Hi guys

It sounds like there is much agreement here and I'd have to join the majority. Mother's Chrome Polish is excellent for cleaning chrome. It's not for coated or painted wheels but their Plastic Polish does a great job on those items.

For chrome that is rusty or greenish (the chrome is pitted and either steel or copper is exposed) the steel wool is great to knock it down (000 minimum, 0000 preferred). Then use a quality chrome cleaner. 3M also makes an excellent Chrome Cleaner 3M 39527. It's a professional product and targets the harder metals.

Meguiars NXT and Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish are general purpose polishes and therfore neither "fish nor foul".. They'll work but a targeted polish is best.

Finally any old pure paste wax will protect very well. Keep it on and your wheels will stay shiny.

Summary:
Rusty Chrome - Steel Wool and Chrome Polish
Good Chrome - Chrome Polish
Polishable (uncoated) Aluminum - Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish or Meguiars NXT then finish with Simichrome or Mother's Billet for that final finesse.
Painted or Coated - Plastic Polishes by Mothers or Meguiars.

Visit my website for more info or products www.drdetailforless.com

Thanx for listening.

 

Thanks Doc, I also have another set of wheels that need some love. They are painted gun metal grey on the inside with a machined lip. The lip did have a clear coat on it but that was stripped when I had them hand polished. When I got them back they looked like glass, sooo nice. But now I have driven with them on and didn't keep up with the cleaning and they look not so hot anymore. So if I try this Mothers mag cleaner it should pull out all the dirt and crap out of the aluminum. Whats this Mothers billet is this a wax or some kind of protective coat? I would like to find something cuz if this doesn't work I'll have to take them back. I found a guy that does polishing on the side, except I dropped 300 to do all four, not sure how much it would be to touch them up. I want to try some of the stuff you guys have said here. For the mag cleaner does this just go on with a clean rag and buff out once dry? Is the billet stuff go on the same way? Thanks.

 

Hi "new tuner"

My "watch word" is always, "What do you want to spend, Time or Money?"

The painted portion can be kept up with any good paint care system (Cleaners, Glazes, "Waxes") but the bright work is polishable Aluminum as you've described. Driving will get them dirty and coated with things like brake dust and road tar. Most of this can be removed with a good spray wheel cleaner. Make sure it's safe for polishable AL and is not acid based. Mothers make All Wheel and Meguiars makes Mirror Glaze #39 Wheel Cleaner. Spray them on, aggitate with a soft brush, rinse them off.

If they have become scratched, oxidized or pitted you can do a lot with a general purpose metal cleaner like Mothers Mag & Aluminum or Meguiars NXT Metal Polish. More severe problems will require polishing out like what you paid good money for but you can do it with the right materials, a couple polishing wheels and a drill, hand grinder or flex cable. Always tape off the painted portion first. I like 3M blue painters tape.

Mothers Billet and Simichrome are finesse cleaners that bring the final ultimate brilliance out on Aluminum because they are so gentle.

Metal cleaners are working materials meaning you can't just wipe them on and walk away. You take a little and rub to work the metal. Your elbow grease is a significant factor. Just select the product with the right level of cleaning power. Chrme polishes are more aggressive than Aluminum products and general purpose are in between. Just about all metal polishes leave a thin layer of protection behind.

I hope this helps

www.drdetailforless.com

 

Ya thanks I guess i will have to head out and do a little cleaner shopping. I'll try and take before and after pics and post them up.

 

Do yo guys have any thoughts about the fine steel wool taking scratches out of the chrome?

 

Clear coat is just non-pigmented paint. Use the same polish you apply to your vehicle's paint. You can also wax the wheels, but wheel cleaners will remove wax on contact.