Just went out to my '09 TL, and noticed staining on the chrome that's on the trunk lid.

I've been suspecting a neighbor may be messing with my car, and I'm afraid someone may have splashed something caustic/acidic on the rear chrome.

It's lightly spotted - instead of one solid silver color, there are a lot of tiny spots - tiny ones - which are a lighter color.

It's not real obvious, but it's glaring once I noticed it - or disturbing.

Tried distilled water and rubbing it - tried a cotton t-shirt first, and when that didn't work tried using a microfiber cloth.
But it's not taking it off.

My car's 4 year warranty ended in July, and prior to that I had them replace anything I noticed a problem with, but hadn't noticed anything there until today.

Is that fake chrome - plastic chrome?

Is the sort of spotting I'm describing something anyone here has noticed before?

What can I use to try to polish it and see if there's anyway to get rid of the spots other than a rechrome or replacement bumper?

 

I'll take a picture later and post it.

 

try chrome polish i use it to get water stains off of my grille

not sure if its hard water or acid rain

 

Don't laugh - there is a product called Mr.Clean Magic Eraser.
It's a small sponge type thing, available at Walmart or any supermarket.
This product is amazing in its ability to clean difficult jobs of all types. I even used it on my A pillars interior. Perhaps it might work for your chrome.

 

That's interesting you mention that. Mr. Clean repackaged the same product for cleaning wheels.

 

be careful!!

some of the "magic erasers" are abrasive!

 

i laught because you are not suppose to be using household products to clean a car..

imo for chrome, use chrome polish, or use some abrasive compound.

usually with chrome covered parts, you can just use some polishing compound to take it off.. no need to use a eraser that is designed for home uses. those type of things will leave surface scratches as it is very rough and you usually have to apply pressure which will result in micro scratches.

 

Whatever! I have been washing my vehicles with Tide and Dawn for 50 years!

"use some abrasive compound"

Sorry, I fail to see the logic here!

 

i guess i shouldnt have used that term since these are dipped in chrome and not actual metal pieces.. but there are abrasive compounds bars which are used to buff and polish metals

since this is dipped, you need just a standard m105 or m205 polishing compound to clear that up.. that is what i use on my chrome trim around my windows. works flawless.

not sure if you are being sarcastic about tide and dawn.. but it does say on the back of those bottles that it should not be used for washing cars.

 

Sorry, no, I was not being sarcastic.
I use Tide all the time to wash my car.
Dilute solution in a bucket of warm water, rinsed off by garden hose asap. I have never had a problem. I have some expertise on cleaning solutions since I used to work (in one of my incarnations) as a technical mgr for a well known manufacturer.

 

^^^ Doesn't that strip off the wax?

 

It may remove wax but it does not bother the actual paint and finish of the car. I usually just use something like Mother's ? Mequires? spray on wax, I don't bother with real labour intensive waxing anymore. I had my Integra for 13 year and its original paint still looked fantastic the whole time. My TL has some kind of special treatment that the original owner paid extra for. It looks like brand new and it's a '10.
Sorry for getting off topic.

 

The whole point of waxing is to seal up the pores and protect the paint finish from the harmful elements of nature.

If washing with whatever detergents strips away the protective wax, then it is wise to reapply the wax finish after every wax-stripping car wash.

 

only time you should be using dishwashing soap is when you want to strip wax..

on the serious side. if it has a warning lable that specifically says to not use on a car. i would follow that. use products specifically for a normal car wash.