Rusty grill gates - clean/repair or replace?

[mskyle]

Grilling season is upon us, but the grates on my cheap-ish propane grill (this Char-Broil model) are really rusty. They're the enamel-coated kind, not cast iron or stainless steel.

It looks like we could easily get replacement grates for around $50, but that seems like a lot when we could probably buy a decent new-to-us used grill for $100-150. I especially don't want to spend $50 if the new grates would rust like the originals have (not even two summers of grilling, and we were pretty good about keeping the grill covered when not in use, and we stored it indoors during the winter).

So I guess what I'm looking for is:
* Recommendations on how to clean up the grates so that we can another summer or two out of them
* Recommendations for replacement grates that don't cost $50 (that's more than a third of what we paid for the grill new!)
* Grill grate maintenance advice so we can keep our next set of grates lasting a bit longer

Thanks, mustachians!

[former player]

To remove rust, try a wire brush followed by metal polish.   An alternative to a wire brush is using (coke/coal) ash and a damp rag.

[MrSal]

I have char broil too...  At end of every grilling I burn the fat and food to ashes... Then I wire brush it clean. The a coat of vegetable oil on the gates... It's been 3 summers and two winters outside and no sign of rust... I do use a grill cover on top though

[M2 pilot]

The grates on my Weber gas grill finally burned/corroded to the point of no return after 10 years or so.  I found some stainless steel replacements on Amazon & have used them for 6 years.  They still look good & I think they're gonna last a lot longer than the originals did.