Restoring/Protecting Audi Polished Aluminum Sport Mirrors

[markiteight]

Hi All,

I have a pair of polished aluminum mirrors from a B6 (2002-2005) Audi S4 that have some minor pitting and a slightly cloudy finish. I'd like to restore them as best as possible but I'm not sure where to start. I can't tell if they're clear coated or not, and I can't find that answer anywhere online.

Anyone have experience with these? I'm less concerned with the minor pitting and more interested in addressing the cloudiness and also giving them some sort of protection to maintain the finish. Here's a couple pictures that hopefully illustrate what I'm up against. Apologies they're not the greatest, they were originally taken to illustrate something other than the housings themselves.





Thanks,
Adam

[Eldorado2k]

Take a small amount of polish or compound on a microfiber towel and rub the metal.. If it turns the towel black, then it's bare polished aluminum, and a metal polish can/should be used... If it doesn't turn the towel black then you shouldn't use a metal polish.

[markiteight]

Take a small amount of polish or compound on a microfiber towel and rub the metal.. If it turns the towel black, then it's bare polished aluminum, and a metal polish can/should be used... If it doesn't turn the towel black then you shouldn't use a metal polish.

Thanks. I'll give it a go when I have a chance. Just one quick question: when you say "small amount of polish or compound" do you mean a metal specific polish/compound or does it matter?

Thanks,
Adam

[Eldorado2k]

Thanks. I'll give it a go when I have a chance. Just one quick question: when you say "small amount of polish or compound" do you mean a metal specific polish/compound or does it matter?

Thanks,
Adam

It doesn't matter. They'll both turn the towel black the same way if it's bare aluminum.

[oneheadlite]

If you’re worried about having your test spot stand out, you could always tilt (or remove) the mirror glass and do your test spot on the inside (or at least the less visible inside edge) of the housing.

I sure would think those would have some sort of coating on them, otherwise you’d think you’d see a lot more of them in the wild looking much worse. But that’s only my speculation. Looking forward to hearing what you find, and seeing how they turn out!

[Eldorado2k]

I think they're going to be plastic chrome...

[markiteight]

I think they're going to be plastic chrome...

Nope. They're real metal. This is Audi we're talking about, not GM. ;-)

A friend of mine made an interesting suggestion: test continuity. If there's resistance, it's bare metal. Open circuit, clear coat. I broke out my multimeter and gave it a shot. Open circuit. To confirm I rubbed down an inconspicuous spot with polish and there was no color change. They're clear coated.

@oneheadlite: that's a good suggestion and I had considered that, but I decided against that idea because there's a good chance they didn't bother to clear coat the inside of the housing, leading to false results. I'll test the interior surfaces when I disassemble them.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

[Trip]

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...d.php?t=107119

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Autogeekonline mobile app

[Trip]

^ Same mirrors that were on my brothers car, I hit them with a black foam pad on my Dewalt rotary. Cleaned up fantastic. Used HD compound and coating with Polish Angel. That's the only part that still looks good since I did his car. He loves the carwashes

Sent from my SM-G930W8 using Autogeekonline mobile app

[Eldorado2k]

Nope. They're real metal. This is Audi we're talking about, not GM. ;-)

A friend of mine made an interesting suggestion: test continuity. If there's resistance, it's bare metal. Open circuit, clear coat. I broke out my multimeter and gave it a shot. Open circuit. To confirm I rubbed down an inconspicuous spot with polish and there was no color change. They're clear coated.

@oneheadlite: that's a good suggestion and I had considered that, but I decided against that idea because there's a good chance they didn't bother to clear coat the inside of the housing, leading to false results. I'll test the interior surfaces when I disassemble them.

Thanks everyone for your suggestions.

I'll let you have that dig. Lol.
I just thought that would be an odd place for them to decide to take on the extra weight of solid metal.