i have a hitachi 9100e that has a couple of areas of paint missing on the speaker grilles. what should i use to get a 100% repair, as they are primarily on show and i want an exact match for presentation. or is it best just to leave them alone?

use paint stripper and getting them powder coated, that would result in the best finish

I've sprayed many a speaker grill over the years,if the pain is slightly bubbling,i just use a washing up scourer,then i just spray them with satin black car spray..but yep,powder coating can be expensive,but is probebly is the most professional way to do it..
my bro used to restore motorbikes,and spraying the frame with normal car paint was out of the question,powdercoat every time,he would'nt use anything less..

Anytime the grill have missing paint, I remove the grill entirely and take it to a brass wire brush mounted on a bench grinder. Strips all the paint and rust off. If the paint is not stripped, then you might get a stepped appearance on the paint due to the flaked areas will have an edge to it. I then use enamel gloss black spray paint and if cured long enough before handling, results in a great looking finish. Makes a night day difference in appearance and the entire boombox looks new again. I think powerdercoating might be overkill. I once did it on a shell for a home amplifier and 10 years ago, costed me $150 because they had to order the powerder for me since I didn't like the stock colors. Not worth it for a boombox when a $6 can of paint will suffice well, especially since the original finish was just paint anyhow.

wowzers, all sounds extreme, man!
if im honest theres only a few fairly discreet line marks on 'em. thanks guys for the advice but im not good at diy, let alone risking damaging my boxes. the best i can do is clean 'em up good.

when i said powder coat i didnt mean go to lengths and spend loads of cash on it.

just find someone else getting stuff powder coated in black and throw yours in at the same time.

my mates dad is always powder coating car parts so he throws the odd bit in with his dads stuff and gets it done for next to nothing. sod doing it the expensive way!

I WAS LOOKING FOR A SOLUTION TO CLEAN UP MY M70 GRILLS AND BELIEVE IT OR NOT. I USED THAT KIWI SHOE SHINE...THE ONE ON THE SPONGE........WOW...WHAT A DIFFERENCE IN MADE....OBVIOUSLY IT DOESNT COVER RUST BUT AS THE GRILLS WERE SLIGHTLY MISCOULOURED IT WORKED A TREAT..........

Rustoleum primer and paint.