Shadow Chrome Wheels, Yay or Nay??
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Joined: Oct 2006
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From: San Francisco, CA
My Ride: 2007 530i | Silver Gray/Blk | Step-Tronic | Sport/Premium Package | Logic 7 | PDC | Fold-Down Rear Seats
I've been seeing a couple of shadow chrome wheels popping up lately on this forum and in person and I have to say, it looks really good. Not only is the look different, it hides the excessive break dust on our cars. What do you guys think? Does anybody have any extensive experience in regards to the durability of the finish? Oh btw, any reccommendations of where to get this finish done is greatly appreciated.
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Joined: Sep 2004
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From: New York, NY
My Ride: '05 545i - scheduled for ED pickup in Munich on 7/22!
if you get it powdercoated instead of painted then durability will be less of an issue
in any color you can imagine too, doesnt matter
in any color you can imagine too, doesnt matter
shadow chrome ro also known as black chrome are indeed very nice. Personally i like them a lot, good luck of finding a shop that's willing to do it for you. Beside, it's very expensive if you found one.
I'm not sure powder coating will have the exact same effect/look
I'm not sure powder coating will have the exact same effect/look
I've only had mine for about 10 days, but this is how I see it:
On the brake dust issue, this has to be the absolutely best solution. I always hated the fact that whilst I could keep my car reasonably clean in between washes using a California Duster, the wheels only looked good/clean for a day or two. Not any more!
On the durability issue:
If you take your wheels in for repair (if you kerb them for example) they sometimes respray the whole wheel. These processes are well established and last pretty well.
The chrome shadow effect is essentially achieved with a complete respray. Black undercoat followed by some very thin layers of chrome coloured paint and sealed with a clear coat.
So provided the original paint is prepped properly and the new (correct) paint is applied properly, there should be no problems.
I'm also not sure if the same glossy black and chrome combination could be achieved using powder coating.
Here are some pics:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry429118
On the brake dust issue, this has to be the absolutely best solution. I always hated the fact that whilst I could keep my car reasonably clean in between washes using a California Duster, the wheels only looked good/clean for a day or two. Not any more!
On the durability issue:
If you take your wheels in for repair (if you kerb them for example) they sometimes respray the whole wheel. These processes are well established and last pretty well.
The chrome shadow effect is essentially achieved with a complete respray. Black undercoat followed by some very thin layers of chrome coloured paint and sealed with a clear coat.
So provided the original paint is prepped properly and the new (correct) paint is applied properly, there should be no problems.
I'm also not sure if the same glossy black and chrome combination could be achieved using powder coating.
Here are some pics:
http://forums.e60.net/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry429118
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