It was allegedly made from silver and owned by an Arab prince. Seems unlikely, but it is parked outside a very fabulous palace. I would have thought a Ferrari more appropriate but perhaps they wouldn't cooperate. Or it is just clever use of Photoshop.
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Couldn't the image I included be polished un-painted metal? It's an Audi A8 so made from Aluminium rather than steel.
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The Rover 75 had lashings of gorgeous chrome. SUCH an attractive car, particularly in estate form. How it all went wrong... goodness only knows.
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I remember when the Rover 75 and Jaguar S-Type were launched at the NEC. I liked the look of the Rover but not the Jaguar. As you say how could it all go so wrong. But it did.
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Update: Urban legend as I suspected
tinyurl.com/8oly4
Just thinking about that other thread though. You could do the same to the 'Comedian's Car' and have something very...special?
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As I said, polished Aluminium ;-) Hence why it's an Audi A8 and not a Ferrari he had for this effect. Could have been a Jaguar XJ I suppose. In fact when launched/shown at the NEC, the XJ was polished aluminium like this with no paint.
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My Skoda has lashings of chrome around the front badge and mock radiator. Might get some revenge on those Xenon warriors. It is growing on me and quite stylish in a Kia Magentis sort of way. No other external chrome though.
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Its worth noting that very little REAL chrome is fitted to cars these days, its just reflective plastic so far as I can tell. Jaguars carry alot of convincing but definately plastic chrome. Infact the only real metal trim is the tailpipe finishers. There is also alot of stainless steel look trim such as on the XF around the windows - only the grille is actually bling shiny chrome look stuff.
Chrome is easy to tell apart though, as when you knock it, it feels different from plastic fake stuff.
Even high end Mercs and BMWs dont actually carry much genuine trim - your talking £100k plus usually to get he real deal now such is the sad state of the world!
Me, I love brightwork on cars as it makes a car look like a gem, the trim being the setting for the colour. It sure doesnt work so well with silver or grey though - dark red, green or blue seem to make it work best.
On the R75, I think it was possibly the most tasteful retro use of chrome-look trim on a modern car - its a bit too cynical on the Mini as they have stuck it anywhere they think it will fit and others dont seem to incorporate it into the design in a cohesive way. Jaguar are getting there though, the XF carries it well.
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