HELP! Rusty Headlight trim rings

If they are rusting that quickly, the chrome job itself is highly suspect....   After plating one off parts, the machine shop I once worked in would bake the item in an oven at 400+ F. to force out any oxygen.....  Commercial shops may have another process, but thats the one we used....    A lot of "Heco in China" parts have this problem.....

I used Ospho for many years on my commercial fishing boat.  It's a great product, but I don't think it will help you, Bill.  Ospho changes iron oxide (rust) to iron phosphate, a hard, stable, black compound that takes paint well.  It works well on iron, steel, and other metal surfaces that will be painted.  Hawaiian salt air is hard on cheap chrome.  Reach out to one of the car clubs on the islands.  I know there are a few.  They'll be able to tell you a product they have found for your local conditions.  Best of luck!

Keep it waxed with carnauba wax (good for you cuz its made from palm leaves).  Save the old removed rusty ones, have them media blasted and powder coated to mach the car.

I use a product called PRISM which comes in a jar and looks like jewelers rouge and I've applied it to stainless stanchions and aluminum on my boat and it holds up real well. We also use it to polish the Fuchs wheels and other bits on the car and its amazing stuff.

You order it online.

Thanks gang.

Gregg, that's the plan...

Speaking of boats, I had some chromed metal bits on my last sailboat that kept wanting to rue (3' from salt water all their lives.....DUH!)

After I de-rusted them I sprayed them with clear Krylon and that lasted several years - might have been longer, but I sold the boat.

Gordon, did you sand before clear coat?

Here is a fix you can do, might cost roughly around $20... take off the headlights AND all other "china" chrome parts that you are not satisfied with.

Take them to a local powder coater... this method is far cheaper than a "chromer, chrome shop". There is a powder coat color made by various powder companies, 120% CHROME. The powder coater will chemically strip off your cheap chrome and powder coat them with the 120% chrome, or Prismatic Powders makes SUPERCHROME. It is far more durable, won't scratch easily like your chrome rings do now and will NOT rust... nor does it need to be polished from time to time.

We use SUPERCHROME and other variations of 120% and 80% Chrome on all our Spyders we build.... I cannot stand the "china" chrome that comes on most parts for Speedsters and Spyders.

Bill:  I never sand chrome with sand paper.  At most I'll use "0000" steel wool to get the rust and minor pits out and then give it a blast with clear Krylon.