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Plastidipped Grille


Silver14Ti
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On my last car, I did the entire grille and surround black. On this car I left surround chrome, since the foglamp bezels and lower grille also have chrome accents.

Before

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Masking it off, I also pulled a garbage bag through the grille and blocked the radiator from being sprayed

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5 coats starting with a very light coat and applying heavier the next 4 roughly every 20-30 minutes

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Finished

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The bars are black, the surround is chrome. I think it looks horrible all chrome, especially since the lower grille is black. The good thing about plastidip is it can be removed easily, unlike paint. Since it's a lease I did it that way in case they say anything and I have to revert to the stock look.

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Smart move since it is a lease. I just flat-out painted the bars. The Duplicolor paint I used had directional nozzles so there wasn't too much danger of overspray to the radiator and other gear behind the grille. Easy enough to mask off.

 

I like leaving that little bit of chrome edging around the opening - mainly because it does match the lower grille as well. Nice job and it looks killer with the white.

Edited by Cobra348
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Thanks! I had a garbage bag behind the grille so I didn't get any on the radiator. I'm going to turn it in just the way it sits.. Lowered, tinted, and with the grille black unless they say something.

 

I see you have a Hybrid. Always wondered what the difference would be in fuel economy between a hybrid and an Energi. My best was 175.9 mpg. The lifetime mileage is 124.6 mpg.

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Each has its good and bad features I suppose. I can't touch your MPG ... best lifetime in 19K miles is 45.7 with best tank at 48.7. My hybrid is a daily driver plus there are 200-400 mile weekend trips to see girlfriend and family. The roads I run on are not good for effective use of the electric (lots of hills needing the gas) and winter tires on it now with the cooler weather is also denting my efficiency.

 

Warmer weather I was seeing tanks at 43-46 MPG on average with a couple in the 48 range. But April thru May and this last month they've dropped to 40-42 MPG - mostly due to the factor mentioned above. I'm also running a bit heavier than most as I have a donut spare and beefier sway bar plus bracing and hood struts under the hood. Added a few pounds to the beast - estimate is somewhere around 40 to 45, maybe more. The spare and its equipment was 33 alone.

 

Also, is that REALLY the MPG or is it MPGe (equivalent)? There's a difference in these and how they apply. Energi is a hybrid that can be plugged in so calculations should still be MPG as it does use the gas engine to do things when the electric motor can't. At least that's my understanding.

Edited by Cobra348
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My one and only complaint over the last Fusion I had is trunk space. With the Energi, the trunk is very small. Other than that, I love it. I have almost 8,000 miles on it and am only on my 5th tank of gas. I filled up 2-3 times per month with the last car. With this one, it's $19/month to charge and I get gas every few months. If I could charge at work, I could double the mileage. I let my dad borrow it last weekend for a 450 mile round trip and he was impressed with it. I'd definitely lease another one.

 

Technically, I think it's mpg/e but I just think of it as how many miles do I get from the time I fill up until I have to fill up again.

Edited by Silver14Ti
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