Chrome rear bumper.....

Someone mentioned this in another thread, but I just want to confirm.... Is it true that the chrome rear bumper that is on the SR5 and TRD OR (without the tech package) is not real chrome but is instead cheap plastic with chrome paint?

If so that sounds pretty awful.

 

uhh.. just so you're aware no cars come with full on chromium bumpers or anything for that matter, lol. Chrome always has been just a thin layer of chrome plating which is applied in a nearly identical manor as paint. I have no idea if the chrome on the plastic bumper pieces is chrome plating or just chrome paint but does it really make a difference? Either one is garbage imo.

 

I've only had chrome on one vehicle in the past, and it was a 1999 Mercedes that had chrome on the front grill, and it was indeed real metal. I also had chrome wheels as well that were also real metal. Plastic made to look like chrome is like a child's fisher price toy.

 

Haha yeah but my point is your "real metal" Mercedes grill and wheels were not solid chromium, lol. They were some steel or aluminum alloy with a chrome plating. Plastic with a chrome plating is just as "chrome" as your metal alloys with chrome platings. The only difference is the underlying material. Point being, chrome plating is garbage no matter what you put it on.

Fwiw, I think the three inserts in the rear bumper are indeed plastic but for a good reason. If one of them gets damaged you can fix the bumper by replacing a single insert, instead of having to replace the whole thing.

EDIT: I know the center piece is plastic but I'm not sure about the two side pieces... they might be some type of metal

 

I've seen a few in person

I've seen a few in person at my local dealer and the rear bumper is chrome plated.That would be pathetic on Toyota's part to have the rear bumper be plastic chrome as sorry as the overall 3rd gen.is.

 

Nothing is solid chrome. Its all plated. But what its plated on, and what is layered beneath it makes the difference. The old muscle cars had quality "metal" bumpers that stood out from the car and actually served a purpose.

 

The side bumper panels are plastic for a reason....at least on the tech models. They house the sonar panels for BSM. Sonar doesn't work well through metal. Wonder what a new sonar emitter costs? They never mention that when talking about the cheap to replace bumper panels.

 

Tesla just introduced a sonar emitter and pick up that goes through metal

 

So still no answer to OP's original question?

 

It is polished metal and not chrome

 

OK, so it is metal under the chrome-like plating and not plastic?

 

Metal

 

I've said it before but really prefer the look of the Chrome over the Color Keyed

 

$170 per side in chrome. Just waiting for Toyota parts US to attain them within their inventory.

 

Huh?

 

I'm not sure about the OR, sport or SR but the limited has a color matched plastic bumper. I wasn't thrilled about it either when I found out. Dealer told me it was because they have back-up sensors in the bumper and they couldn't drill out chrome to install sensors. But I've seen several trucks driving around with metal bumpers and back up sensors. Guess Toyota went cheaper on that.

 

I was "told" it has to do with the Blind Spot monitors and not the back up sensor. Back up sensor is on trucks with metal bumpers. The painted plastic bumpers look cheap to me. Possibly future opportunity here for a blind spot monitor (sensor) relocation mod to work with metal bumper??

 

Our '16 SR5 has the plastic chrome bumpers. Since it's a 3 piece set up that easily replaceable so it wasn't a deal breaker for us. Plus if something bumps into it, there's some flex if it doesn't crack, if it's metal, it will either bend or dent. Either way you're screwed, but regardless there's still metal reinforcements behind it for crash protection. It's not cheesy looking either, you'd never know unless you did an up close inspection knowing what you're looking at.

 

So some "chrome" bumpers are metal and others, like on the above mentioned SR5 are plastic with a chrome-like plating? Seem strange to have different parts. Here we go again.

 

This should explain the rear bumper.