I have been hearing the problems people are having with chrome strips getting tarnished and discolored. Mine are that way too. I asked a couple body shops about painting them, but none wanted to do it.

I was wondering if its possible to either tape or put some kind of overlay on the chrome strips that wont wear away, peel or discolor. If thast possoble, then what are the possibility of colors. For my car, either black to blend in, or red to accent the red lip of my rims. What are everyones thoughts to this nagging problem?

 

were gonna need a photo chopper.

 

Deus - About two or three years ago, somebody here on the ORG applied black plastic tape to the tarnished roof strips on his black '04 Maxima. I don't remember who it was, but do remember he was pleased with the results.

As black absorbs the full heat of the sun, I'm not sure how the tape held up over time.

As for painting them, the shiny finish would have to be removed with a very fine sandpaper in order for the paint to have something to stick to.

 

I'm sure you could get a sign shop to cut strips out of the vinyl they use. It's designed to be out in the sun so it should last. It's just a matter of application. Making sure the piece is clean. I could see that the edges might be an issue. It might require the removal of the piece to apply the vinyl then reinstall after.

CM

 

there is a chrome polish which removes the tarnish from our chrome stripes.

a thread was posted a few months back. unfortunatley I do not have a far enough search option.

A fellow AZ max owner did it last weekend and I saw the improvement first hand... i was like WOW.... i wish i knew about it before buying my 2nd pair pf chrome stripes...

 

My strips, the chrome peeled off. Of course this happened right after the warranty was up.


I found a place to get replacements for 60 bucks. Anybody know how to remove and replace the strips? I have looked everywhere!


Thanks!

 

I used mothers chrome polish on my dulled strips it came out ok, not as good as new but I think with a few applications it should be back to new.

 

Here is a copy.

I have experimented with polishing compound to "unfade" the strips. Here are my before and after and the stuff I used. BTW that polishing compound is great for removing someone elses paint as well as scuff marks. Just remember to keep it lubricated.

Before: Notice the dull strip on the roof as compared to the one next to rear window. There is no reflection of the building at all on the faded part.


Before (Close Up)



After: Looks like the shine is restored and is reflective just like the unaffected piece.



After (Close Up)




Well, these are all the things that I used. Remember to keep the compound lubricated so that you don't just rub it dry. Microfiber cloth works great for these kind of projects.



Hope this helps folks.

 

What do you keep it lubricated with?

 

water

10 char

 

No matter what wax or polish you use, it still fades very soon and it's a POS material that is just made like that. Mine fades/peels and where both of them connect, it pops up a little bit

 

Ok After my last response to this thread I went out and picked up my mothers chrome polish from the garage and went at it, after about 3 sessions of polishing then letting dry then removing, I did the forth with a buff ball attached to a drill. It was practically gray before but now its much better, Closer to the back strips but still a bit darker. I had to quit before it got to dark as it is about 8 PM here now, Anyways If anyone needs pics please let me know Ill take some tomorrow.

 

What about putting tape as Light pointed out, or perhaps an overlay of some kind? Just seems to me it will look better anyway. Most cars dont have chrome strips any more.

 

Instead of tape, what about carbon fiber, just a random thought!!!

 

Awww man, is this what I can expect to see in a year or 2 on my '06?? WTF?

 

I had to have my front bumper replaced, so i asked the body shop if they could paint my chrome strips the same as my cars body color, and they said they could do it.. Hopefully it will come out ok and wont chip or peel. they did a awesome job on my bumpers paint, we will see what they do on the strips.

 

Ask them if they remove the strips and paint them, or do they paint them on the car? I do wonder if the paint will chip, flake, bubble etc.

 

i like the strips, but wouldnt polishing them, then covering them with that 3m clear tape, like the front protector do the trick. It would keep the air from oxidizing the metal, and would keep the wax unharmed from weather.

 

a good way to black them out is what many 5th gen owners have used, black out tape. You can buy it at Pepboys or other auto parts stores. It is durable as far as I have heard. BMW owners use it as well. Only thing is that it will not have a shiny black appearance, but I heard vinyl can be used for that look as well.

 

My 06 is dull too, but just haven't cared yet to take it in to the dealer and have them replace it.

 

Its been months since I polished it as explained earler and they have not changed much if at all.

 

its the body gloss as seen in the small bottle. The polishing compund is like a micron sized abrassive so if you don't keep it lubricated it will do more damage then good. Its basically like wet sanding it but you are using the compound instead of super fine sand paper.

 

If you go this route, make sure you request premium cast vinyl, not the "intermediate" grade calendered vinyl. The premium comes in more colors, conforms to the substrate (your roof strips) better, has less shrinkage, maintains its gloss better and has a significantly greater overall life expectancy.

Solid color premium vinyl should last at least 5 years in a horizontal outdoor application like this. You shouldn't expect more than 2-3 years from intermediate grade vinyl.

FYI, metallic colors, even premium grade, have a shorter life expectancy than solids colors.

 

Vinyl is great and premium cast vinyls are guaranteed for up to 9 years. Keep in mind that the guarantee apllies to their color (no fade) and the fact that they won't crack. Problem is if you put them in place where there is mechanical abuse the surface won't last 9 years. Its denitely doable thou.

 

Stated life expectancy for vinyl graphics film is for vertical application. You typically need to derate them by 40-60% for horizontal application (changes the sun exposure). In any case, premium cast vinyl will last the longest and is your best bet for this application. It is really no different than placing vinyl lettering on a vehicle - it just happens that it doesn't spell anything in this case. Reputable sign shops will always use premium vinyl on vehicular applications unless the client stands on his head over price and signs off on a disclaimer.

You are absolutely correct about the physical damage - the vinyl certainly can be nicked or cut and this is not part of its "warranty".

Speaking of warranty, you can expect none if you apply it yourself, and the typical sign industry "standard" is to warranty professionally installed vinyl graphics film for one year. You're not likely to find anyone who will give a performance warranty beyond that, regardless of the "expected" lifetime.

Once upon a time, I owned a sign shop for 8 years... couldn't wait to sell it...

 

True and to the point.

 

on my maximas plastic molding and now these chrome strips i always used to wax them and never had a problem with fading, peeling, etc. my chrome strips are like new and never been changed..currently have 78K miles...kept wax on them thats all. car sits out in the sun all day too while im at work.

 

Be careful if you are having a body shop remove them...they are easy to bend and many a shop has hurt the top of the car trying to get them off.

Joshua

 

Actually Nissan Stealerships were also known for not only bending them but cracking the sides of the front windshield during the swapout...

As more swapouts take place, they may have gotten better, however look closely at the sides of your windshield before you sign off on the work order...

 

i still don't trust the Stealership

 

If you want black strips, just buy a roll of Blackout Trim tape from your local pepboys for ~$6

 

just like BlueSky said- get some blackout tape- I've seen it at PepBoys, too, and it looks like it's the same width as our strips are. It's a cheap and easy way to see if you like the look. I was actually wondering why you haven't done this yet. If you're curious about the red, grab a roll of red electrical tape- it's kind of a hack solution, but at least you'll get the idea.

 

Jus spend some time and polish them, I did mine a few days ago, Ive washed the car since, and its still good...