Hey guys, a previous owner of my car was a smoker and when I bought the car it was in FOUL shape on the inside. The grey leather was almost brown and the dealership I bought it from didn't even try to clean it up. Well I've finally went over the seats and shampooed carpets and got everything looking like a completely different car. The only thing I haven't been able to fix to my satisfaction is the metal strip just above the ashtray. It has yellowed from smoke coming from the ashtray and I was just curious if anyone had any ideas of any product that would break down whatever it is in cigarettes that causes the yellowing. It even went as high as the face on the stereo, the digital numbers on it were almost unreadable. I tried some light compound and it actually worked great on the stereo face. I tried it on the metal trim and it didn't do a thing. I went up to a heavier cutting compound and it just started to make light scratches on the metal but didn't take much if any of the yellow off. I also tried various cleaners to no avail. I just figured there's got to be an easier way. I would also lots rather have the piece scratched up some than yellow. You can spot it as soon as you open the door. Surprisingly, theres not even the tiniest burn hole or any other evidence of anyone smoking inside other than this. Thanks for any help you guys could give.

 

That yellowing above the ash tray has nothing to do with the smoker. There's a multipage thread on it around here somewhere. It's just the material. All you can do is replace it.