stained chrome

[Summerland]

when i bought the car the rims were clean..but over the winter and early summer i drove it and they got FILTTHY. Never got around to cleaning them till a few weeks ago..Ive done two rounds with turtle wax chrome polish/cleaner and its gotten most of it off but theres still some that wont come off. Im worried that they are stained for good. Anyone know anything to use to correct this?

Leigh

 

[TorchRedS197]

By stained do you see what looks like little spots of gold or a copper color? In Colorado they used Mag Chloride on the streets to melt the snow and with the snow it also melts the chrome top coat off the trim. If it is this I don't know of any real way to fix it but I used to have really good luck with Eagle One "never-dull". Hope this helps a little.

 

[J.Cagle]

You could try some 0000 steel wool, then use some heavy duty rubbing compound on them, then polish them and wax them

 

[TorchRedS197]

Agree with J.Cagle too

 

[mpf]

You have metallic oxides on the surface...most common form would be "rust" on iron,
but all metals do it..like the white, really tough surface formed on raw aluminum, "aluminum oxide" Look at old copper, exposed..it gets green when oxidized.
You can break their bonds free with phosphoric acid, sold for janitorial purposes.
It's how those guys clean the chrome lavatory fixtures, and it usually does not harm paint.

 

[Summerland]

You have metallic oxides on the surface...most common form would be "rust" on iron,
but all metals do it..like the white, really tough surface formed on raw aluminum, "aluminum oxide" Look at old copper, exposed..it gets green when oxidized.
You can break their bonds free with phosphoric acid, sold for janitorial purposes.
It's how those guys clean the chrome lavatory fixtures, and it usually does not harm paint.

yeah thats exactly what it looks llike kinda whiteish gray. Ive gotten most of it off but theres still a bit in the corners where its hard to get to. I have some commercia grade cleaner that has the acid in it. I use it to clean the undercarriage when i can and need to. Your sure this wont hurt the chrome at all?

 

[mpf]

No, won't hurt chrome at all. Does a little 'etching' on raw AL., though. You need to polish afterwards on AL.. Phosphoric acid is what makes "POR" rust converter work.
If I burn a steel tool at work (to the point of getting blue, from grinding), a few drops of the acid removes it with no rubbing.
Oh, and the old Naval Jelly is phosphoric acid, also. Too weak for me...
I had a F250 that had been repainted, and there were some bubbles in paint that allowed water underneath, and it started to rust, causing brown drip-stains on paint.
P-acid removed it with minimal rubbing, nothing bad happened to paint.