The aim of this paper is to review the development and state of the art in the application of certain organosilicon compounds known as trialkoxysilanes (or simply silanes) to the problems of the metal finishing industry. The ultimate goal of this work is the replacement of chromate passivation and paint pretreatments, as well as overcoming the shortcomings of organic coatings formulated in the modern environmentally friendly world, thus without chromate or chromated pigments, volatile organic carbon (VOC) containing compounds or harazardous air pollutants (HAPs).