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Originally Posted by boneheaddoctor
What you did was remove the old oxidized anodizing......you will now HAVE to keep it polished...
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I agree 100% with BHD. Even though the anodizing from the factory looked "milky" it was still protecting the aluminum from oxidizing. Now that you have taken the anodizing off by sanding it, the aluminum is no longer protected. You can lacquer it, but that is not nearly as durable or as hard as the anodizing.
But go figure that the typical warranty for the finish on anodized architectural products (Architectural products are windows, doors etc.) is 5 years, and that anodizing does not do well in alkaline or salty environments. But I think the two alternatives for auto trim are expensive (stainless steel, I had an Alfa Romeo with stainless trim) or not as durable (chorme plated steel), so the anodized aluminum is a good choice.
I am surprised that there is no one out there that is reanodizing these part and reselling them. As long as they aren't too bent up, and if the prep is done well, you can get the anodizing to look just like brand new. You could even darken the color from clear (like the Mercedes trim) all the way to black, depending upon how long it stays in the anodizing tank.