[SA-G13B]

Hello BHPians!

I’ve recently (read = Jan’23) picked up a 2023 Mahindra Thar, in the 2.2 Diesel AT configuration, and have just started toying around with this.



The car has the usual list of mods that almost every Thar owner does:

Ø Wrangler Grill
Ø Monkeybar Handles
Ø Bug Deflector
Ø Side Step
Ø Gloss Black trims
Ø Front/Rear Armrests
Ø SS Metal Skid Plate Radiator Guard
Ø Marker Lights

I really wanted to get the chrome (EYESORE) delete done as soon as possible, but all workshops near me gave outlandish quotes in the ~Rs.4000 range!



I decided to go the DIY route, and picked up a can of Rust-Oleum Automotive Peel Coat Spray Paint from Amazon for Rs. 650

Sunday morning 11am I readied my DIY basket to dechrome the car myself, and got to it! DIY Basket contents:

Ø 3M Glass Cleaner (Used to clean the emblems, since it has IPA)
Ø Tooth Brush
Ø Cotton Swabs
Ø Microfiber Cloth
Ø Masking tape
Ø Cello Tape
Ø Paper (For masking)
Ø Rust-Oleum Automotive Peel Coat Spray Paint (Matte Black)
Ø Toothpick to aid in peeling

Step 1: Clean the emblem



Liberally sprayed the cleaner on the emblems, and gave it a nice rinse and wipe with the microfiber towel. Then proceeded to get into the nook & crannies using a damp cotton swap. Trust me, your car emblems are much dirtier than they look!

Step 2: Masking (Most important step)



I wasn’t too worried about overspray here, since this is rubberised paint, overspray just peels off the car. Nonetheless, I wanted to make sure I keep it to a minimum, to please the inner OCD.

First I masked off the emblem with just tape on all 4 sides, leaving 1-2 inches of space. Leaving this space is crucial to ensure a clean peal of the paint, or else you’ll be struggling to get small pieces of rubber out from between the emblem gaps.





Step 3: Spray Spray Spray!

I gave each emblem a total of 5 coats each, with each coat getting progressively heavier.

The first coat was extremely light, mostly for giving me a sense of how rubber paint sprays out (and trust me, it’s different from your regular spray paint). Each progressive coat was sprayed only after the previous coat was completely dry.

Also made sure to spray for all angles, since the emblems are 3D & quite thick on the Thar, to ensure no chrome spots were left uncovered.



Step 4: Peel Peel Peel!

Here it comes, the most satisfying part of this DIY, peeling off the rubber paint, and oh boy was it a lot of fun! My wife joined in for this part too!

Got to be careful while peeling, ensuring you don’t peel off the rubber on the emblem too! The mighty toothpick was my best friend here, making a fast job out of the nook and cranny peel.



Gave the emblems a good wipe after the peel, took a few steps back, and enjoyed the fruit of my effort!

And now, it’s time for you to enjoy the fruit, for reading through this post! Enjoy!





Hope you guys liked this DIY

MODS: Could not find a thread on DeChroming badges at home with Rubber Spray paint! Please feel free to move to the relevant thread/forum, if needed. You guys rock!

-SA-G13B

[bullitt1]

Originally Posted by SA-G13B

I decided to go the DIY route, and picked up a can of Rust-Oleum Automotive Peel Coat Spray Paint from Amazon for Rs. 650

That looks neat, black gives a different look to the car than chrome. I have been toying with this idea for my Compass but never got the time and the quotes for dechroming was in your range as well. I could not find the product you mentioned for the price, is it same one, can you post a picture of the can you bought.

[KkVaidya]

I got all the chrome bits painted gloss piano black on my VW. Did the Alloys as well. Gives the vehicle a sedate look.
Peelable paint is a good option for small areas though.

[unoczar]

That's a really neat job.

I did my black Pulsars alloys a bright red back in the day. Never got to doing it on my cars though. Thank you for bringing back memories.

[Takumi Fujiwara]

Hey SA-G13B, the badges look great! However I wanted to know, how has the rubber paint been holding up? Does it just come off or scratch away overtime? I am looking to dechrome my i20 Nline using this method, but there is a long bar of chrome that runs across the hatch. Keeping in mind that it is a fairly bigger piece of chrome compared to these badges, you think I should opt for this particular method and paint? Appreciate your response in advance. Thanks!

[Jaisalmeriya]

Great start to your DIY journey of one of the best base cars to go nuts on for Mods and DIY projects.

It was much easier for my Harrier Dark edition (got the emblems of the Harrier Kaziranga edition) for my Harrier installed .

[itsaj]

I did it for my harrier emblems few months ago with Plasti-dip.

[Strider24]

Brilliant DIY idea! I never knew such a peel off paint existed. You have also executed the spray and peel off flawlessly. I am sure it took some time to do it.

I am inspired, it's going on top of my DIY To-Do list.

This is what I like about Team-Bhp we get to learn so much from our collective experience and Wisdom.

[Kln]

Absolutely brilliant. Red and black looks killer. Ordered this for myself. Thanks for the lovely concept!

[rajeevsulu]

Wow, that is a phenomenal job. Red and black look lovely as a combination. Can you please tell us if the paint job stood the test of time? Thank you

[zadoom]

Originally Posted by SA-G13B

I decided to go the DIY route, and picked up a can of Rust-Oleum Automotive Peel Coat Spray Paint from Amazon for Rs. 650



I gave each emblem a total of 5 coats each, with each coat getting progressively heavier.

That is a pretty neat and good looking DIY that you got there.

Quick question though, after painting these chrome emblems how much of spray paint is left in the bottle. Reason for asking is that I currently have to park my Black car in an open parking. It's a temporary arrangement but the pigeon shit has screwed the paint royally to the extent that I keep contemplating a full repaint of the car. However this is a nice option, I can spray it over the entire bonnet area and remove it a few months later when the shit is not a concern.

So, from that perspective wanted to know if I am looking at 3 - 4 bottles of spray or something like 15 - 20 bottles as in the latter case I might as well get it repainted at a Paint Shop .

Thanks in advance for your inputs.

Cheers,
M

[Raghu M]

Not a fan of getting rid of those chrome areas but that is indeed neatly done. I am just wondering how long it will stay though. It could get easily peeled off if driven in slush and then given for a wash. Please share an update on the longevity of the peel. Thank you.

[SA-G13B]

Originally Posted by bullitt1

That looks neat, black gives a different look to the car than chrome. I have been toying with this idea for my Compass but never got the time and the quotes for dechroming was in your range as well. I could not find the product you mentioned for the price, is it same one, can you post a picture of the can you bought.

Thanks a lot bullitt1. The product I used is exactly the one you've shown. But somehow, they've increased the prices on Amazon (Maybe anticipating the demand after seeing my post )

Originally Posted by KkVaidya

I got all the chrome bits painted gloss piano black on my VW. Did the Alloys as well. Gives the vehicle a sedate look.
Peelable paint is a good option for small areas though.

Looks neat man KkVaidya! Yeah, peelable paint is probably the best option for emblems here. Or else I'd have to remove all the emblems, get them painted & then stick them back up!

Originally Posted by unoczar

That's a really neat job.

I did my black Pulsars alloys a bright red back in the day. Never got to doing it on my cars though. Thank you for bringing back memories.

Thanks unoczar! My pleasure! Do post some pics of your painted pulsar!

Originally Posted by Takumi Fujiwara

Hey SA-G13B, the badges look great! However I wanted to know, how has the rubber paint been holding up? Does it just come off or scratch away overtime? I am looking to dechrome my i20 Nline using this method, but there is a long bar of chrome that runs across the hatch. Keeping in mind that it is a fairly bigger piece of chrome compared to these badges, you think I should opt for this particular method and paint? Appreciate your response in advance. Thanks!

Thanks Takumi! TBH, It's been a week since I've painted them, and they look as good as new. Even pressure washing hasn't spoilt them in anyway.

In my opinion, this is the best method of doing so, especially because it won't destroy your grill chrome, where as a regular paint job would. If you're ever bored of it, you could just peel it off!
Also, even if it does get scratched up over time, you could always take out an hour and paint it again (With rubber paint, you can spray over existing paint too).

Originally Posted by Jaisalmeriya

Great start to your DIY journey of one of the best base cars to go nuts on for Mods and DIY projects.

It was much easier for my Harrier Dark edition (got the emblems of the Harrier Kaziranga edition) for my Harrier installed .

That was the idea behind buying this car too, DIY mods! (Got a DIY fog light install planned ). Envying your easy fix for the badges. All Thar's should have come with Black Badges too, in the first place.

Originally Posted by itsaj

I did it for my harrier emblems few months ago with Plasti-dip.

Oh great! How did it come out for you itsaj? More importantly, has it lasted the test of time?

Originally Posted by Strider24

Brilliant DIY idea! I never knew such a peel off paint existed. You have also executed the spray and peel off flawlessly. I am sure it took some time to do it.

I am inspired, it's going on top of my DIY To-Do list.

This is what I like about Team-Bhp we get to learn so much from our collective experience and Wisdom.

Those are kind words Strider24. Much appreciated. I've been learning so much from Team-BHP since years! Thought it was time to finally start giving back!
The whole thing took about 3 hours from start to finish, with a couple of coffee breaks in the middle!

Originally Posted by Kln

Absolutely brilliant. Red and black looks killer. Ordered this for myself. Thanks for the lovely concept!

Thanks Kln! That's awesome! Curious to see how it comes out for you! All the best

Originally Posted by rajeevsulu

Wow, that is a phenomenal job. Red and black look lovely as a combination. Can you please tell us if the paint job stood the test of time? Thank you

Thanks Rajeevsulu! I do agree, black and red look really good together. It's been a week, and it's lasted quite well. Also, I wouldn't be too bothered about it not lasting very long, since a repaint job for a single emblem wouldn't take more than 15 minutes on a Sunday morning.

Originally Posted by zadoom

That is a pretty neat and good looking DIY that you got there.


Quick question though, after painting these chrome emblems how much of spray paint is left in the bottle. Reason for asking is that I currently have to park my Black car in an open parking. It's a temporary arrangement but the pigeon shit has screwed the paint royally to the extent that I keep contemplating a full repaint of the car. However this is a nice option, I can spray it over the entire bonnet area and remove it a few months later when the shit is not a concern.

So, from that perspective wanted to know if I am looking at 3 - 4 bottles of spray or something like 15 - 20 bottles as in the latter case I might as well get it repainted at a Paint Shop .

Thanks in advance for your inputs.

Cheers,
M

Thank you Zadoom! With such a good response on this, I'm planning another DIY just to post here.
Ah pigeon shit seems to be a universal pain in the backside eh?

To answer your question, I painted 4 emblems (And Thar emblems are usually much bigger than your typical cars), gave each one 5 coats of varying intensity, and was left with more than half a can.
So you definitely don't need 15-20 cans (if that were the case, a full bonner repaint would be cheaper ). I think 2-3 cans would suffice. Max 4, if you got a heavy hand. Also, Amazon seems to have doubled the price since the time I've bought it, so look elsewhere, ideally.

All the best!

Originally Posted by Raghu M

Not a fan of getting rid of those chrome areas but that is indeed neatly done. I am just wondering how long it will stay though. It could get easily peeled off if driven in slush and then given for a wash. Please share an update on the longevity of the peel. Thank you.

Thank you Raghu. I am personally not a very big fan of chrome, and hence decided to paint the emblems off. The car has been pressure washed, and the paint has stood up well to that at least. Will probably update this thread a few months down the line on the longevity, since that seems to be a popular question here.

[zadoom]

Originally Posted by SA-G13B

Thank you Zadoom! With such a good response on this, I'm planning another DIY just to post here.
Ah pigeon shit seems to be a universal pain in the backside eh?

So you definitely don't need 15-20 cans (if that were the case, a full bonner repaint would be cheaper ). I think 2-3 cans would suffice. Max 4, if you got a heavy hand.

Thanks for the response. Indeed my next stop is going to the FNG paint shop this weekend to check how much he charges for the bonnet re-paint otherwise shall order the paint cans and go ahead with this DIY.

Cheers,

[clement.lloyd]

A very nice DIY, have placed an order for the paint to get it done on my city. Also read probably one important instruction on the product's review, that may be missing on the paint can:

The missing instruction that you need to follow is -- Begin removing tape and other masking immediately after the last coat has been applied to keep clean edges. If you wait too long, the coating may adhere too much to the tape.

This information was not on the can so when I started to remove the masking tape some of the coating started to peel off with the tape. Repairing the damage was easy and the Rust-Oleum Peel Coat is a great product. It looks good, was easy to apply, and it would have been nice if they had put all the instructions on the can. Be very careful removing your masking tape.