Rob993

When I picked up the motorsound pkg from the P-dealer worth around $550.00 USD I thought that's a lot for a drilled airbox cover and some chrome tips.

I did not end up keeping the kit but the chrome tips looked pretty good.

My question: Would you chrome factory tips? A local car shop that specializes in it can do it for about $60.00 a pair.

I still have factory Cup rims so I am not sure if the chrome tips will look out of place.

Thanks for your help!

Rob

Rob993

Without question the one's I had (temporarily) from the factory were pretty nice. Any idea of where one can buy some without having to pay an arm and a leg?
The reason is I had all these ideas of doing a wing, a muffler system ..etc, but without question PSS9's and Bilstien shocks this spring will be first on the list.
Thanks
Rob

Edward

Hi Rob,

As a general rule, I dislike chrome and avoid it like the plague, but I ended up chroming my factory tips about 3 years ago because they were so yellowed and unsightly. I was VERY pleasantly surprised! Not only do they look as good today as they did when I got them back from the platers, they look great and not at all garish or out of place. It's a nice little accent at the rear of the car, IMO.

Edward

Rob993

My were looking kinda of the same Edward. Even though this is probably a "0" on a scale of 1 to 10 for both a DIY and or something interesting to post, but I will do some before and afters for anyone who want's to see the difference.

Thanks
Rob

DrZ

I thought the big O'S were not chromed but actually polished stainless steel no?

Mark in Baltimore

Like Edward, I'm not a big fan of chrome, but 993 exhaust tips look great when they're all shiny. With my fugly stock tips, I decided to polish them up and made them nice, pretty and perhaps a step down in brilliance from chrome.

Rob993

Mark, did you just buff them? They look pretty good!

Mark in Baltimore

Rob,

Thanks! I initially tried Scotchbrite pads to clean them up and did a so-so job with them. The dull gold look went away and was replaced by a dull silver look.

Polishing them took some time, a high speed drill, several buffing wheels and different grades of polish that I got at Lowe's. If you start out at too fine of a grade of polish, it takes forever to get the finish you want. You have to work your way in steps from coarse to ultrafine. I'm no polishing guru, so maybe there's an easier way.

I could have dropped the tips off at a vendor who would probably do both for $75, but I also had to polish up my badly pitted used Supercups. It was a satisfying minor accomplishment to make something ugly and dark into something refined and bright.

Edward

Mark,

E-gads, that looks good! I'm wondering, though: since they're still the same uncoated metal, did they stay looking that good or did they grow dull with time? Just curious, really, but they do look great!

Edward

Mark in Baltimore

Hi, Edward,

Thanks! Quite a few other Rennlisters have done this in the past; that's where I got the idea.

Since mounting my Supercups, I have not put on my RSR's and have not tried the "new" tips. My guess is that the finish would last a while for a weekend car and probably not as long as a daily driver that saw salt and lots of rain. Either way, though, once the initially rough surface has been polished up, restoring it back to its current luster should not be as arduous, especially with a drill and buffer.

Bruce SEA 993

I did the polish routine and there was a thread a while back on it. I sanded the pock marks out by 40, 80, 120, etc, sandpaper then started with polishing compounds. They look great and can be touched up with simichrome.

I also got tired of that look and had an extra set of tips ceramic coated. I ended up with a grey color so they don't look like the big tips on kids cars! Our cars don't really have that look but when everyone goes one direction with something popular I go another way. I am happy with the Audi as the exhaust tips are hidden. The newer ones are exposed tips...oh, well!