The door handles tend to fade on these cars, my car was a pretty nasty example. Coming from the Mitsubishi world, I really like to see how creatively I can stretch a dollar.
This isn't something I'd seen documented here so I wanted to post for others to try.
All I used was a Meguiar's headlight restoration kit, 1 microfiber cloth, and glass cleaner.
Step 1-
Clean the door handle! I used foaming glass cleaner and a microfiber cloth
Step 2-
Wetsand with 1000 grit sanding pad. I spray the sanding pad with the glass cleaner and gently scrub the surface.
Be very careful around the edges; don't scuff the door paint!
Step 3-
Wipe the door handle down. Look at the microfiber!! We're not done, repeat steps 2 and 3.
Step 4-
Switch to the 3000 grit pad. More wetsanding! Remember that you're not scrubbing, you're smoothing- just let the pad glide across back and forth.
Step 5-
Get your microfiber and put some plastic polish on it! Technically this is a buffing stage, but we're being cheap here. Rub in right circles, apply some pressure.
Step 6-
Flip the cloth over and rub the compound off!
Step 7-
Grab the little rectangle sponge, your headlight coating, and get a clean section of your microfiber ready- almost done!
Apply a few drops to the sponge and wipe gently onto the door handle in long sweeps slowly. Always coat in the same direction and do not allow it to run. If it runs, use your microfiber to wipe it off quickly. Do not touch the door handle during/after coating for at least an hour!
Step 8-
Come back out in a bit and admire your shiny door handles! I wouldn't open/touch them for the remainder of the dark, just to be sure the coating has settled. I was very happy with how effective this was. We'll see long term how it holds up!