Anyone had any luck touching up/refinishing the interior door chrome strips?
Care to share your technique?
Thanks!
Care to share your technique?
Thanks!
Refurbishing Door Interior "Chrome" Strips
- Thread starter TG-2002-320i-328ci
- Start date
If they aren't too bad get yourself a roll of al foil and scrunch up a ball and rub it with that. You will be surprised by the results.
wilies13
Active Member
Great idea. Do you have any recommedation abut the foil ?
Just the cooking grade stuff you buy at the supermarket. Just scrunch it up and use it like steel wool. Is softer than the chrome so wont hurt it.
I have used this trick for years on hard chrome and it works very well on bumpers and such. Be very careful on interior chrome bits, though. They may be chromed plastic and this technique may be too abrasive on those softer bits. I used Flitz or any of the other wool-type polishes found at your local auto parts stores on the interior chrome and anodized aluminum trim (still be very careful on aluminum).
Use that scrunched up aluminum foil on a stainless exhaust system along with a mild cleaner for very good results and no scratching.
Ed Z
Totally agree with Zinz on this. Sorry Wes, although aluminium foil works amazingly on real chrome, (i always mist the surface a bit with water, too), i think the foil method may actually damage the interior trim bits that are 'chromed'-plastic, as Zinz noted.
Flitz, Quixx, or even watered-down toothpaste would be a safer route on those plastic trim pieces.
Flitz, Quixx, or even watered-down toothpaste would be a safer route on those plastic trim pieces.
The door strips are actually made of aluminum not chrime. Keep that in mind when polishing with foil. They are are also anodized. That means you must strip the anodization physically or chemically if you want to bring them to a shine. You can use oven cleaner to strip them. The subject and approaches are heavily discussed across car forums.
I know they are anodized because even on the most dank, waterlogged car the strips aren’t crusty, cloudy, or pitted. If they were raw aluminum they would turn a cloudy grey like the aluminum utensils or kitchen tools that you ran through the dishwasher. They would also have white oxidation like you may have seen on old wheels.
I know they are anodized because even on the most dank, waterlogged car the strips aren’t crusty, cloudy, or pitted. If they were raw aluminum they would turn a cloudy grey like the aluminum utensils or kitchen tools that you ran through the dishwasher. They would also have white oxidation like you may have seen on old wheels.
Didn't know about the foil trick, thanks folks. I have usually used 0000 steel wool w/carmuba wax , or Murray's favorite, bronze wool. Aluminum would be even less invasive...Markos, as usual, is correct about the anodizing; you are polishing the anodized finish...You would have to strip the anodizing to actually polish the aluminum itself, then refinish.
Thanks for the tips!
While on the subject, I use crumpled aluminum foil to clean my cast iron cooking pans. Since I don't use soap on them it's a great way to get the gunk off without turning a sponge or scratch pad black.
0000 steel wool with PB Blaster.
I used the foil on all my metal chromed parts with white vinegar, they sat in storage for 15 years, lot O elbow grease results - excellent.
How about Nev R Dull?
Wads of cloth in a can, pinch off a bit and rub?
I need to try that
Wads of cloth in a can, pinch off a bit and rub?
I need to try that
I covered a few with metalic tape and they came out better than the originals.
Honolulu
Well-Known Member
There isn't ANYTHING that a "Lot 'o Elbow Grease" won't shine up. The question is where to find a (suitably and usefully large) tub of that product.
I recently started using 'Killer Chrome Polish' made by Surf City Garage. Not cheap, but a few drops will polish a bumper or the raw AL trim around the windshield. It is by far the easiest to use and best result chrome/metal polish I've ever used. And, I've probably used 8-10 different products previously.
Gary
Gary
Last edited:
Just got a bottle yesterday. Tried one spot and I have to agree with Gary.
as you all probably know any of those methods will virtually destroy the finishing anodizing cover that protects aluminium from oxidation
that means that the piece is shiny for a very short period of time
it returns to dull grey soon
a partial remedy is to use some protective oil on top after the polishing process, but in a car outside trim will last very little too
my advice is to let them be unless very dull and old looking
a bad remedy for a small scratch is to polish the whole piece
OMLARATIOLI
that means that the piece is shiny for a very short period of time
it returns to dull grey soon
a partial remedy is to use some protective oil on top after the polishing process, but in a car outside trim will last very little too
my advice is to let them be unless very dull and old looking
a bad remedy for a small scratch is to polish the whole piece
OMLARATIOLI
all those miraculous products have a risk, normally for metals there is a three step, acid, polishing compound, and oil preservative, herdblank, glanzol, and your favourite wd40 sprayed oil, for example
all in one is complex stuff, but yeah the brand has a cool name...surf, garage, yeah
I am sure many of the products suggested here will do the job, I tried several of these for on my Vent window, outer wdo. belts and both bumpers. The white vinegar with the aluminium foil wad (pour the vinegar on the foil) scrub hard and rinse with lots of water produced the best results. It took a lot of foil and a quart of white Vinegar. This was completely corroded when started. I used a two part grey epoxy paint on the inside of the bumper looks like new. Lots of good advice and experience here for me it's trial and error and preference. Good Luck!
