After cleaning the corrosion from many parts under the hood, I had the idea to try using PB Blaster on the aluminum trim. I found that it cut right through the chalky white oxidation. It might still not perfect, but it is as good as this trim is going to get!

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i love you..... jk


i must try that.. anything is better than chalky.. please please tell us how you did it step by step
also does it stay that way or go back to chalky in a day or two?


i was filling up and my fingers covered in diesel so i rubbed it off on the trim .. it looked new in that spot after rubbing for a little bit .. but soon fadded the next day

I srayed the PB Blaster on a rag, and rubbed the trim.

It's penetrating oil, so the oil will have that effect of looking shiny even if you don't get it clean. But it really liquifies the white film from annodized aluminum. It's been shiny for about a week now. Yes, it is in the garage, but still, had I used the myriad other polishes I own, the trim would be white right now.

Though, I'm thinking I want to finish up with a polish. PB Blaster says that it prohibits corrostion, but I would feel better with a coat of Mother's on it.

awesome.. ill trade you my can of mothers for your bottle of PB

Temporary.

The oil is filling in the small cracks/crazing in the surface, bends the light instead of reflecting it from fractured surfaces, that whole refractive index thing.

If you wash it with soap, it will wash out and look pale again. What might work is a nice clearcoat, even a wax of some type.

Be careful using an abrasive cleaner on an anodized aluminum. In simple terms, the anodized "aluminum" is an aluminum alloy, which would corrode very quickly and won't polish very well, with the surface anodized which is kind of like a pre-oxidized film created from the aluminum to protect the surface. If you polish through the anodized surface, you will expose an alloy which will oxidize very quickly.

Try something in a clear-coat or hot wax that might penetrate the surface, might be a longer-term solution. It might be time to get some trim pieces from the local junkyard and work on a solution, hmm.

- Jeff Miller

Has anyone tried to see what kind of coating MB used on the trim originally?

I've removed anodizing from parts in the past with Easy-Off oven cleaner, but after polishing the aluminum back, I cleaned it with alcohol & sprayed it with clearcoat... need to experiment with a piece of Benz trim, I guess...

BNC

The coating is anodized aluminum. The aluminum is immersed in a tank, electrical process (anodic), steals electrons and makes the surface tough similar to aluminum oxide. Acidic cleaners are often what change the color of the surface to a milky color, sometimes from harsh car-wash chemicals (quite often).

Since the anodized surface is harder than the aluminum alloy under the surface, it is very difficult to remove the anodized surface. Sometimes quenching the anodized aluminum such as the first example with PB-Blaster will make it look good, albiet temporary.

I'm not sure what you'll end up with if you use an acid like easy-off, probably a pretty thoroughly discolored coating that can't easily be removed. I'd suggest using a piece of junk trim first.

- Jeff Miller
190DT

I usually don't site articles from websites due to the inability to readily verify the source & info correctness, but here is an interesting site...

http://www.focuser.com/anodize.html

So, how large of a tank do I need to do trim pieces?

bnc

There is a product called Sheila Shine that I've seen.
The stuff I saw was an aerosol, which you would spray onto a cloth and wipe the trim; the effect was instant. Cloudy trim was suddenly bright. Trouble is, rain will wash it off and sunlight will hasten the product's disappearance from evaporation or chemical breakdown.

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Hi Greg, I'll have to dig up your threads once I start the wagon's aluminum trim polishing project (nearly all of the window trim needs it). Thanks for sharing.

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Might try polishing the trim and then clear powder coating to keep it shiney??
Think I'm gonna give this a go as soon as I get a used dutch oven to cut the sides out of...in order to pass the loooooong trim pieces thru as it heats up the powder.

Regards

Run-em

Can someone please point out the advantages of powder coating over a normal uerathane clear coat. Is it more durable or what?
bb

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Using Enviracryl clear powder coat - Oh yes that would be great and you are going to get some serious years of service. But you have to touch reality removing all the trim, purchace a powder coater heavy enough to do the mild bake, re-installation Ca ching$$

Buff out trim, clean and prep surface, mask and spray poly.

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If done properly it can be tougher. It is a more difficult process, need heat and a static charge, has trouble with inside-bends and points, but good stuff when done properly. If not applied properly (cleaned, De-I rinsed, etc.) and cured/crosslinked properly it won't be hard or properly adhered.

Be sure that the product that you use is UV stable / rated for outdoor exposure, many powder-coat products are not.

Personally I'd just wet-coat it unless it is going to be subject to lots of wear, it works for the car's body. More likely to be damaged than worn-out. Powder-coat rims? Yeah. Window trim? Not IMO necessary. Anodizing is what you really want on brightwork if possible, might look for a local anodizing house that will take small projects.

- Jeff Miller
190DT

It will look good for a while. I have found waxing mine after going over it with a clay bar will make it look a lot better. But I can still see the cloudy whiteness deep in the finish.

You can't really polish it because it is anodized aluminum and you will polish through the anodizing.

I'm just going to replace mine when I paint my car. After seeing a couple W126's with bright trim I'm sold.

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