How To Polish Chrome & Other Metals On Your Car

16 Dec.,2024

 

How To Polish Chrome & Other Metals On Your Car

Your car&#;s wash job isn&#;t complete without paying some attention to the chrome parts. After all, the chrome glinting in the sun is what catches your eye when you first see a car. The chrome on your rims, door handles, window trim, and other parts needs special maintenance with products designed for it.

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The chrome on most modern cars is actually plastic coated with chrome, and you need to be aware of this to avoid damaging it. You don&#;t want to overdo the polishing or buffing because this will wear away the chrome finish.

Here&#;s how to polish both plastic and genuine chrome. 

Steps to Polish Chrome & Other Metals

For plastic chrome, you&#;ll need a car chrome cleaner and mild chrome polish. For genuine chrome, you&#;ll need a chrome cleaner, a higher-grade chrome polish, and a rotary polisher. For both types, you&#;ll need a wheel brush and an absorbent cloth.

1) Get Rid of Rust

Before you start the cleaning and polishing process, you need to remove any rust from the metal parts of your car. You can use a ball of foil dipped in either water or vinegar to rub away the rust. If this doesn&#;t work, you can use a piece of steel wool.

2) Choose the Right Metal Polish

Next, select a professional polishing product designed for the metals on your car. There are all-in-one products that can polish chrome, aluminum, nickel, gold, silver, and stainless steel.

The purpose of metal polish isn&#;t only to make your chrome shine&#;it also leaves a protective layer that helps prevent scratches and keeps the chrome clean for longer.

3) Clean the Chrome & Metal

Before polishing, clean all dirt and debris from your car&#;s chrome trim. Using a polishing compound while there is still dirt on the chrome can damage the finish. 

Start by hosing down the chrome to get rid of any mud or other gunk. 

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For the trim on your wheels, apply a chrome cleaner for cars and use a wheel brush to work it in and remove any hard-to-reach dirt. 

As you clean your chrome with the chrome cleaner, work in small sections, and don&#;t let the cleaner dry on the surface. If you encounter stubborn stains, use some steel wool.

When you&#;re finished, thoroughly rinse off the chrome cleaner. Then dry the chrome using a clean, absorbent cloth. Not forgetting these two steps will guarantee that no cleaner stains or water spots are left behind.

4) Polish the Chrome & Metal

Use the chrome polish that you picked for your car. Remember, a higher-grade polish and a rotary polisher may be needed to shine genuine chrome. Apply the polish and slowly increase the speed of the polisher until the polish is no longer visible.

For plastic chrome, you can work in a milder polish by hand. Simply apply it and use circular motions to work it in. You can use a soft cloth to do this&#;you don&#;t want to use abrasive pads, which can damage the chrome.

Lastly, buff all the areas you polished to seal in the wax from the polishing compound. This wax layer will reduce water staining and oxidation, and it reduces the need for cleaning and polishing.

Polish Chrome Like a Pro With CleanTools

Now that you know the best way to clean and polish the chrome on your car, all you need are the right tools. A soft cloth like The Absorber, a buffing ball, and a chrome polish specially designed for your car will make polishing chrome a breeze.

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Is Polishing Chrome Necessary?



I'm not a chemist so I'm not sure what kind of "bonding" issues will be involved with all the various products on the market but I know that for years simple Carnauba paste waxes have been used to coat over and seal the micro pores in the layer of chrome to prevent water/moisture from causing deterioration.

Years ago I spoke with a high level chemist about this and he firmly said "yes" to clean and seal chrome surfaces from moisture and dirt and this will help the chrome layer to last longer and look better longer plus in most cases it makes the chrome surface easier to clean.

Do note though that when it comes to wheels, if you coat the wheel any harsh wheel cleaner PLUS any aggressive agitation via some type of wash media will tend to wear off any wax coating just like you can do to car paint. It's called micro-scratching.

Whenever I buff out any of my cars that have chrome, I always run either a one-step cleaner/wax over the chrome or whatever finishing wax I'm using...

In fact will be doing this exact thing this Thursday night on the huge chrome bumpers on my truck as this will be the first time I've detailed this truck.

Living in South Florida, rust is a constant problem so any measure of protection is better than no protection at all.


My vote is to definitely clean, (wash), then polish the chrome surface to make sure there's no staining or scum on the surface and then seal with a wax.I'm not a chemist so I'm not sure what kind of "bonding" issues will be involved with all the various products on the market but I know that for years simple Carnauba paste waxes have been used to coat over and seal the micro pores in the layer of chrome to prevent water/moisture from causing deterioration.Years ago I spoke with aabout this and hesaid "yes" to clean and seal chrome surfaces from moisture and dirt and this will help the chrome layer to last longer and look better longer plus in most cases it makes the chrome surface easier to clean.Do note though that when it comes to wheels, if you coat the wheel any harsh wheel cleaner PLUS any aggressive agitation via some type of wash media will tend to wear off any wax coating just like you can do to car paint. It's called micro-scratching.Whenever I buff out any of my cars that have chrome, I always run either a one-step cleaner/wax over the chrome or whatever finishing wax I'm using...In fact will be doing this exact thing this Thursday night on the huge chrome bumpers on my truck as this will be the first time I've detailed this truck.Living in South Florida, rust is a constant problem so any measure of protection is better than no protection at all.

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