Part Buyers Authority Issue #2

Cars and chrome have been linked together for decades. Reaching its peak in the flamboyant styling of the 1950s, chrome wheels, trim, and accents have historically been used by car designers to help impart a distinctive look to their cars. In the 1980s exterior chrome virtually vanished, in part due to fashion and styling changes and weight reduction efforts for fuel efficiency, but also because of concerns over quality. There were significant problems seen with premature corrosion, a problem frequently encountered as a result of the inadequate plating practices and limited technology available in the 1970s. In the 1990s exterior chrome made a comeback, first on trucks and SUVs, and shortly thereafter on upscale cars. Since the majority of automobile manufacturers did not offer all the chrome accessories consumers wanted, a thriving after-market business developed to service the high demand. It did not take long for automobile manufacturers to recognize the demand and begin offering chrome plated wheels, trim, and accessories to distinguish their vehicles. The quality of the decorative trim put on their vehicles needed to meet the demanding performance criteria established by the car companies. They recognized that substandard chrome plating could compromise the quality of their products. Fast forward to current day… Advances in plating technology have made it possible to dramatically improve the performance of chrome plated parts compared to what was commonly seen in the 1970s and 1980s. Dramatic improvements in corrosion resistance evolved throughout the 1990s. Today the performance of real chrome is light years better than it was in the heyday of chrome. Today’s OEMs offer a wide array of lesser bright trim accents. None of them match the luster and performance of today’s real chrome. On aluminum alloy wheels alone, there are several distinctive lesser options. But there is only one real chrome. The most distinctive and popular option of the discerning consumer is the real chrome plated aluminum alloy wheel. BOB BILTZ Vice President, KENTUCKY CHROME WORKS 22 PART BUYERS A U T H R I T Y REAL CHROME is the Only True Chrome Lesser Bright Accent Bright Machined Polished Chrome Clad PVD Issues Normally clear coated or bare aluminum No protection, prone to oxidation, high maintenance POP (plating on plastic) Glued on hubcap, issues with attachment, looks cheap. Not yet approved by all OEMs; vacuum metalizing on steroids, poor impingement performance, looks wet or sprayed on, looks cheap