Running Board Stains

[mellow_sparky]

Well my wife made the error of taking the e70 through an automatic car wash. Whatever they use to clean the car caused the brushed aluminum running boards to become all stained (blotchy white).

I managed to get them pretty well cleaned up, but it's far from perfect. I first use some mineral spirits to really clean the metal. Then I used a compound called "White Off" -- it's used to clean stains off of glass and stainless steel. Finally I followed with some Zymol HD Cleanse (oxidized paint cleaner).

Like I said, with some elbow grease, I got them looking pretty good - the casual observer would think they look fine. However if you get down close, you can tell they have been stained.

Why doesn't BMW clear coat these darn things!?!?