Blacked Out Kidneys: Why?

[bmwandhonda]

The chrome kidneys are a huge part of the cars character. The only bit of chrome I would keep on any car. I changed to blacked out kidneys when I got my first e30 but eventually smartened up and changed back to the factory chrome, just makes the car look so much classier :)

When I bought my Touring, it came with black kidneys... Quickly swapped the chrome ones over from my coupe (now running black kidneys on the daily :() but have recently ordered replacement chrome.

IMO some e30's can look quite good with black kidneys but ALL e30's look better with chrome.

[JC-E30]

Hehe... my first e30 I kept chrome. 10yrs ago.. I been thinking about the blackened ones only to create a more aggressive look. But I also think it can be achieved by darker headlights and keeping the chromw kidneys..

I don't like coloured kidneys though... eeww.

[franken325i]

first car had bodie color, 1st thing i did was chuck it and get chrome :)

[Solarian]

I'm surprised to see people think it looks the most appropriate on a black car. I think it looks the WORST on a black car! At least on other colors, you only lose definition in the grille, on a black car you lose definition of the whole damn thing. You're left with a blob of black. I even want to put the chrome window trim from the older model onto my black late model because I enjoy the contrast it creates around the windows, and it just looks more period appropriate.

[F34R]

I agree with that^
Black and white e30s look great with chrome trim. Blacked out can be done too but look at Mr 325's MT2 turbo e30. Just stunning.

[gtdragon980]

I'm sorry but body color matching kidneys look quite rice. Black kidneys look great on certain colors, like bronzit and alpine. It also depends on the style of aesthetics going on with the car. Chrome looks great always, but black can be equally as nice with certain colors.

EDIT: I don't care if color matching was the style in the 80's, looks like rice to me.

[kmarei]

The only reason I like black grills is nothing else on the car is chrome
So the chrome ones stick out

[deutschman]

Looks better then a beet to shit grill. Its like fat people wearing black. Hides all the ugly.

[e30abe89]

I personally like the black kidneys. Not a fan of the chrome they look weird to me.

[WhorifyingHunty]

It seems like the black kidneys or chrome kidneys comes with the age group. I'm not trying to be rude, I just think maybe the older guys like chrome more because they saw it through out there life and and now the younger guys or kids try to switch it up or like it as a stealthy or more aggressive compared to the classy chrome grills. That's just what i was thinking, it probably doesn't make sense but whatever. I personally like both depending on the car.

[carfantiti]

to each is own my m3

[kmarei]

It seems like the black kidneys or chrome kidneys comes with the age group. I'm not trying to be rude, I just think maybe the older guys like chrome more because they saw it through out there life and and now the younger guys or kids try to switch it up or like it as a stealthy or more aggressive compared to the classy chrome grills. That's just what i was thinking, it probably doesn't make sense but whatever. I personally like both depending on the car.

I'm 40 and I like the black ones Does that mean I'm confused?
:)
I don't know
I've never been a fan of chrome on a car
On black it looks ok
On anything else it makes it look old fashioned to me

[grays]

any color match pics

[InNeedOfBoost]

I did it for two reasons. 1) I hate chrome and 2) I like the way the black looks.

[CHIF8008]

some cars can pull black ones off , but honestly the only thing that bothers me is when they are color matched. just looks tacky. kinda like if you spray painted your dash air vents and gauge cluster surround with red or some other color than black. looks rice and degrades the car as a whole.