Chrome delete

What gets covered

Chrome delete is a trim job, not a body job. The pieces are the door handles, the window surrounds and belt-line trim, the mirror caps, the grille surround and bars, the bumper accents, the badges, the roof rails and the tailgate or trunk garnish. A basic delete takes the handles, surrounds, mirrors and trunk trim, which is the set that changes the look most for the least money. A full delete takes everything, down to the chrome ring on a fog light.

The vinyl comes from the same 3M 1080 and Avery Dennison SW900 rolls we use for vehicle wraps, so the finish on a wrapped roof and the finish on the trim match.

Finishes

Matte black is the standard finish and the right call on most trucks and SUVs. Gloss black gives a deep wet look that works on black, dark gray and navy paint, where it reads as factory high-gloss trim. Satin black sits between the two. Brushed metal and body-color matching are the quieter options: on a white or silver vehicle, color-matched trim disappears into the body and the car looks like it was ordered that way.

Trucks, SUVs, Teslas and German cars

Full-size trucks carry the most chrome of anything on the road. An F-150, Silverado, Ram or Tundra in a chrome trim level carries a grille surround, bumper caps, handles, mirror caps, surrounds and a tailgate strip, and deleting all of it from $1,199.99 changes the truck more than any single accessory. See truck chrome delete. Tahoe, Suburban and Expedition owners get the same effect on a larger scale.

Teslas have a narrow set of chrome pieces, the window trim, the handles and the trunk strip, and the Model 3 and Model Y delete starts from $1,000 because the pieces are few and the job is precise. Tesla chrome delete covers which year ranges still ship with chrome. BMW and Mercedes owners most often pair the delete with badge removal and a satin roof; see BMW and Mercedes chrome delete.

Same day, and what takes longer

A sedan or a Tesla is a 2 to 4 hour job and goes home the same afternoon. A chrome-heavy truck or three-row SUV can run into a second day because the grille and roof rails are slow to wrap well. If the vehicle is also getting tint or a roof wrap, the Blackout Package schedules all of it in one 2 to 3 day booking.

Why it protects the chrome

Maui’s salt air and humidity pit and haze chrome trim faster than most owners expect. Vinyl over the chrome seals it from the weather, so when the delete comes off years later the chrome underneath is often in better shape than the chrome on a neighbor’s truck that was never covered. That is also why it has no effect on resale: the buyer gets either the blacked-out look or untouched chrome, whichever they want.

Reversible, lease-safe, and what removal looks like

The vinyl is applied over the chrome with no sanding, priming or paint, so it comes off with heat and leaves the original finish. That makes chrome delete the safe choice on a lease: have it removed before turn-in and the inspection sees stock trim. Vinyl removal is a short appointment, and we take off the deletes we install when the time comes.

Care

Hand wash or touchless wash only; the spinning brushes at an automatic wash catch edges on trim faster than on flat panels. Rinse road grime off the lower trim and do not pick at an edge if one ever lifts. Bring it in and we re-set it with heat.

Driving in from around Maui

Kahului is about 8 minutes from the shop, Kihei about 25 on Mokulele Highway and Pukalani about 20 up Haleakala Highway. Lahaina and Kaanapali are about 45 to 50 minutes on Honoapiilani Highway, and every town pays the same price with no travel charge.

Same-day service means one trip for most vehicles. Send the year, model and the finish you have in mind and we will tell you which pieces are chrome on your trim level and quote the delete before you drive in.