neonarc Posted February 22, 2016 Report Share Posted February 22, 2016 I just bought a 2013 Edge with chrome window sills trim from factory. Trouble is they are stained. I wanted to ask what the chrome is made of and can I use some chrome or wheel polish to remove the stains. The stains are like darkened spots of something that dripped down from the windows. I'll get some pictures tomorrow. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted February 23, 2016 Report Share Posted February 23, 2016 (edited) Do they look like acid etching? Acid rain is really bad here in Northern Indiana because of the steel mills over near Gary. Once etched, very difficult to remove. Try chrome polish. I've used bug and tar remover with good results. If it looks like rust stains, try Bar Keepers Friend. Edited February 23, 2016 by enigma-2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neonarc Posted February 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2016 Here are some pictures of the stains. Even though I took them with my phone this is how the stains look in person. Looks like a chemical dripped down from windows. The manual says to use "Motorcraft Custom Bright Metal Cleaner" for exterior chrome. I guess I'll try a Chrome cleaner on a small corner spot of the trim to see if it works. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted February 27, 2016 Report Share Posted February 27, 2016 Aside from the "home remedies", there's Meguiar's Water Spot remover, TarX, Tarminator, and IronX products to try if it gets to that. But I'd try a good claybar first, keeping the working area wetted down. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neonarc Posted February 27, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 27, 2016 (edited) I used a microfiber cloth and mothers chrome polish. It definitely removed the darkness of the stains but not the stains themselves. In this pics you can see the difference, although in person the stains are still noticeable, just much lighter. Appearance improves after a second pass. Im going to try a very small pad on a drill on slow speed to see if that helps remove them better. I may also drop by autozone and see if they have something better for chrome. There was no black residue on the cloth which I read happens on SS, so I'm guessing this is actual chrome or anodized aluminum. Any thoughts? Edited February 27, 2016 by neonarc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
enigma-2 Posted February 28, 2016 Report Share Posted February 28, 2016 Yea, that does look like chemical staining. What I would do is take it to a local Ford body shop and show it to them. It will probably require a professional to fix. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neonarc Posted February 29, 2016 Author Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 Well I got the stains removed at the local car wash detail place. They used some sort of rubbing compound gel that removed the stains by hand pretty easily. I couldnt get a look at the bottle label. Once home I went over them with the chrome polisher and scratch/swirl remover. They look very good now. Anyone know how to remove scratches from the black center console? I tried the scratch/swirl remover but it only removed the very small ones. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
WWWPerfA_ZN0W Posted February 29, 2016 Report Share Posted February 29, 2016 The Novus kit is usually the go to for plastic, but you can try the other products I mentioned above. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
neonarc Posted March 1, 2016 Author Report Share Posted March 1, 2016 The Novus kit is usually the go to for plastic, but you can try the other products I mentioned above. Thanks! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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