Aluminum polish
12-04-2002, 12:01 PM
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Aluminum polish
This was discussed but I can't find it in a archive search.
Does anyone recall the product that someone recommended to bring back the shine in the polished aluminum trim on the A8? My trim pieces are starting to haze over in a few spots and I want to clean them up.
Does anyone recall the product that someone recommended to bring back the shine in the polished aluminum trim on the A8? My trim pieces are starting to haze over in a few spots and I want to clean them up.
12-04-2002, 04:18 PM
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Available at most auto parts stores..Blue tin
....with a potent smelling cotton wadding in it. I do not know if those trim pieces are coated tough. Make sure they are not before ou use it.
12-04-2002, 04:20 PM
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Forget it
There is some type of a coating/veneer that is milky on mine too. Know what the dealer said the PARTS cost for the trim around the rear bumper was -- $400 bucks!!!!!! For a friggin strip of TRIM?!??! Now we know why the Maybach scrimped on this stuff -- must be the same source. 
12-04-2002, 04:35 PM
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Nope -- just tried buffing it a bit
and even a little heat when it first showed up to see if it was water somehow seeping/leaching into/through the trim finish layer -- no luck. Too close to the paint to try anything aggressive on it. Would like to know what the finish is, though. Probably find out the composition is just some form of "plasti-chrome" and this is an inevitable part of it's life cycle. 
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12-04-2002, 07:14 PM
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No, I'm pretty sure they're solid aluminum
I have the two pieces that came off the front of my car when I had my bumper redone. They're aluminum and I don't think they have any finish on them.
I've used a metal polish and wheel and got them back to new condition. I'm thinking a chemical polish specifically for aluminum will clean the oxidation (or whatever it is) off then a clear coat like teflon or something to keep them shiney.
I've used a metal polish and wheel and got them back to new condition. I'm thinking a chemical polish specifically for aluminum will clean the oxidation (or whatever it is) off then a clear coat like teflon or something to keep them shiney.
12-04-2002, 07:17 PM
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I don't think they're coated.
The two front ones on my A8L were very poor when I bought the car. I have a local body shop replace them with new parts and they gave me the old ones. They're solid shaped aluminum. So I went to town with a polish wheel and found No clear coat at all. This is some type of alloy with a fine polish coat. I got the spares looking brand new by mechanical polishing, but thats not an option when they're still on the car.
Either way, I have two dummy pieces of the same alloy I can experiment on. I'll keep you guys posted.
Either way, I have two dummy pieces of the same alloy I can experiment on. I'll keep you guys posted.