Looking to Add Some Chrome to the Vibe.

[chadhgraves]

So I'm getting a little tired of the "murdered out" black look of my Vibe. I've been wanting to add some chrome in the mix. I've got glossy black wheel covers on now and everything else on my car is black. I just put on some chrome abs plastic door handle covers and I love the look of it. They fit perfectly over the existing handles and really give it a luxury look. Here's the link to them on ebay for $25. http://www.ebay.com/itm/140401...l2648 I also bought some used chrome wheel covers for $26 off ebay too. So that got me thinking of what else I could do. I'm thinking of getting some chrome paint and painting the metal roof rack rails on the sides to give it a shiny chrome look. Has anyone painted their rack before? I'll probably sand it and clean it before I put the paint on. Ya or Nay on putting some primer on it first? Then I think I'm going to take out the four plastic grills on the front and paint them chrome as well. After that, I'll probably paint all the decals straight up chrome to freshen them up or just polish the ones that are already chrome. I've seen on ebay all the peel and stick chrome trim for the doors and windows edges, but I probably won't do that. I'm also thinking of unscrewing my FM radio antenna and replacing it with a smaller chrome one. I use XM radio all the time, so it'll be just for looks. Here's the one I'm looking at.http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISA..._1186 So what ideas do you guys have for adding in some chrome? Anything you've done on the exterior to give it a new look? Chrome vinyl for the side mirrors? Chrome exhaust tip? Sand and paint the whole car chrome? JK.

[beemerphile1]

I would say, stay away from the chrome paint. You won't be happy with the results. When I have seen it used it ended up splotchy and dull after a short period of time.I have seen chrome pillar covers like your handle covers.Other than that I can't help, I'm not a chrome loving type of person.

[A Psycho Martyr]

Eh, I'm more of a Brushed Aluminum fan than I am of Chrome, but I agree you could try finding some Chrome vinyl overlays (or just bulk Chrome vinyl and make em yourself) for your B Pillars, I believe they're called. Like something you see on the Chrysler 300. Also Chrome valve stem caps might stand out on your black wheel covers. You can get Chrome windshield wipers too.I would, however, steer clear of the chrome paint. I've never been able to achieve a desired look with it.

[sideshowalan]

If you feel comfortable taking apart the inside door panel. The matrix had optional chrome interior door handles. You can find them on ebay or other sites, search for matrix (or corolla) chrome interior door handle.Thank you for not using the peel/stick trim, it looks very tacky when people outline their doors with that stuff.

[lannvouivre]

Quote, originally posted by chadhgraves »Chrome exhaust tip?I just picked one up on eBay for $21 for the heck of it. I'll take a picture when I put it on at some point, but I probably won't remember to post it in this thread.Quote, originally posted by A Psycho Martyr »Eh, I'm more of a Brushed Aluminum fan than I am of ChromeMe too, small amounts of chrome look alright. There's a PT Cruiser in town that I see occasionally that's covered in it (not the way that Mercedes is)...

[09vGT]

can you imagine that thing coming at you in the sun!

[A Psycho Martyr]

Quote, originally posted by 09vGT »can you imagine that thing coming at you in the sun! Hahaa.... I'd be like, " WHAT THE "

[vibenvy]

I would keep the chrome to a minimum, otherwise it will look overdone and cheesy. I would say install the door handle overlays and wheel covers, then get some chrome overlays for the badges, get a polished exhaust tip and call it a day.Let me know how well the door handle overlays fit and post some pictures when you get them installed. I have been thinking for a while that chrome door handles might be kind of a nice little addition to our 2009 Vibe GTs...

[Infinity-x]

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »I would keep the chrome to a minimum, otherwise it will look overdone and cheesy. I would say install the door handle overlays and wheel covers, then get some chrome overlays for the badges, get a polished exhaust tip and call it a day.Let me know how well the door handle overlays fit and post some pictures when you get them installed. I have been thinking for a while that chrome door handles might be kind of a nice little addition to our 2009 Vibe GTs...Do they even offer chrome door handles for the 2009 Vibes? If so.. LINK PLEASE!

[chadhgraves]

2009 Pontiac Vibe chrome handle covershttp://www.ebay.com/itm/2009-2..._1186

[chadhgraves]

I'm just talking about a little bit of chrome accent pieces. I still like the black look, but with a little shine in spots. So everyone agrees, NO on the chrome paint. I'll probably just polish and wax the roof rack bars to bring some shine to it. I don't think I'll chrome the B pillars, cause I like the look of the solid black throughout the windows and doors. I put the exterior door handle covers on and they look great. I'll take a picture tomorrow in the daylight so you can see them. They look like the real deal. As for changing out the interior handles, I'm just going to leave them the way they are. I don't mind them. I'll probably wait and look around for some chrome grill inlays. No on trim pieces. Replace the antenna to a brushed metal one, put on the chrome wheel covers when they get here, and look for a chrome exhaust tip. How do the tips fit on there? Post some pics of it when you get it on. My exhaust might need a little reshaping. Looks a little flat on top from bottoming off a steep curb. I thought I ripped the whole back end off when that happened. About 3 years ago, some friends and I were leaving a Kings of Leon concert and it was raining. Pulled out of the parking lot and misjudged the height of a curb when we were pulling out. I probably would of cleared it if I didn't have a full car of people. I like the chrome windshield wipers idea. I'm just worried about reflection off them driving down the road. I've seen them on other cars and like the idea. Probably clean up and polish the pontiac badges or put some chrome inlays on them. I still wonder what the side mirrors would look like if I wrapped those in chrome vinyl. I bet it would look alright. Might have to photoshop and see how it would look. I also bought some chrome valve stem caps. Probably won't show up at all once I put the new wheel covers on, but it was like $2 at autozone.

[chadhgraves]

Brandon, So I looked through your garage and you're quite the modder! Looks like you've done a lot of the things I've been thinking of. The antenna, grill inserts, painting the badges, etc... I absolutely love those pedals. I've got some brushed metal ones on my pedals. I bought it from autozone back in high school, then transfered them over when I got my Vibe in college. Where did you get those pedals? You like them? I want to buy some.

[A Psycho Martyr]

Quote, originally posted by chadhgraves »I don't think I'll chrome the B pillars, cause I like the look of the solid black throughout the windows and doors.Smart man.Quote, originally posted by chadhgraves »Where did you get those pedals? You like them?Actually got these at Auto Zone for like $12. Lasted for about 5yrs, then went and bought the same set again, so yeah I like em

[lannvouivre]

Quote, originally posted by chadhgraves »How do the tips fit on there? Post some pics of it when you get it on. My exhaust might need a little reshaping. Looks a little flat on top from bottoming off a steep curb.It slips on over the exhaust and it has some wide prongs on the part that's "out of sight" under the car. It's held on with a clamp that's similar to a hose clamp, except you tighten a nut and it's a solid band. The one I got was used...new they are/were $80. I feel like you can probably see the clamp when you're driving behind me, tomorrow I'll try to take some more pictures that show how it's attached and such.

[chadhgraves]

Hey, that looks really good. How's it look from a distance?

[Houston]

Those handle covers look pretty nice. I might also get them, but am waiting to see a photo of them installed on somebody's car. Easy mods are right up my alley.

[chadhgraves]

Hey Houston, They were super easy to put on. I'll upload some pics of mine later today.

[chadhgraves]

Don't mind the gray primer wheels. I'm in the middle of painting them black to cover up some rust that was showing through my wheel covers. http://imgur.com/a/p89of

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by Houston »Those handle covers look pretty nice. I might also get them, but am waiting to see a photo of them installed on somebody's car. Easy mods are right up my alley.They do look nice, but after seeing them I think I'll stick with the regular color matched handles. I think the chrome would stand out too much, especially on the Steel Blue Metallic of my mom's Vibe. If you do get some Houston, be sure and post some pictures .

[Houston]

Quote, originally posted by J_TO_ENVY »They do look nice, but after seeing them I think I'll stick with the regular color matched handles. I think the chrome would stand out too muchI agree, so won't be getting them.

[chadhgraves]

My car is probably not the best "model" for them right now, but it should look better when I get finished with everything. They do look good in person though. I agree about not putting them on the newer model Vibes. The body style on the new Vibes flow together so much nicer than the original Vibes. I still have to dye my cladding black, which should help the look of them. Mine's an '03 so I wanted to give it a fresher look.

[KITT222]

One of the little tricks Bob Lutz implemented at GM was that little hints of chrome can give a car a much more expensive and quality look. There's no chrome on the Vibe, and when I compare it to something like the Cruze, I can see what Bob meant. Chrome touches might look good. Mind you, I'm not a fan. Still, I like to see people going ahead with ideas like this. BTW, your steelies look great in grey.

[Houston]

Quote, originally posted by chadhgraves »Mine's an '03 so I wanted to give it a fresher look. If I still had my '03, I'd probably install them - and for the same reason you did. For all I know they'll be on this one a few years down the road. Be sure to post photos as you complete each stage, chadhgraves, so we can see how your Vibe is coming along. Guys like me really appreciate guys like you who are willing to take those first steps into the unknown. Think of yourself as Genvibe's John Glenn!

[vibenvy]

Quote, originally posted by chadhgraves »My car is probably not the best "model" for them right now, but it should look better when I get finished with everything. They do look good in person though. I agree about not putting them on the newer model Vibes. The body style on the new Vibes flow together so much nicer than the original Vibes. I still have to dye my cladding black, which should help the look of them. Mine's an '03 so I wanted to give it a fresher look.Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »One of the little tricks Bob Lutz implemented at GM was that little hints of chrome can give a car a much more expensive and quality look. There's no chrome on the Vibe, and when I compare it to something like the Cruze, I can see what Bob meant. Chrome touches might look good.I do agree that the chrome door handle overlays seem more "at home" on the 1st gen Vibes. I think it's because the 2nd gens already have some chrome accents in the headlights and taillights and the front grilles, whereas the 1st gens don't have any chrome accents anywhere on the exterior.Best of luck with your continued chrome project and I'm looking forward to seeing more progression pictures .

[lannvouivre]

Quote, originally posted by chadhgraves »Hey, that looks really good. How's it look from a distance? I'm charging my real camera up so I can take better pictures today after I wash it up.

[lannvouivre]

http://i1212.photobucket.com/a...t.jpgh ... 3.jpgLarge images for more detail! Linking to them because they're gigantic.

[chadhgraves]

Looks good! I might go ahead and buy one. Which one did you buy or was it an universal one?

[lannvouivre]

I got this one:http://paceperformance.com/i-5....htmlI got it used, though. There are some new for $30 on eBay (which is where I bought mine used).

[chadhgraves]

Thanks for the link. It's on my list now. There's a few other upgrades I want to buy before I get the chrome exhaust tip though, like putting on hood struts. So, I bought a 2' x 5' roll of chrome vinyl off ebay since everyone said no on the chrome paint. I've been researching up on it and it looks like you just peel and stick it wherever you want chrome and use a heat gun to help the adhesion and smooth out wrinkles. http://www.ebay.com/itm/260859..._1014 I plan on wrapping the brushed metal side rails on the roof rack and the plastic Pontiac branded "bumper" on the middle of the hatch along with the faded red inlays on the badges. With the left overs, I'll probably either wrap the front grills or the side view mirrors. The front grills would be pretty tedious trying to cut out the holes and wrap it in there. The side view mirrors would be easier, but I'll try a dry fit first before I ultimately decide to do that. Still not sure how that would look. Might be too strange looking. I could do the mid door bumper rails. Not sure about that either.Anyways, I'm thinking out loud here. I'll just wait and see what I can test fit to see what it would look like before I make it "permanent". Still waiting on my chrome wheel covers though.

[lannvouivre]

I think it would look good on the side door bumper rails. Doing the entire side view mirrors might look like a bit much, might look better to just do it on the rims around the mirrors, or a stripe across the front like the mirrors on the Mazda CX-9 http://www.auto-smart-cars.com...9.jpgThat's just what I think, though.

[chadhgraves]

I see a lot of cars with the chrome stripe on the side mirrors now that I'm looking out for it. It's like you always notice Vibes on the road after you own one. So I got my wheel covers in that I bought on ebay and put them on. Changes the feel of the car compared to my black ones. I like it though. The chrome vinyl wrap came in as well. I'm going to measure and cut out pieces for the side roof rack rails and the rear hatch middle bumper. After that I'll see what else I might use it on but don't want to overdue it. Here's some pics of my chrome wheel covers.

[KITT222]

That actually looks pretty nice. Great job!

[Persephone]

Oh~, Chad. I am in looove with your chrome. @_@ I gasped when I saw it! It looks beautiful!!!

[chadhgraves]

Thanks KITT222 and Persephone! I have a couple more things to add to it, but it's getting there.

[KITT222]

You could try out some 05-08 Vibe headlights. They have chrome housings instead of black.

[lannvouivre]

Looks great so far!Quote, originally posted by KITT222 »You could try out some 05-08 Vibe headlights. They have chrome housings instead of black.Wait a second! Are you saying the 2003-04 headlights would fit 05-08 Vibes?

[KITT222]

Quote, originally posted by lannvouivre »Wait a second! Are you saying the 2003-04 headlights would fit 05-08 Vibes? Yep! Brian (Bluecrush) has had 03-04s on his 05 Vibe. Another member from long ago which I stumbled into in a search put 05 headlights on his 03.

[Persephone]

WHAAAAAT?! This is news to me. O_O

[chadhgraves]

I never even noticed that before. Huh. Good idea though. I don't really feel like taking out my headlight assemblies and buying new ones for minimal gain in my view. I guess I could take off the lens and use that chrome vinyl on the black parts. Probably just leave it alone though. I bought a headlight restoration kit that uses fine grit sandpaper and polishing compound with wax. It really cleared up my lenses. I might do it again to get out a few more scratches that are still in there.

[Houston]

Those wheel covers really set off your Vibe. They somehow even seem to make the door handles look better - like a package, so to speak. Keep the photos coming.

[chadhgraves]

Thanks Houston! It definitely helped to tie the handles in with wheels. They don't glaringly stick out like they did without the wheel covers. Overall, I'm happy with the outcome of it. lannvouivre - So what do you think of the exhaust tip after having it on for a week. You still like it? Still debating on whether to get one. I think it would be a good addition. I enhanced your pics so I could get a better feel of it. Hope you don't mind.

[lannvouivre]

Quote, originally posted by chadhgraves »lannvouivre - So what do you think of the exhaust tip after having it on for a week. You still like it? Still debating on whether to get one. I think it would be a good addition. I enhanced your pics so I could get a better feel of it. Hope you don't mind.I AM SO OFFENDED! j/k, it's fine. I don't see the back end of my car much so I honestly forgot about it. I even washed my car today and forgot to wipe the exhaust tip properly...I don't regret buying it, though, since it looks good and was incredibly cheap since it was used. If it had been $80, I wouldn't even have gotten it. GM's price for it new was ridiculous!