Cleaning up dull wheels (Pics)

[randomman84]

i was thinking about this last night while i was lying in bed. My wheels are polished alloy and they are supposed to shine really well. They have been clayed and waxed but they seem to have a dull appearance. Any ideas on a process to fix this? Here is what I`m talking about. You may or may not be able to see what I`m talking about. Being Autopians I`m pretty sure you will though. Please help its buggin the hell outta me.

Oh, and ignore the curb rash, gf was driving. That won`t happen again...

http://img163.exs.cx/img163/6959/wheel11je.jpg

If you save the picture and zoom in, you can see more of what I`m talking about. I`m debating on whether or not to take the ssr2.5 i have to it.

Ideas???

[White95Max]

Well if you`ve tried a wheel cleaner already, I`d apply some polish to them, yes. SSR2.5 is probably a good candidate for the job. I`d try SSR2 first (or equivalent).

You could also try AIO.

[jucaraman]

Eagle One Never dull, and a ton of elbow grease and they will shine like new.

[White95Max]

Originally posted by jucaraman

Eagle One Never dull, and a ton of elbow grease and they will shine like new.



That would be fine if they are NOT clearcoated.



Do you know if they are? I was assuming that they were clearcoated.

[randomman84]

im not completely sure, is there any way to find out? I bought them off another guy on ebay so im not sure.

[White95Max]

Take a small dab of metal polish and a white towel. Rub the metal polish on the wheel, and see if it leaves a black residue.



Yes it does leave a black residue = NOT clearcoated



No it doesn`t leave a black residue = Clearcoated

[kbshadow]

Mothers new power ball would make them look like new.



kbshadow

Stockton Ca

[randomman84]

are those wheels in the picture chrome or polished? Ill go try the metal polish idea real quick and see what happens.

They arent clear coated....it`s really black. Ill take some eagle one never dull to it and clean them up then what do you suggest i put on them to keep them clean and shiny? NXT? some type of carnuba? AIO? s100? ideas?

[kbshadow]

They are chrome but I did my polished rims also and they turned out great also.



Used Mothers Power Metal with the power ball.



kbshadow

stockton Ca

[White95Max]

AIO and then a sealant.

I have WG(forgot how many layers) and #16x2 on my wheels. They sheet water very well, and keep the wheels very easy to clean.

Some people don`t like wax on the wheels because they believe it attracts and holds more dust. I don`t see it as a big problem, since I wash my car (and wheels) at least twice a week. There isn`t much time for much brake dust to really accumulate.

[Eliot Ness]

Originally posted by randomman84

............. what do you suggest i put on them to keep them clean and shiny? NXT? some type of carnuba? AIO? s100? ideas?

AIO and then SG (multiple coats 24 hours apart) or Poorboy`s new wheel sealant (works well, smells nice):



http://www.poorboysworld.com/wheel-sealant.htm

[randomman84]

Eagle One Never Dull works Wonders

See the difference?

Can you guess which side is polished?

http://img158.exs.cx/img158/204/wheel10ya.jpg

http://img158.exs.cx/img158/7283/wheel27hu.jpg

[White95Max]

I`m gonna guess the left side is polished, because I see residue on the tire. :p

[randomman84]

lol awe, you couldnt see the difference?? ya, i cleaned that up when i saw it too lol

[Ben Z.]

I bet you could really minimize the appearance of the curb marks yourself; since they aren`t clear coated all you would have to do is sand then polish. Read up on it a little more for more details.