I'm thinking of putting chrome grills on my JB 2011 M3?

[The-Traveler]

When I bought the car I didn't notice that on the 2011+ BMW did away with the chrome grills. Up until that point it used to be that you received the fully chrome ones if you purchased a top of the line model within each Segment. So a 335/M3 would have had them, and all the other 3 series would get the chrome surround, with blank inserts.

I went to see Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation yesterday and the top of the line black 6 series near the end has chrome grills.
So anyway, here's my car and here's one of my favorite M3's from the internet.

Don't you think that on black, chrome looks better?

I feel as though in 2011 they cut every single corner that they could, no fishnets, crappy sun visors, etc..

[burtonsbs5114]

I agree. I have jerez black and everyone tells me to black out the grills. Personally, I like the chrome look and I feel the black out grills look like its missing something. There is a new 750il that lives by me. It is black with black grills and it looks like there is a huge hole in the front. I think it looks terrible.

[M3Bimmer77]

The only chrome I would have would be the under carriage. I hate chrome. MPO. Other people love it, just talk to a HD owner. Maybe black chrome, maybe..... I have them gloss black on jet black, I love it. All this is depending on the look you like. The owner of the car you like apparently likes chrome.

[Move Over]

Originally Posted by M3Bimmer77

The only chrome I would have would be the under carriage. I hate chrome. MPO. Other people love it, just talk to a HD owner. Maybe black chrome, maybe..... I have them gloss black on jet black, I love it. All this is depending on the look you like. The owner of the car you like apparently likes chrome.

I agree. I can't stand chrome and I have jet black as well. It looks less like an M with chrome. (in my opinion)

[okusa]

I agree that on black the chrome looks good as the front end needs a bit of contrast.

[digitalpersona]

its all a matter of personal preference. Chrome bits used to be a big thing....until it got played out, and every car started using chrome to make it feel more "premium". Then everyone started going with the blacked-out/stealth look, and i feel that has also gotten a little too played out. its like wearing a black shirt under a black suit.

Personally, i think its all about balance with a bit of contrast.
I have a jet black e93, with the chrome trim. My wife loves the chrome trim. Everyone tells me it needs to be wrapped. Frankly, I'm somewhat indifferent.

I agree with OP that the chrome kidneys were a butt play by BMW. They should have kept the slats chrome. in the second picture the chrome grills with the chrome slats look good and go well with the wheels. Having said that, I changed out my kidney grills which have black slats for all gloss black. But i kept my trim chrome, as i think it goes well with my OEM M220s (when they're clean).

[Lunker325]

I put the OEM black chrome grills on my Jerez E90 and love the look. I am not in the black-it-out-murder-it-out crowd, but for some reason on this car I think the black chrome grill looks better than the chrome one. Previous to this car I was always in the camp of keeping the chrome grill on a black car for contrast.

[Beemdog]

2011 models did come with chrome grills and gills. Maybe the OP's were already swapped? Very commonly done. I have the black chrome "Edition" grills and they look fine, but yes with a dark color there is less contrast. In general though, ///M cars have less chrome and more black and it could be argued that black trim is a more "race" look, as are black wheels, while chrome accents tend to adorn luxury cars.

[Z K]

Originally Posted by Beemdog

2011 models did come with chrome grills and gills. Maybe the OP's were already swapped? Very commonly done. I have the black chrome "Edition" grills and they look fine, but yes with a dark color there is less contrast. In general though, ///M cars have less chrome and more black and it could be argued that black trim is a more "race" look, as are black wheels, while chrome accents tend to adorn luxury cars.

The newer E9x M3 models had bright chrome surrounds with "Edition" style black chrome centers. The earlier models had all chrome grills. I believe the newer grill with the black center showed up in 2010+ model M3s.

I replaced my "all chrome" grills with the newer model ones with chrome surround and black center bars. I've attached the picture with the difference. The newer grill on the left, older grill on the right.

I'll sell you my chrome grills if you want them.

[thekurgan]

Old grill on black, the contrast is appealing. Black on black is too close to murdering, which looks ridiculous.

[skidawgz]

On a black BMW the all chrome grille looks nice. Chrome is a "to each his own" but it definitely can highlight the body styling cues of certain cars/color combos. Chrome wheels are NOT my thing no matter what car.

[burtonsbs5114]

I am by no means a chrome fan, but I like the chrome accents on the black. I think it highlights the contours of the car.

[NashvegasR]

I def think it's color dependent. I had a 335i 392 prior to M3 (Dark blue, monaco blue) -- and it looked absolutely MEAN with the black grilles. Much better than the silver. On a red M3 -- I think black looks absolutely stunning. On a silverstone (like mine) M3, I spent a pile of money on black grilles and side vents... tried them... and it looked less pleasing than the chrome stockers. Oh well. On a black one... I like the chrome for contrast.

Anyway -- not sure if its the popular opinion around here -- but really depends on color to me.

[The-Traveler]

Originally Posted by Z K

I'll sell you my chrome grills if you want them.

Care to make a generous donation instead?

To be frank, with the cost of shipping them from SF to Toronto and with the currency exchange now-a-days, and customs, it wouldn't be worth it for me to purchase them from you.

[The-Traveler]

Which looks better? (Including the m3 because it was on my desktop and I love it. Wish I could get a high res version of that photo. )

[Z K]

Originally Posted by The-Traveler

Care to make a generous donation instead?

To be frank, with the cost of shipping them from SF to Toronto and with the currency exchange now-a-days, and customs, it wouldn't be worth it for me to purchase them from you.

Yeah, international shipping, even though these are light, will probably amount to the cost of the items themselves...

I like the newer ones with the black grill and the chrome surround. It still has the contrast from the chrome to show the kidney design but the black center looks more sporty to me than the all chrome design. I can't do the all black grills - it looks aftermarket and not a big fan of the "all black" look. On a light color car, the black grills look great though.

[Denk]

And then there is black chrome too. I don't like the original all chrome kidneys, I do like the later chrome/black especially with silver wheels. Chrome gives the front end some definition which is probably my favorite. I go back and forth though. Get a set, hell get a few different ones and mix it up.

[dparm]

It's all about coordination. I think chrome is fine if you have the chrome side vents and chrome window trim. The M3 has gloss black window trim, hence I feel like gloss black vents and grilles are the way to go. It's what I did on my AW sedan.

I do like the contrast of chrome on black paint, but it's only going to look good if there is other chrome to tie it together.

[Merlin_83]

Originally Posted by The-Traveler

When I bought the car I didn't notice that on the 2011+ BMW did away with the chrome grills. Up until that point it used to be that you received the fully chrome ones if you purchased a top of the line model within each Segment. So a 335/M3 would have had them, and all the other 3 series would get the chrome surround, with blank inserts.

I went to see Mission Impossible - Rogue Nation yesterday and the top of the line black 6 series near the end has chrome grills.
So anyway, here's my car and here's one of my favorite M3's from the internet.

Don't you think that on black, chrome looks better?

I feel as though in 2011 they cut every single corner that they could, no fishnets, crappy sun visors, etc..

Holy guacamole !!! Who's M3 is that !!! With gold rims !

[Flying Ace]

SSIi looks good with OEM chrome too

[Manda Mew]

Is it possible to get a brushed aluminum? I feel like that would look so cool on darker cars. And could match the wheels. But ya I agree on black it doesn't look bad at all, unless you're going for a blacked out look.

[Law]

Its weird, i've been having similar thoughts since my new setup with black TE37s.
Since then my car basically looks murdered with minimal contrast so i tried putting on the OEM kidneys with chrome/black inserts
I like both gloss black and the LCI chrome with black inserts.
Really torn in between.