Procedure & pics: Dechroming my Toyota Fortuner 4x4

The door handles are still chrome; painting them black would further improve the look.

BHPian graaja recently shared this with other enthusiasts:

Stealth Mode On: De-Chroming the Fortuner

The last modification on my list was to dechrome the Fortuner. The Fortuner in black looks fantastic. However, dechroming the substantial chrome bits in the front bumper, tailgate, and windows was something I wanted to do.

As I had a 10-day trip to Spiti for Snow Leopard photography, I left the car with Automed, a newly set up paint shop in Coimbatore. This is run by the same team that runs NextGen Auto, where I got the PPF installed.

We decided to do the following:

1. Wrap the two big chrome pieces on the front bumper in gloss black
2. Paint the aluminum-finished skid plate in the front with matt black
3. Paint the chrome insert with the letters "Fortuner" on the tailgate in gloss black
4. Paint the Toyota logos in gloss black

The chrome parts were sanded first to remove the chrome, then painted with primer, black paint and clear coat.

I have only a few pictures and videos of the painting process and none of the film application.

Trims that need to be painted, removed, sanded, and ready to paint.

Parts are painted.

Once I got the car, I did a small photo shoot. Below are some pictures of the car after the dechroming operation. The front skid plate makes a huge difference in the front view.

Below are a couple of pictures comparing the car with chrome and de-chromed.

I am very happy with the quality and finish of the work done by Automeds. One thing I am not sure (and folks at Automeds, too) is how long the wrapped bits will last. Hope they hold well for several years. Fingers crossed!

The door handles are still chrome; painting them black would further improve the look. However, as the door handles are heavily used, paint or wrap may peel off soon. Need to figure out a better solution for this.

That's all folks I have for now!

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