Chroming up a 132TSI

[tigger73]

Some of you wanted to see photos of my chrome work so here they are. See the captions under each photo. All the stuff came from Ebay. If you want the specific links let me know. The chrome strips for the bottom of the doors was the hardest to get. I went to Ebay in the UK and convinced a supplier in Italy to sell to me for $140. Everything else came from China or Australia.

Nice work!

[davc88]

too much chrome to my taste.. doesnt even look like a fake 155tsi. you can instantly tell the roof, window, bottom door looks aftermarket. sorry to be blunt but sticking the red SI on the back its like putting a skyline GTR badge on a skyline GTS-T.

[tigger73]

Each to their own. I don't have a problem if people want to personalise their car. At least it shows that they care about their car which is a lot more than some people who you see driving around cars that haven't been washed for months.

I also like the look of the 155 with the extra chrome trims as the 125/132 can look a little "plain" without some accents/highlights. I tried to install chrome window surroundson my 125TSI but this didn't work for me. If you did want to go down this path you'd be better off buying the original parts from VW but this is a major job as you ned to replace all the seals (and probably not worth the cost).

I beleive also that the only way to buy a manual was to order a 132 as the 155 only came with DSG option (from memory).

So if you wanted a manual but also wanted the chrome trims you couldn't do it (other than going down the route that hilly61 has done).

Regards to badging I get your point. Some people tune their cars and effectively have that level of performance. Others just like the looks. I personally thought the back of my car had way too many badges on it so I took them all off. Still trying to decide if/what to put anything back on.

[davc88]

have no probs when people are personalizing their car. i think you miss understand me? i thought he wanted to do a 155tsi chrome job. that it self failed. the window trim are half done? or dont even fit? there are no mirror finished chrome strips for under the door trim. not to mention a lot of bit and pieces just make the car look like its a half assed chrome job. sorry but chrome jobs like this make the car look cheap.

my initial understanding is that he wanted his car to look like a 155tsi. i did it on mine and if i can source those chrome trims to make it look factory fitted others can too. how about if i put a Rline badge on mine would my car look faster more expensive? or is it a fake Rline because obviously my car would look half assed too with out the proper bodykit and Rline accessories. by all means put K04 badge on it if your car has it. but dont try to be pretentious.

[tigger73]

my initial understanding is that he wanted his car to look like a 155tsi. i did it on mine and if i can source those chrome trims to make it look factory fitted others can too.

Would be very interested in sharing your experience with getting these trims and how you went about retro-fitting. If you can share your source for these parts that would be great too. I am sure there are other 125/132 drivers out there that would like this upgrade.

[davc88]

alright tigger73 i'll write up something just for you lol here is the aftermarket trims i got from china. full window trim, door trim and back trims. shipped via express DHL the whole thing cost around $160 AUS including shipping. i also have scuff plates and pedals added too but i wont bother posting those.

you will need isopropyl alcohol spray, clean cloth and red double sided 3m tape. first clean the application parts with the alcohol spray and wipe it clean. i found some parts that didnt fit 100% so the chrome strips might be rather loose because the backing tape is not touching the surface or pulling away from the surface. in that case just apply extra 3m tape to thicken up the layer so both surfaces are touching evenly. if you do it right, you wont be able to pull the trims off unless you rip the whole thing off which will bend your trim pieces....the tape is that strong. i had to alter the strips for the passenger window since its longer. other then that its pretty straight forward.

[tigger73]

Thanks davc88.

It looks like a better kit than the one I had plus getting extra 3M tape and some alcohol spray probably would have helped to keep the trims on.

The "kit" I got had a couple of joins mid-section on the long trim over the drivers/passenger window which was a bit cheap (I can only guess that whoever made it wanted to keep the package size down). Plus the cleaning solution provided withthe kit didn't really clean the rubber mouldings sufficiently for the double-sided tape to stick really well (kept on lifting in places). Plus the fact that the rear door trims were too long I delided to send the kit back.

Given how yours has turned out I may have to look into trying this one again. How did you cut the trim for the rear windows? I was worried that the tin snips I have wouldn't give a nice line.

Anyway thanks for posting your pictures. Good to see a few chrome options.

[BladeSlapper]

Hi guys,
I've got a white 103tdi. I specifically wanted a diesel so the 155 was never an option for me, and it sounds like I had the same conversation at the dealer as every one else did.
So far I've only added the brushed S/S door sill protectors, but I want to add the door, window and roof rail trims.
Does any one know if/how the roof rails are attached? I've found a set with the S/S trim but they only stick on with double sided tape and have no load rating. They appear a bit dodgy..
Keep the info coming, any leads on these bits & pieces are great.
Also, I came across a black leather interior at a wreckers in Sydney today if any one is interested...GMS Spares.
Cheers

[BladeSlapper]

Hi davc88,
Your machine looks great, finishes of the car nicely. Are you able to post where you got the parts from?
There seems to be dozens available, and appears you've had a reasonable experience with what you received.
I'd really appreciate it.
Cheers

[davc88]

Given how yours has turned out I may have to look into trying this one again. How did you cut the trim for the rear windows? I was worried that the tin snips I have wouldn't give a nice line.

i used a angle grinder. then bend the end slightly to make it look more fitting. you can just test cut it a few time with smaller cuts until you feel confident to do the final cut.

Hi davc88,
Your machine looks great, finishes of the car nicely. Are you able to post where you got the parts from?
There seems to be dozens available, and appears you've had a reasonable experience with what you received.
I'd really appreciate it.
Cheers

i got it from a Chinese auction site called Taobao. you can usually find the same type of stuff on ebay but with a larger mark up.