Not sure what to do about the new plastic chrome door handles...

[Bakdraft007]

I fitted the new style chrome door handle bowls in April 2020... Three years ago...this is what they looked like then

IMG_1931 (1).jpg

This is how they look now...

IMG_0316.jpg

The car is in a dry garage all winter, never driven in the rain, and not massively used <3000 miles per year.

It feels like pitting, but if it needs more aggressive cleaning... should I use Sovol Autosol on it? I would not want to damage it.

Anyone else have bowls that look like this? or suggestions for cleaning them?

Dave

[Chris01573]

UV damage I would say. Guess they are not a fit and forget solution then…

[Bakdraft007]

The strange thing is it seems only to be on the horizontal surfaces... the vertical surfaces are fine..

[Goldstar]

UV damage I would say. Guess they are not a fit and forget solution thenâ¦

I’m not sure chrome suffers from UV damage so I doubt it’s that.

[Goldstar]

Hi Dave - difficult to see what has happened in that picture. I’ll pm you my number so you can WhatsApp me some better images. I’ve not had any reports of similar degradation - I’ll ask Wards if they have any experience of customers contacting them about this kind of thing.

paul

[Bakdraft007]

Here you can see from a distance how the vertical is fine..



And how the passenger side has the same pitting but slight less so

IMG_0319.jpg

To be honest, it very much reminds me of the original bowls that were on it...

[Bakdraft007]

Hi Dave - difficult to see what has happened in that picture. I’ll pm you my number so you can WhatsApp me some better images. I’ve not had any reports of similar degradation - I’ll ask Wards if they have any experience of customers contacting them about this kind of thing.

paul

Thanks Paul... will do... its very strange.. any help appreciated

[jbuckl]

During the new redesign , we realised that the original zinc items did used to end up holding a pool of water or suds after a wash in this area.
A very slight slope was introduced to try to help fluid to run off , by way of improvement.

Its possible they still retained an amount of water or suds?

This used to be a root cause of the original zinc item’s relatively rapid deterioration.

The chrome finish is actually porous, but the plating underneath on the new ones shouldn’t be.

Although I worked to help get these new parts made, my car still has nos zinc items fitted, usually protected with wax.

During the development we cut through chromed parts & the plating was surprisingly thick.

[STypeR]

I need a new pair. Pitting's very bad. Rechroming this material is not the best outcome.
Not sure now after this post whether to buy the plastic ones or keep looking for a good used pair (if such a thing exists).
Are the plastic ones the final solution?

[Goldstar]

We’ve sold nearly 500 pairs of the SOCTFL handles which are manufactured by an automotive OE supplier.

This issue and one member fitting them incorrectly are the only issues we are aware of. We are investigating the issue with Dave’s bowls highlighted here but haven’t got to the bottom of it so far. Dave has been sent a new set to replace these foc

[STypeR]

Thanks for the update, very reassuring.
Never seen the new bowls in the flesh but they do look amazing on line. I'll order a set from Wards.
I did find one used reasonable condition original door handle for $50USD, still had pitting of course. All be it in only several small places but its not going to stay like that forever and I also need another one for the LHS. So really what's the point in trying to find an amazing original set?
Mine are complete but the pitting stands out like dogs **** and on a full resto, it's going to be the first place my eye is going to look at.

[Tonywhite]

I have a nos pair of original metal door bowls available

[Robin Searle]

I will take them Robin Searle PM me ;r-searle@cottagecountry.net

[Goldstar]

Thanks for the update, very reassuring.
Never seen the new bowls in the flesh but they do look amazing on line. I'll order a set from Wards.
I did find one used reasonable condition original door handle for $50USD, still had pitting of course. All be it in only several small places but its not going to stay like that forever and I also need another one for the LHS. So really what's the point in trying to find an amazing original set?
Mine are complete but the pitting stands out like dogs **** and on a full resto, it's going to be the first place my eye is going to look at.

No problem. Don’t forget to get your member’s discount when you buy them.

[jbuckl]

Tip for fitting:- read the instructions.

Failure to clean the pivot pin & holes can cause trouble.