Cleaning Chrome & Aluminium Strips W123

[HowardD]

I've had two cracks at cleaning the chrome and the bodywork strips, windows, doors etc.

My second shot today, using Solvol has made them cleaner and brighter,
The grille, bumpers, hub caps and mirrors - which I assume are chromed look great.

All the rest, the window trim, panels trim, which don't look like chrome, but more like aluminium look cleaner and brighter, but nowhere near good enough. Can they actually be polished to a good standard, or is it more likely they are permanently tarnished and I should try to replace them?

Thanks.

 

[jaymanek]

Hi,

Autosol is the best stuff but yet a lot of it is just chrome coated and by this age it is dull beyond saving..

 

[HowardD]

Hi,

Autosol is the best stuff but yet a lot of it is just chrome coated and by this age it is dull beyond saving..

Are they replaceable with new? Can I just ring the dealer and order them? (without remortgaging!)

 

[jaymanek]

(without remortgaging!)

Most parts are extremely expensive..

I ordered a bumper corner for my CE this week and it came in at £150.
Some small bits of chrome come in at over £150 each too...

 

[Roger Jones]

They may well be anodized aluminium, as on the W126. If so, there's no solution other than replacement, which is expensive with OEM parts, although they do pop up on eBay from time to time. Come to think of it, perhaps they can be re-anodized, but that wouldn't be cheap either.

If I don't find replacements at reasonable cost, I'll look forward to the day when all the bits have degraded to a uniformly relatively dull finish.

 

[Sorry Pete]

If they're anodised aluminium, Autosol have a new product called 'Autosol Anodised Aluminum Polish', and 'Alu-brite' is highly regarded in the detailing community here.
I've not used either product, but it's worth a shot. Then again, the last poster in the link ended-up rechroming the intake manifold he was polishing.

 

[billyboy88]

part costs

Most parts are extremely expensive..

I ordered a bumper corner for my CE this week and it came in at £150.
Some small bits of chrome come in at over £150 each too...

Makes me think its best to get a another 230e and just strip it down and store all the usable parts in my factory for a rainy day!

 

[spanner]

They are indeed anodised and AFAIK, the only way to restore them is to re-anodise. Costly but not quite as costly as replacing with new, although new is still available from MB.
Collonade in Wembley can do re-anodising I believe.

 

[radiovic]

Check Ebay for anything you need--you might be lucky
I looked around on the net for a lip spoiler for my e320 w211--best price £110
From ebay---£40 --came from Taiwan --sprayed in my colour --perfect !! that included postage
75mm Wheel Centre caps -- looked around the usual suspects --£28----ebay £9 --again perfect

 

[Greeney64]

The anodized treatment on the trim can be reversed by immersing in Sodium hydroxide, this is found in bottles of drain cleaner in some DIY shops you can actually by it in liquid form
All you need to de-anodize your piece of aluminum is a shallow pan large enough in which to lay it. You'll need warm water, rubber gloves, eye protection and, of course the drain cleaner. Fill the pan with enough warm water to cover the piece and then add enough drain cleaner to do the job - we find that 1 tablespoon of cleaner to one gallon of water will de-anodize a couple pieces like headlight bezels.
Mix the cleaner thoroughly in the water and place the aluminum piece in it. Make sure there's air movement over the pan, since the vapors can be a bit caustic. Watch the bubbles form on the aluminum and lift it out every minute or so to remove the accumulated "smut." Smut is the chemical residue that forms during the de-anodizing process and you want to remove it periodically to expose the surface to the chemical. If the process is going too slowly you can add more cleaner.
After a few minutes you will see that the piece is a uniform, flat color. Stains and blemishes should have disappeared, leaving only scratches. Take the piece out and rinse thoroughly with fresh water. Dry it off and inspect for any residual anodized spots, which show up as darker surface finish. If there are any, immerse the piece in the chemical for a little longer and rub them out. Rinse and dry again.
Now you can sand your piece with 800 grit paper to remove scratches and then buff the surface to a bright shine. It will remain a soft surface unless you anodize it again, but that takes equipment and a little experience. Keeping a coat of wax on the piece prevents tarnishing and staining. Also, you can spray the piece with clear lacquer or enamel to protect it in harsher environments.

 

[C43AMG]

I had the anodized window surrounds colour coded on the CL, they look great.

 

[Druk]

I took a tarnished mirrorback from a 107 to the Classic Car Show and eventually gave it to Silvabronz for re-plating. Talking to them they say that they are capable of chrome plating onto previously anodized ally and if the finish is done as 'satin' it will look no different from the original.

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