clmulli

My chrome is fading on my grill. Has anyone else experienced this problem?

ImInPA

How long have you had you car and how many miles do you have? At 5.5k miles all is well on mine.

Tjdehya

Chrome polish. A "true" car enthusiast does more than just wash their car when it gets dirty.

ImInPA

Is the grill actually Chrome? or is it "plasti-chrome?" " MB Chrome-Tex?"

mbuster25

As with your painted surfaces, the grill is exposed to the elements. The front of the car can get a lot of road debris, spashes, and bug guts. If you never clean it, contaminants will build up and can attach and etch into the surfaces.

I would suggest carefully cleaning and then applying a sealant or car wax. I would be very careful cleaning it and not use any metal polish as I do not believe it is not full chrome, but rather chrome plating over plastic.

Tjdehya

Hmmm, I always though it was Chrome plated plastic. Which you can use chrome polish. Anyway I am too lazy to break out the Chrome polish. I just use Turtle wax Ice on all surfaces of the car. It doesnt have to be "Full Chrome" to use chrome polish. lol

rovermark

So is it metal or plastic? What about the Mercedes star right above it?

And what do you mean by "fading"? Is it getting less shiny? Black? Discoloured? Pitted?

K-A

Weird. Just treat it like paint. Wax it, and I've found Cleaner Waxes good to use if you need a mild polish on it as well.

clmulli

I'm sure its chrome plastic. It has white blemishes on it. I wash my car often. I called the dealer and they stated that it should be covered under warrenty but the will have to look at it. I'm only at 22k it shouldn't be doing this. Thanks guys!

K-A

Yeah it shouldn't be doing that at all. I mean, most people driving around in Benzes that are 10+ years old have probably never put a coat of wax or polish on their plasti-chrome grill's, and they all hold up fine. That should be a durable part of the car that requires little to no care or maintenance. I find that by waxing mine, and keeping it detailed, it has that extra "pop", not to mention I assume it should look like new forever (pits aside).

El Cid

Per the Operators Manual, the only chrome on the E class are the exhaust tips. Specifically says do not use chrome polish anywhere else on the car.
Actually, much of what we refer to as chrome on cars, even in the 50's, is stainless steel.
Definitely need to take to your dealer for inspection before doing anything yourself.

K-A

Good to know! That makes total sense. Real chrome is also prone to chipping, and if you notice, even the oldest Benzes usually don't have chips in their "chrome" areas, which would also show that they're not chrome.

BTW, I'm surprised the exhaust tips are chrome? They look like Stainless Steel to me as well.