The problem with trying to polish the tarnished "chrome" is that the chrome is on the underside of the plastic trim (subsurface). Polishing will not work because the chrome is hidden beneath the outer layer of plastic. All you can do is either live with it or replace it with the same cheap junk, which is not what one expects from a premium brand.

 

See post #5

As both watchgeek and Herbie1 have said in their quoted posts above, I believe this to be true and factual.
My experience as per post #5 albeit on an Audi is that the trim is in actual fact plastic plated to look like chrome.
This was told to me by the very experienced parts manager after I managed to get them to replace 3 sets under warranty.....They have ALL went exactly the same way, no matter what I did!

 

I think there may be a plastic coating on top of the metallic bit, so metal polish has no effect. Plain old stainless steel is easy to polish and I found some of this on my prvious car, a Rover 75, but other "chrome" was actually of the plated plastic variety. But I didn't get any corrosion with it during the time I had it.

 

I don't know what you guys are talking about?! I used my polisher with Swirl remover and then covered it with paint sealer, wiped it and it is as good as new! The Jaguar dealer was stunned today when I showed him the result, I did half the trim only to show the difference. One thing though, you will need to tape the surrounding paint work. The polishing piece turns dark, almost black, maybe it removes a layer, but the shine is as new!
The plastic covered trim is the one notoriously used in BMW and other German cars, fades, and it is covered with a layer of clear plastic that fades also or gets dull by time. That, you have to replace.

 

This is getting more and more interesting. What is this stuff? After the dealer replaced all my old trim, he threw the old pieces into my trunk. So I have got stuff to experiment with off of the car. So far, I have only had time to take a quick look. The pieces are "bright" on the underside as well as the side that is usually visible. The underside is just not as glossy as the exterior side. I took a sharp knife edge to a section of the underside and quickly managed to scrape off the bright top layer - it's soft. Underneath, is a different material, but what that is I am not yet sure. It is all clearly non-ferrous since a magnet absolutely does not stick to any of it. I will dig further when I have time.

One thing I do know about the S-Types is that the trim work details changed in the later models from that in the pre-facelift cars (mine is a 2008, hence a post-facelift). In the pre-facelift cars, the bright strip is significantly narrower and looks to be "set into" a "carrier" piece. In the post-facelift cars, it is all just one single, wider bright strip (and looks just like what seen on the current XF and XJ). Admittedly I have had a small sample to draw upon, but I have yet to see a single pre-facelift S-Type with tarnished trim - they all look fine even though they are the older models. I have seen lots of post-facelift cars (mine included) with tarnished trim. So it looks like something changed along the way.

 

Whatever the material is, it is very hard and does not respond in any meaningful way to any liquid product I have tried. I have tried various polishes, rubbing compounds and Bar Keepers Friend. Nothing touches it.

Well it's a funny thing. I have assumed, (sorry about that Sgt. Artum) that just because I had this impossible problem on my 05 XKR that it would be equally intractable on my ) 07 XK. Not so. worked on the trim with Turtle brand auto polish and "presto" the stains came right off.

Maybe the issue is, in part, waiting too long.

 

I am getting my trim replaced under warranty later this week. The dealer tried to buff it, and they were successful in improving the finish, but it became clear that they might hurt the car and it's just better to replace it.

So, to answer everyone's question: It is aluminum (not stainless, not plastic) that is anodized. See attached to confirm from the horses mouth.

Also, notice how Jaguar will get themselves out of the warranty if you try to fix it yourself. So don't do that unless you are out of warranty.

My service adviser said it's about $600 in parts to do both sides.

 

Does anybody else find it troubling that instead of putting out a bulletin on how to fix the problem Jaguar puts out a communication on how to disallow a warranty claim.

As much as I have loved these cars over the years I still wonder how they get away with some of the "stuff' they do. Cases in point, XJ notorious air shock F---up and this aluminium trim business. Everybody in the supply chain is aware of the issues but the head office crafts policies and procedures to avoid doing anything about it.

BTW -the trim staining on my car has returned after the first wash. The metal polish did not fix it.

 

il lay a bet on that ,mines come off this morn due to ice getting underneath the trim ,its plastic

 

Just to be crystal clear, Jaguar x250 does not use stainless. It uses a pressure formed aluminium material covered with a protective layer. I have walked around the suppliers factory when I worked for Aston, who do use SS & one piece for the entire length from A-post to E post & back to B post. I don't know if it can be polished out but if it can, it would need re lacquering. Crap durability. My 2008 model looks awful.

 

any new solutions for this? so even if you do manage to get it back to clean/shiny it will eventually dull out again unless recoated with some lacquer/coating?


anyone ever tried buffing with Mother's Speed Clay (synthetic soft claypad) and some type of polish

 

Did you read any of the above messages in this thread? That would answer your question since you're just suggesting to polish anodized aluminum. If you want lots of answers to your question about polishing anodized aluminum, here you go:

https://www.google.com/search?q=how+...hrome&ie=UTF-8

In short, don't do it. Just replace the parts, or have them painted gloss black.