Nobody will paint my kidney grills black!

[King]

Yes I know I can simply go to any auto parts store and pick up gloss black paint and do it myself. However I want to paint the grills the same as the body color - jet black and I want to do it right! I checked with three body shops and nobody will paint the grills because of the chrome surround which is difficult to paint. Is there any paint thinner type substance I can use to peel off the chrome, or is it solid plastic chrome? Any pointers from people that have done it??

[LeMansX5]

Get another set in black or CF. I am sure some vendors out there sell pre-painted.

[King]

Yes, I have heard of aftermarket 'all black' versions that are available and can be painted.. Anyone know where I can get them??

[M6X]

try ebay. im surprised the body shops you went to denied you. i mean, why turn away business? they could simply charge you a bit more for the extra work.

[Penguin]

FYI:

Painting Exterior chrome trim - Dupli-Color Garage Forums

[lakai]

You need to sand it off first.. Those guys are just lazy.

[LI-X5]

weird any body shop should do it !!

strip,prep,paint,clear !!

[Penguin]

> Those guys are just lazy.

Nah, it's a little job without much profit that has a good chance of being difficult and/or flaking later and having a dissatisfied customer.

It's simply not worth the bother for a professional shop.

[King]

Originally Posted by Penguin

FYI:

Painting Exterior chrome trim - Dupli-Color Garage Forums

Thanks for the link. If I can't find anything else, I might try that. I found several aftermarket blackout grills for just about everything but the new X5. They have them for the E53 but not the E70 yet. I'm gona' keep looking ...

[bmwman3241]

Is the X5 and X6 grill the same? If so, these are nice carbon fiber ones.

http://www.xoutpost.com/attachments/x...lr-x650-10.jpg