Removing scratches from grill

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SilveradoLTZ

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Hey Mike,

I have a 2010 Silverado LTZ with the feaux chrome grille and at some point in its life a amateur detailer thought it would be a good idea to use what looks to be a scotch brite to remove bugs from the grill. End result.........lots of scratches and swirls in the grill. I have spent hours and hours polishing and buffing the paint and have fixed all those mistakes but I am left wondering what to do with this being that its plastic with a chrome facing to it. Thank you in advance for your help and any other professional advise from the other geekers would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks!
 
Even though it's chrome covered plastic, it's still chrome. You could try 0000 steel wool with a metal/chrome polish to see if that helps.
 
As far as I know, there's no way to remove the scratches and make the plastic chrome look new or original.

That is the goal correct? Remove the defects so that it looks like there were never any scratches nor anything ever happened? I ask this because it's important to have realistic goals.

I think I remember a car in which Mike Pennington removed some scratches out of plastic chrome but I would have to check.

Here's the problem though...


Some materials and/or coatings don't lend themselves to being abraded with the end results looking good or original.


The above is written very carefully as it applies to a lot of car related materials and coatings. I wrote it back in 2005 and it's part of an article from that year as your question and problem comes up a lot about a lot of different materials and coatings.

I'll check next week if you like?

Kind of busy out in the garage today...


:)
 
Thank you for the advise. I understand that "new" is a far stretch but would like to get it looking better. Would it be safe to say that a light wooling and chrome polish would at least make it look better than a bunch of random swirling
 
Mike.Phillips@Autogeek said:
I'm not 100% sure but I'm pretty confident if you rub steel wool, even #000 steel wool over plastic chrome it's going to leave scratches.


:)
Click to expand...


You're probably right, rubbing light enough with 0000 steel wool so as not to leave marks won't be aggressive enough to remove marks either. I just hate to see something that is unfixable, I always have to try something before giving up.

In that case, use a straight up metal polish and keep it so shiny you can't look at it long enough to see the scratches
 
SilveradoLTZ said:
Thank you for the advise. I understand that "new" is a far stretch but would like to get it looking better. Would it be safe to say that a light wooling and chrome polish would at least make it look better than a bunch of random swirling
Click to expand...


I don't have a lot of experience trying to remove scratches out of these types of parts but I do know that you way you remove a scratch or scratches is you have to abrade the surface and level the top of the surface with the lowest depth of the scratches you're trying to remove.

This means removing material.


This is where it gets tricky, there's not very machine material you can remove before you expose the plastic.

And as I posted in my first replay, you can abrade the surface, but you might just replace one set of scratches with a new set of scratches, thus it won't look good and it won't look original.


Tough problem... again, I'll check with Mike next week, too late in the day and I have to get back out into the garage, there's a 325i calling my name.

:)
 
Don M said:
Even though it's chrome covered plastic, it's still chrome. You could try 0000 steel wool with a metal/chrome polish to see if that helps.
Click to expand...

OP, please do not do this. It will put more scratches in your grill. This is a method for polishing (by hand) very worn bare aluminum.
 
You may want to think about replacing it...My Jeep Commander has the same problem. I have gotten it to look better by polishing, but if you are after perfection, you may want to buy a new one.
 
I believe the only safe method is flitz fiberglass polish and menzerna polish cream.
 
Try some cleaner/wax (any brand). Try just using it with your finger tip, and SLOWLY work up to a more and more aggressive applicator (finger, foam pad, MF towel, terry cloth).

Just remember, that 'chrome' is ridiculous thin.

As mike said above, sometimes things just won't correct. Plastic chrome is one of those surfaces that this can very well be more than true.

Good luck...

Bill
 
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