Some of the aluminum parts on my "09 are getting pitted and I was thinking of someday maybe having them chromed. Has anyone else here done this? If so, was it expensive?

Youve got clear coat thats spidering. Where its cracked the aluminum is oxidized/ A "palm Sander" orbital with 3M green scrubby pads cut to fit & a spray bottle of water with knock the clear off and put a nice textured look on the aluminum,, spray clear on it,, Ta Daah..

I have polished my side covers and some other parts and they are so shiny you can read a newspaper off them. Pretty simple and quick to do. First, you have to remove the clear coating. Lots of stuff sold over the counter to do the job. Then I went to harbor Freights and bought these foam sanding pads that come in fine, medium and heavy. Sanded the aluminum until it was clean of the clear coating and most of the fine scratches removed. It only takes maybe 15 minutes for a casing. I also bought some buffing wheels at harbor Freights also for like $5. Used a little rubbing compound then polished them on the wheel and it is as close to chrome as you can get.

Sandblasting is too aggressive, you'll at best pit the material beyond any hope of polishing it. You can buy fine grit stripping wheels that fit in an electric drill. Or use a brass bristle wire wheel. Either way, go slowly or you will groove the parts.