removing aluminum trim oxidation

[Nappers]

a picture would be cool. I got aluminum trim on our Yukon and it's non coated and I keep it nice.....

IF it's clear coated and the clear coat has failed, one could strip the clear coat and either polish it or re-clear it.....not sure though.....

[stevehecht]

For those following this thread I have it on very good authority (a BMWCCA member who has been detailing 2002s, E28s, E30s, and E34s for 30 years) that neither polish nor the Bavarian Auto/Classic TrimCoat approach of sanding/recoating the clear coat has ever worked with any degree of consistency. According to him the only consistent response has been failure. Remember, I am speaking here of older BMWs and I can't speak for other cars with oxidized aluminum trim.

[Blackthorn One]

Thanks Mike. I've resolved to try using a DA on the trim even though I understand its success is doubtful. Replacing the trim is prohibitively expensive. I'm trying this based on the experience of a correspondent who told me he had good success on his clear coated aluminum trim using the PC 7424, Menzerna Nano Polish and a white pad. My question is: Does it make sense to start with an orange pad first and then move to a white pad? Would I need a less fine polishing product when using the orange pad? (Excuse all the questions, but I'm a noob at this--but motivated!)

Always start with the least aggressive method, therefore, start with the white pad and see how it goes. If needed, switch to the orange. Sometimes it is best to make another pass with the white pad instead of switching to the orange. No one can tell you which pad you need to start with unless they are psychic or, alternatively, you show us a picture of what you are working on. You can always go more aggressive, but you will be in a far worse situation if you start out too aggressive and remove too much material, particularly when you will need to switch to a white pad after the orange pad, and possibly to a black, blue or gray pad to finish.