pitted door handles

[asalesagent912]

My friend has a ford f150 and asked me to detail it for him.
he has after market door handles and they seem to like tarnish and look pitted.
does anyone have suggestions on how to clean and shine them up? here are some pics

 

[asalesagent912]

nobody has any ideas?

 

[swanicyouth]

My guess would be they are plastic. I've tried to polish "plastic chrome" and it just ruins it. If it's something above the surface (doesn't appear to be) - I'd try a paint cleaner. If not, they will need to be replaced IME.

 

[asalesagent912]

My guess would be they are plastic. I've tried to polish "plastic chrome" and it just ruins it. If it's something above the surface (doesn't appear to be) - I'd try a paint cleaner. If not, they will need to be replaced IME.

really? what does polishing them do to them? i cant see them any worse than they are

 

[swanicyouth]

really? what does polishing them do to them? i cant see them any worse than they are

IME it dulls the "plastic chrome" to a bronze like dull color. But give it a try if you have nothing to loose. I'm sure all plastic coatings aren't the same. If it was me, I'd be looking to just replace them and coat them with DLux. But - that's AutoGeek territory. The owner may not want the expense or hassle or getting into all that.

 

[Vtextc]

I agree; look like cheap ABS plastic, made in China specials that have been exposed to the elements without regular cleaning and TLC. I'd say its time to replace them personally.

Asif