Anyone got any good tips for cleaning strips on the outside of the car? cant seem to get a good job done on them

Anyone got any good tips for cleaning strips on the outside of the car? cant seem to get a good job done on them

I found this website a while ago. It's a step-by-step guide.

Haven't tried it though.

http://www.howtocleanthings.com/how-to-clean-chrome.htm

Edited 9 October, 201015 yr by tomcatdk

The chrome on the superb is not super shiney, its more of a milky type silver finish. Its not true chrome but coated plastic, so if you get to carried away you can scratch it or remove the coating all together. The only really shiney plastic is the front grill and at the bottom in the bumper.

The chrome on the superb is not super shiney, its more of a milky type silver finish. Its not true chrome but coated plastic, so if you get to carried away you can scratch it or remove the coating all together. The only really shiney plastic is the front grill and at the bottom in the bumper.

Maaya, you seem to have an enormous amount of knowledge regarding Skoda. I'm just curious; what is your backgr

My background, well I have owned a skoda of some sort since 2001, and being one of the first members on here in 2002 you pick up quiet a lot of knowledge, some of us early members were also on another forum before this was setup in 2002.

Just realised its nearly 8 years since I registered here.

If it is a chrome coating on steel and there are scratches that need removing, I have found autoglym metal polish works very well on the chrome window trim on my 1973 Ford Capri RS3100. Ford in the 70's were one of the first people to experiment with chrome plated plastic, a process known as metalizing and the Capri has this on the side dummy vents, heater vent knobs and radio. I have found the Autoglym silicone resin polish to work very well on these and removes many minor blemishes. I've also used this recently onmy Dads fabia and it brought the whole car up very nicely. Meguirs do a similar polish, a bit more expensive but does give slightly better results.

Thanks for all the advice. I'll try some at the weekend.

All these VAG chrome strips will go off tbh, poor quality in the first place, there isn't much you can do about it, other's have had them replaced under warranty before, but like the de-laminating on interior plastic's the problem soon return's. hth.

Autosol available from Halfords is very good.

Autosol available from Halfords is very good.

It won't work, the strips are chromed plastic with lamination over the top, the water gets in between the layers and that's why you get the mottled effect.

It won't work, the strips are chromed plastic with lamination over the top, the water gets in between the layers and that's why you get the mottled effect.

Agree about the finish. If it's chromed plastic, and it's deteriorated, then no amount of cleaning will restore it. If it's the same as my car, though, I suspect it may be bright anodised aluminium (where the naturally occurring oxide coating of polished aluminium is thickened electrolytically, then sealed) Both types of coating are no-maintenance (other than cleaning/waxing) and if they've gone (often because the anodised seal breaks down) then, unfortunately, they've gone. Important to realise is that these finishes are not meant to have the high gloss of chrome, and anything you do to try to achieve that, for example metal polishes, will only accelerate their failure. Accept that a satin finish was the designer's intent, and protect it. My advice would be to avoid anything even slightly abrasive, and don't try to correct anything that looks milky or delaminated.