Mines chipped like hell dude as it's pretty much unavoidable being such a fragile piece and being prone to rocks galore. Par for the course.

 

I had the same experience. I called several shops before getting the grill and window trim painted. Some of them said they wouldn't paint chrome, but obviously some said they would. After two years, it's definitely chipping, but no peeling. I just touch it up every so often with a sharpe or OEM black touch-up paint. If you get really close you can tell, but from a few feet away it looks solid. I do wish I had gotten it vinyl wrapped though. I think it would have been more durable. I paid $250 to get the grill, window trim, and emblems painted. Not a great deal, but some shops quoted nearly double.

 

The grill can definitely be painted.






If you are worried about street debris chipping the paint, you could always get a clear bra installed on the grill. You will want to find a good installer that will take their time doing it right because of all the nooks and crannies. I'm not sure, though I would imagine that this would be a little pricey because of the work involved.

If you do not get the clear bra, I would suggest that you tell the painter exactly which paint code to use. Then you could go to any dealership and pick up some touch up paint.

 

Very nice job Midlife!!

 

I had my grille and rear lip professionally painted with an adhesion promoter over the existing chrome, rather than being sanded and primed.

Looks awesome, but as others have said it has a few small chips from normal road debris (hardly noticeable). From super close-up you can actually see the microscopic amount of chrome from where the paint chips away... but I'd have to point it out for you to notice.

Maybe sanding/priming first would have better results? Either way, I wouldn't pay more than 100 for them to paint it. If you uninstall the grille and drop it off to a painter might even be cheaper. And if it chips over time, you can always touch it up or repaint it again down the road.

 

I asked a local paint shop to paint my lower grille, and he told me the same thing. The paint will chip, and he even refused the work. There's no chrome at all on the lower grille.

Is there any form of clear enamel that will harden like a true enamel that can be used as a top coat? Would that hold up to chips?

 

My SportTrac 'had' a chrome foil grille. I was power washing baked-on Texas bug guts evidently a little too close. I now have a painted grille out of necessity.





If you are feeling giddy about DIY, I used a rotary nozzle on my 3000 psi pressure washer. I think the rotary nozzle is the key.

 

I've always called them turbo nozzles, but yep, same thing. They make quick work of a fence.

But you can ruin these nozzles if you aren't careful. I'm thinking about buying another one...I found one with a spring inside which protects the moving part in there which gets broken if you don't start it correctly. You're supposed to make sure the nozzle is facing downward so that this piece isn't slammed against the inside front of the nozzle when you start the water. I've lost a turbo nozzle once, and I think this may have been why.

I can't remember what the one with the safeguard spring was called. Time to do some research before it gets warm...and I start getting that pressure washing itch.

 

I did mine a dark dark gray. light sanding plus adhesion promoter will get the job done as a few have said.

 

How hard is it to Remove/replace grill? Might be better to buy the black grill and replace this one.......?

 

Pretty easy to remove, takes about 15 minutes, only real tricky part is the two short plastic dowel pins that are somewhat hidden on the backside of the plastic radiator cover. In the center of the cover on the back side that wraps down there's two 1/4" holes a couple inches apart that fit tightly over those dowel pins. You need to remove all the hold down bolts & clips then push the radiator cover to the back so it's away from those dowels. If you just try to pry the cover back over those dowels the cover will crack, so be warned.....
Here's a DIY
https://www.myg37.com/forums/d-i-y-i...nt-grille.html

 

Saw your impressive carbon wrap job on your grill and im curious if you took the grill off to wrap it or did it with it on the car?

Also any DIY for wrapping the grill?

 

You lay the wrap on a loosened grill, tack down vinyl to the front of the grill slats nice & tight but in between the slats it can be slacked. Then remove grill, heat the vinyl in between the grill slats and push the vinyl as deep into the valleys as you can. You then adhere the stretched vinyl to the top (visible side) of the grill slat. you then cut the vinyl so it's fully wrapped on the top of the slat and just enough on the underside to do about a 1/4" wrap. Do this for all the grill slats and wrap the outside frame so that about a 1/4" is hanging over all the outer grill edges, you then adhere this and heat seal all the edges, trim any excess then reinstall grill.
I never did a DIY on this project so that's about all I got
Might check youtube for a few vinyl wrap videos to give a better idea of working w/ the material.

 

Thanks blnewt, It sounds like it will be fairly easy. Ive wrapped a few things before so hopefully it wont take me too many tries. Now i just need to get my car back and get started!