As far as I’m concerned chrome isn’t cool. Batman is cooler than the Silver Surfer, Vader is cooler than C-3PO and this is largely down to their outfit choices; black is cooler than chrome. Audi recently figured this out and have been offering the ‘black optics’ package with their latest generation models which replaces all the chrome trim with lovely, sinister black.

Lots of people in the forums with older generation Audis have been wrapping the chrome in vinyl tape for years, most looked half decent but I didn’t want to do that. I wanted black optics and I wanted it to be permanent. All the chrome window trim had to come off so I could send it away to be painted.

The long upper sections are delicate so tape them to the car before you start drilling out the rivets or they will bend.

The rear quarters each have a pair of plastic spacers that will slide out sideways, remember to put them back in after painting…

Reinstalling the painted trim went pretty well. The most difficult were the rear quarter window surrounds. The clips for these are already riveted onto the body, but getting them to sit under the rubber window seals took some persuading. The long upper window trim pieces need riveting back into position, I think around twelve (3.2mm) on each side. If you tape them into position first, this is easy.

My cheapo rivet tool and a bunch of spent rivet pins…

Still on winter wheels and needs a wash, but all done; black optics on a B6 A4…

// Matt