My 2001.5 Avant brushed aluminum roof rails have seen better days. Does anyone have tips for polishing these back to "like new" condition? I figure a Dremel with the polishing pad may be part of the process, but is there a good polishing product?

I am not sure if they are clearcoated or not, but what I use on anything brushed to make em shine a little better as well as polished billet wheels is newspaper and water.......but you don't need much water..just polish with the newspaper with a touch of water.then wash the car and chamois dry everything. Dave

Some of the good wheel cleaning/brightening products are fine for the rails. Make sure the product is safe for aluminum and, it should go without saying, that you should try it on a small, out-of-sight area first to see if it works without damage.

The trick will be determining if they are clear coated. If they are, polish and a small buffer may work. I use newspaper to clean glass becasue it does not have lint.... so I think I will try that on a small area on the roof rails. Thanks for the tips!

I use a bit of 3 in 1 oil with a soft rag after washing my car.

Looks great, but dosn't last.