Did my first spring cleaning and wax after the winter. It seems you usually find quite a few things after you buy a vehicle and do the first good cleaning. Two things I found that I wasnt thrilled with.

1. I have the chrome package rims which are 18's. Cleaning the rims which were dirty and expected but for one seems as if Ford didnt put a nice protective coat on them as the grime was almost baked on. Second which bothers me more it looks as if the Chrome is not solid, its a plastic cover, WTF?

2. In the door jame by the front and back piller there has been dirt piled up all winter, never had that much dirt on a vehicle in the jams before. And if you look a the bottom of the door the steel is crimped up, well guess what tons of dirt in there and when you put the hose to it the dirt just comes out black. So it seems as if the bottoms of the doors do not seal up nice and with salt and road grime, this ford will probably rust even quicker,

 

I had the "plastic cover" on some vehicles and i do prefer them over solid mag's.
Kind of tacky ( once you discover what they are, and some people never do ), but they tend to stay nice longer, without the pitting and blistering and still look great.

 

I have found that I like the chrome clad wheels as well lol they don't really every need polishing ........... As far as the door jambs my doors always have crap built up on them that you have to spray out make sure you spray up under the fenders and every panel you can reach to as well to wash it all out. Rear bumper holds a lot as well

 

I also notices behind the lights if you hit the hose just right behind the tails a bunch of dirt comes out beind those

 

If you're in the salt belt then consider some rust protection measures. Lots available north of the border (krown, oil gard, rust check to name a few). I use Krown because my friends and family have been using it for past 20 years with excellent results.

I keep the bottom of the doors saturated with Krown along with the frame rails, cross members and suspension components. Not just for the corrosion protection but for the ability to take stuff apart down the road (ie shocks) because up here the salt helps weld bolts together.

Here's hoping the plastic "chrome" lasts longer than a typical chrome rim!

 

I was doing some market research on what kind of wheels people like and stumbled across these comments. I figured since I used to work for one of the companies that made chrome-clad wheels I’d offer some facts that may be helpful. Each of you is entitled to your own opinions though so I understand if you don’t like them.

Typically, the car company uses this technology because they are more durable, look better and last longer than traditional chrome-plated wheels. They are the same high quality chrome used in grilles with a full layer of copper, nickel and chrome (Cu-Ni-Cr). There is no such thing as plastic chrome although there are some companies that make chrome thinner than others.

 

They are chrome clad. As advertised. They are still chrome, they look great and hold up well. Thanks.