Bumper pitting

[Burdekin]

Anyone got any tips for cleaning and polishing the bumpers. Got a spare one with some pitting, any tips of how these could be removed?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Burdekin

Anyone got any tips for cleaning and polishing the bumpers. Got a spare one with some pitting, any tips of how these could be removed?

Cooking foil! Scrunch it up shiny side out, dip it in water and rub the chrome bumpers! Amazingly it works, the shiny comes off the foil and fills the pits and being a slightly rough surface, it removes the flakes of rust at the same time.

A gentle polish with Solvol after and (i haven't tried the next step) then a coat of clear lacquer will have it looking like new.

It's a cheap enough method to experiment with to find your best technique and can revive chrome bumpers, tailpipe trims (that's what i tried it on), bike wheels and so on.

[Burdekin]

Originally Posted by Laird Scooby

Cooking foil! Scrunch it up shiny side out, dip it in water and rub the chrome bumpers! Amazingly it works, the shiny comes off the foil and fills the pits and being a slightly rough surface, it removes the flakes of rust at the same time.

A gentle polish with Solvol after and (i haven't tried the next step) then a coat of clear lacquer will have it looking like new.

It's a cheap enough method to experiment with to find your best technique and can revive chrome bumpers, tailpipe trims (that's what i tried it on), bike wheels and so on.

Thanks Dave but they’re anodised aluminium so does the old alfoil work on it as well as chrome?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by Burdekin

Thanks Dave but they’re anodised aluminium so does the old alfoil work on it as well as chrome?

Your bumpers are anodised aluminium?

[XC90Mk1]

All interesting to read and I don’t know the answer.

Aluminium anodised pre 1980 would have been the absolute F1/NASA type technology. Are you sure?

[Laird Scooby]

Originally Posted by XC90Mk1

All interesting to read and I don’t know the answer.

Aluminium anodised pre 1980 would have been the absolute F1/NASA type technology. Are you sure?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anodizing

https://dorsetaluminium.com/

Why do you say anodising before 1980 would be F1 or NASA technology? It's been around for nearly 100 years and specialist anodising companies have been in existence for many decades, as you will see if you read the history of DAP (Dorset Aluminium) above.

It's a much more common process than you might think and i'm willing to say with some certainty you have anodised aluminium products in your house without even realising it.

[Burdekin]

They are anodised aluminium.