Cleaning chrome plated plastic

Mary B

Mary B

New member
Would I be crazy to use P21S polishing soap on my chrome plated
plastic trim pieces, have alot of trim and would be nice to just rinse off
during a wash.
My next choice was Pinnacle exhaust brightener.
Then PBs ssr1
 
I`d recommend sticking with a product that is known to be safe on chromed plastic.

Mothers All Chrome would be a good choice.

Also ECH2O works surprisingly well on chrome and would be safe to use on your chromed plastic.
 
Use nothing with abrasive technology on "chrome " coated plastics. The abrasives will dull and etch the soft plastic chrome film. I made that mistake, once.
 
I have just used cleaner wax on my plastic chrome mostly. The Mothers All Chrome works fine too. Poorboy`s Pro Polish was another one I used.
 
I would actually use something like Polish w/ Carnauba that is non abrasive , cleans and protects ... for plain maintenance I use Spray and Wipe ;)
 
I must concur with the above recommendations: keep abrasive chrome cleaners away from chromed plastic (Brasso for chrome is a good example). How can you tell if it`s plastic?? Find a small magnet, like the ones on your `fridge door to hold up your kids artwork or personal notes and photos, and see if it is attracted to the chromed piece. Chances are it is not. A lot of front-end grills are chromed plastic on econo cars, as are interior trim pieces and instrument panel gage bezels or control knobs.
My suggestion? Go to a Harley-Davidson dealer and buy SimiChrome. It`s an excellent chrome polish for that type of chrome without being too abrasive. Also use a suede-type microfiber cloth (preferred) or a very soft cotton (like handkerchiefs). Old T-shirt material or washcloths or, heaven forbid, paper toweling will scratch the "softer" chrome used on plastic. Another good chrome polish for chromed plastic is MAAS , but it is expensive and hard-to-find.
Another suggestion is to "gently" apply the chrome polish with a cotton swap (AKA Q-Tip) to "control" the amount of polish being applied to a thin-chromed area like a gage bezel or control knob. You`d be surprised on how dirty these interior chrome pieces can get, especially in a vehicle that has not been cleaned in several years OR was a smoker`s vehicle. It just adds that "bling" to an interior that separates the hack I-don`t-care-or-know detailer from a truly Autopian-informed detailer.
 
I`ve had good luck with the plastic-chrome-specific polish from Autosol. You can order from through their site, which seems to distribute out of Texas. Their stuff is great, but man, so expensive, especially to ship just one item. But that`s what I would use, along with Webril Wipes.
 
Poorboy said:
Yes, i use that on the Chrome Plastic nose of my Sequoia
Click to expand...


8b0f9238eb05364341774f8e98fa6f88.jpg


Awesome ! I will use it this weekend.
Thank you. PB

Sent from my KFFOWI using Tapatalk
 
Right, avoid abrasives...even though most of us have gotten away with *mildly* abrading such surfaces at one time or another.

It`s not real "chrome" in the sense of "chromium plating" and the top layer is very fragile. Once the underlying material is exposed it`s the beginning of the end.
 
The key aspect is that the bond between the super thin layer of chrome and the plastic is not very good compared to metal. It varies by plastic.
 
rlmccarty2000 said:
Is that stuff over plastic really "chrome" like us old guys remember?
Click to expand...

With a nod towards "things change"...and that I could be misremembering...I thought it was some form of aluminum. The "chrome" that flaked off some plastic parts of my Jag was *NOT* chromium (as best I could tell and I`ve seen flaked-off "real" chrome) and the stuff on the Tahoe sure seems to behave like aluminum (in the areas where it`s compromised) but I dunno if I oughta generalize from those examples.
 
Chromed plastic does exist. Here is a link. It is a multi-step process.

Plastic Chrome Plating & Electroplating Services | Classic Chrome Plating

One key clue is that the plastic has to have a coating added to attract the chrome like electroless nickel. This is sometimes selectively done (areas to be plated) or the whole thing. Smaller parts are just completely dipped This will usually leave the surface gray. I know my inside door pulls on MKZ is plastic chrome since is flaking off -- just like my real chromed wheels.

Yes in some cases where aluminum used but it is soft so should scratch easily unless they coat it.
 
Bunky- Ah, interesting! Confirms my suspicions that we can`t generalize *too* much as there are different versions.

Oh, and FWIW the "sure doesn`t seem like chromium, sure behaves like aluminum" stuff does seem to have some kind of oe clear on it.

I gotta remember to ask somebody in the Jag Club about this one..see what they think is on the XJS. Hope it`s not some unsolvable mystery like whatever finish is on the D2 Audis` exterior aluminum trim! Never did find out what that is, different stories from different people at Audi.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top