[Larry M (Larrylava)]

What is the best way to treat the chrome mouldings
on the car.I have a little pitting on the rear
tailight mouldings,(70),Is there anyway to remove
this?.For the chrome in general,,how do get a
great luster out of it without scratching it.
Are there special chrome cleaning agents,,brushes?

[Dave R (Roppa440)]

Don't use chrome cleaner as it is very abrasive and will remove some of the chrome every time!

Chrome cleaner is ok on the stainless steel trim bits though.

Nothing you can do about the pitting (you should see mine) except find someone that can repair it. That's not easy. the best way to treat chrome is to wash it and polish it with the same stuff you use on the paint.

Unless anyone out there knows better?

[Hans (72challenger)]

I used to use some things from 'Simonz' or something like that. One bottle for the real cleaning job (the one that removes a bit of chrome every time you use it) if there's some rust on any chrome and one bottle of wax just to let it shine.

This last one gives a good protection for the chrome. You should see the difference between just washing my chrome wheels and waxing the wheels. When washing they'r dirty after one trip while waxing will last weeks.

But for real pitting of chrome there's no cleaner as far as I know. Pitting of chrome is like rusting sheetmetal, you can't do anything about it but repainting it.

[Dave C (Davec)]

Although it may seem a bit unorthodox I have used SOS pads on the imperfect original chrome on all my cars with good results. They remove practically any stain in short order and bring out a presentable shine without further damage. For more delicate work or for softer metals I use Mirror Glaze's #28 All Metal Polish. I have not perfected my method for polishing anodized aluminum yet although I had good results on the aluminum trim of a recent F*rd purchase (Please forgive my extra-Mopar affairs.)using 1000 grit wet sandpaper. It removed about 80 or 90 percent of the heavy cloudiness without scratching. Hans is so right about the importance of a good wax job. Pits in chrome are actually little breaks in the surface which allow moisture in. Without proper protection the nickel underplating, pot metal or steel underneath will continue to corrode quickly. Of course the only real way to repair chrome parts is to have them professionally replated which can get a bit expensive but is well worth it in my opinion.

[Bill Miller (Wmiller)]

Pitting on Chrome parts is the direct result of underlying corrosion to the steel/pot metal base. Pot metal is actually a Zinc die-cast and is very prone to corrosion if left unprotected by a layer of Copper, Nickel then Chrome (hence the term "Triple Plated"). The corrosion comes from beneath the Chrome thus creating the blisters that you see on the surface. Anodising of Aluminum is best described as follows: Aluminum parts are polished to a high luster. Because Aluminum tarnishes so quickly the polished parts are quickly immersed in a very hot liquid and a protective coating is actually "grown" out of the Aluminum that prevents the atmosphere from tarnishing the material. Anodising can be removed by polishing (with power equipment)to a brilliant finish and then coating the parts with a compatible clear coat to protect the polished surface. Hope this helps.