I am disappointed at how often the plastic chrome strips on the roof keep fogging up. The only thing I've found that's effective so far is some turtle wax mild rubbing compound I have for removing light scratches in the paint. It is very effective, and I'm washing off the compound thoroughly afterwards. But I notice that in less than a month the fogginess starts to reappear.

Is there anything anyone has tried successfully?

(I thought about putting this in the detail forum, but I have a feeling these strips are exclusive on the 6th gens, so I figured exposure here would be more beneficial)

 

I too am having this problem. It seems to be pretty common given the other threads. I have 34k miles and will try and get the dealer to replace them under warranty. If possible, they'll let me keep the dull ones and I'll have them painted to match the car.

 

I asked the dealer if they come chrome and they do but they cost about $140 a piece and that doesn't include installation.

 

Yeah, I got the car with 19k miles on it, and I thought they were a polished metal look, until I went to rub on one and realized they were chrome. I'd be interested to see if my dealership would support replacing them...

 

For every 6th gen Maxima I have seen this is a common problem that has to do more with the design if anything. mine and others that are even 2-3 years old have it. I thought at first it was a freak thing, until I checked out other maxima's. If you don't like it paint it a different color, either way chrome plating in that location will just wear out quickly.

 

Just put an overlay in it and problem permanently solved.

 

Do you mean paint it? or is there something out there for this?

 

I have a silver max and am thinking of painting mine black with a clearcoat. Has anyone done this?

 

Just get some trimbrite tape from Pep Boys. Set it and forget it.

 

Or you could just peel off the chrome looking stickers. Thats what I did with mine and it looks like it was never even chrome.

 

I used a lil elbow grease and polished em back to new!

 

Folks:

Bad news - this is a serious on-going problem with Maxima's. I have the 2005 and the ONLY way to resolve this problem is to replace the chrome strips from the top of the rear windshield to the base of the windshielf via warranty. I noticed the problem after 1-year having the car, ever since I have replace my chrome strips every year at the dealership for zero $$$. Now if your in a situation where your not under warranty, you could pay for the repair and the chrome strips are warranted for one year - get them replaced prior to the one year mark - I know - it's a pain in the &&S but that is the only way to get them to look like the "real" chrome strips along the rear window.

I know some folks said they polished theirs with no problem - don't know how since there is a clear plastic coating over the flexible chrome. The UV takes a serious toll on this, by the way - don't call Nissan America - they could CARE LESS about the situation. So when all else fails, I put it on my calendar for a yearly event at the dealership - on Nissan's dime.

Just my 2 cents folks...

Jimbo

 

i just took it out and painted it black... mine already faded within less than a year... just looks nasty

 

i painted mine too.

 

I'm telling you this is a serious problem with the Maxima years that have this chrome molding. Now I did forget to mention the fact that even though Nissan America did not really care, they did ask me if mine were being handled under my warranty, and I said yes. So they said, if its not money out of your pocket, then we'll forward the problem to our technical department. With that said, for those that haven't painted theirs, you might be able to call Nissan America and complain about the faded chrome and see if they will pay for it or set up for a dealership to install them for free.

I've tried every chrome cleaner, non-abrasive, and all types of UV protection solutions with no fix to the problem. I even put protectant on it every week during the hot summer months here in Texas - still no fix. So the only solution, get them replaced and then stay on a yearly cycle to get them replaced for free. It's pretty sad when we all want to make our Nissans look good, but can't when the chrome strips fade and it's very noticeable against the real chrome on the back left/right side of rear window.

Jimbo

 

Your correct on this issue - the reason it is not true chrome, from what I found out at the dealers is the shape. Since it's curved, they use the thin chrome strip encased in a plastic. Found this out last year when I had them replaced and the dealership cut them up a bit to check out the design. I guess real chrome may possible crack in that location, mainly during the installation process at the processing plant for the Nissan's, so they use a flexible material encased in plastic. Made sense to me, but still a problem.

Jimbo

 

nissan's famous problem... thought about buying new ones ($200) but have read that it only last about 3-6 months until it gets oxidized again. Only fix is to paint them

 

I'm tellin you guys... I've used car polish and the chrome look came right back. It def sucked to do, I had to use some pressure to get it out. But it worked.

If Nissan will replace them though I might just have it done there.

 

I did the same thing on my 07 but in 6 months the chrome started to oxidize again.

Not really all that hard to polish them every 6 months, just sucks to have to do that on a $30+k car.

 

I can't find it but we had similar threads on this a year or two ago and I posted a Nissan recall that I remember them fixing for free. Wow my 04 are still chrome and are the original. Garaging helps though...

 

I'm in the garage too, but at work can only park under a tree. It's out of the sun, but still in the elements, plus stuff falls off the tree at different times of the year. But mine get's cloudy pretty quick. Couple of weeks after a good polishing...

 

It would be nice to see that recall, something to have in hand next time I'm up at the dealership...

 

I had mine replaced once under warranty but just ended up painting them black. I did this over a year ago with textured paint and they still look great!

 

Are the chroming technique similar when plastic parts are chromed on model cars/planes? If it is I can see why durability is an issue. Mine has not faded or cracked but I still did the overlay.

 

i thought of a good scenario... why not find a friend who still has a warranty... which his chrome inserts with yours and go to the dealer and get them replaced for free... i might do that in the spring haha

 

Jsmithsole: Hey can you share the exact process you went through to do yours? For instance, the prep work to paint, the paint type and manufacturer of the paint, etc.? Also, can you provide how you took the strips off to paint? I understand they are held in with clips, but either it is installing them or taking them off that you can potentially crack your windshield if done wrong. The dealership did this to my car and had to replace it when I had them replaced in 2006, the first time.

Either case...you paint job looks good and more importantly looks like it is holding up. I would be willing to follow your same steps to avoid going to the dealership on an annual basis. Further, did you also paint the "real" chrome on the left/right side of rear window?

Thanks.

Jimbo

 

I use chrome polish. The same one that are used on motorcycles: Autosol.

Lots of elbow grease but it gets the job done.

Good luck.

 

I had to replace them at 18 months on my '08. Next time I will paint them black.

BTW: There is always the risk that the dealer will crack your windshield when replacing these. Something to think about.

 

i notice my chrome strips start to fade after it rains.... If i dont clean the rain off and let it dry, i notice the next day the dull shine...

We need some clear overlays to help protect against the sun and water.

 

I wish i has paid closer attention, I honestly don't see how I could have cracked the windshield though. One thing is to be careful you don't bend them, I didi in a couple of places, they look OK but they are soft. I used a small screwdriver with tape on the end and gently popped them out at each clip. As for paint I lightly sanded them and then used textured paint for plastic/and metal (from Home Depot, it's for patio furniture etc..)and put a few coats on. That's it!

I also used the same paint for my engine covers and interior dash pieces, I like the textured flat look...

 

I was having the same issue, I bought some stuff from atuozone when I get home from work I'll post the name of the polish. It's like wool soaked in the polish works great
I've only had to clean them one time so far.

 

not to be exact would anyone here would happen to know where the clips to remove it would be located?

 

not exact but its distributed all through out the strip.. front, middle and back... same with the one by your rear windshield but there's a screw that holds it.. you shiould be able to access it by opening your trunk...

after you've removed that plastic molding by the rear windshield, you could start popping those clips using a screwdriver wrapped in cloth.. be very careful tho...

 

Just brought my 07 max to the dealer this morning to get some things looked at under warranty (34K miles) The roof strips were the 1st on the list. The guy told me that they would order the parts and replace them. He also mentioned that there was adhesive and clips holding them in. Not sure if anyone else had problems doing this themselves, but thought I would add the adhesive part to the conversation.

also getting replaced, leather seat pan(has defect (bumps) under the leather), bose radio (has hiss/whistle, noticable on talk type stations and when the volume is low, and still up for discussion .drivers door push button (works sporadic after heavy rain).

 

Your going to want to start form the back going toward the front. Pop the trunk and look near the rear glass on both sides; you should see the strips come to an end and you'll notice a screw that your going to want to start with.
From there just pop out the clips as you move from trunk to hood.

 

i used mothers chrome polish on mine and it worked great and they managed to keep chrome for whole summer but after a couple rain falls it goes back cloudy but nothing a quick 5 min polish wont fix

 

I had the same problem....I tried compounding the **** outa them....then I noticed a plastic strip on them and peeled them off....try and see if ya got the same thing

 

Had the same issues with mine. Duragloss 105 cleared it right up. Polished them up this summer and still looking good.

 

Does anyone know if you have to push up or to the side?? I've removed the screws in the trunk area but Im afraid to break it but as long as I know which direction to pull, I will be ok, appreciate it.

 

upwards... get the feel of it... start at the rear going to the front... gl..