I know this subject has been beaten to death on this forum but I am trying to decide how much work I am willing to put into the trim to brighten it up.
I received the chrome plated polished stainless steel post trim kit as a Christmas gift from my beloved for my '06 XJ8L. I put them on the car and they look great! The problem is they make the trim look worse than before. As a temporary solution I wiped the trim down with WD40 on a cloth as suggested by many on this forum. It looks much better today even after being driven on errands. I know this is only a temporary solution at best but it only takes about 2 minutes to do and is rather risk free.

I would like to hear from anyone who has removed the trim and had it sanded to remove the clear coat and polished. Has it held up to your expectations? Do you have to keep polishing it every so often?

I may attempt to remove the trim and polish it at some point based on your information, but until then I will keep on applying WD40 as it can't make it any worse. Thanks for your input.

 

I am now afraid to touch the trim with anything for fear of damaging the trim beyond repair. Could someone who has taken the time to sand and polish the trim please let me know how it faired over time. Thanks.

 

i read over on one of the VW forums that someone had success with somesort of polish while on the car. i think i did a google google search of

cloudy plastic chrome forum

my 08 has this fogging, i was walking by it and my hand was coated with rem oil from having just cleaned a gun. i slid my finger across the trim and the foginess disapeared

 

It isn't plastic, it's anodized aluminum and the clear coat has separated, creating the cloudiness. There are 3 options.
1, leave it alone
2, remove the clearcoat and polish the aluminum
3, remove the clearcoat and respray with clearcoat.

 

Whats the clearcoat removal process?

 

I used one of these. I used very fine paper so it took awhile.

 

Well that picture just opens up a slew of questions.

Not sure i have the ***** to attempt that.

I assume you took it off the car?

Did you reference a thread or just wing and hope fore the best. Cant see how that wouldnt leave scratches!!

 

Sand it with 1000 grit followed by 3000 grit. There will be no scratches. Then I would use an aluminum polish.

I have not done it myself on my car but if I were to do it, that is how I would go about it.

 

Yes I removed the part and used 2000/4000grit. The sander isn't orbital so the high grit and vibration removed it.

Alternatively you can buy an unclouded one off eBay for $100 +/-.

https://www.jaguarforums.com/forum/x...w-trim-144233/