Alum. wheel polish-need quick advice

[Fallz]

First off I live in Wisconsin (salt/sand on road`s).

I have purchased a set of USED Weld Sidewinder polished alum. rim`s (non-clearcoated)for my truck. I want to put them on ,but have a few question`s first. The wheel`s were taken care of pretty well but have hairline scratches in them . The type from cleaning & polishing. I would like to polish them up as best I can before putting them on. I never had a set of polished alum. rim`s , they alway`s have been clearcoated factory rim`s



1.What type of polish have people had good luck with ?

Mothers,Meg`s#28,blue magic,ect...



2. Will I be able to remove the hairline scratches or is that the nature of the polished alum. rim`s ?



3.Will the polish itself protect the rim`s ? OR I was thinking of putting a sealant like Klasse over them after polishing or maybe a good wax after polishing to help protect from the winter crud.



I know these will take work to keep clean & looking good ,but I`m not worried about that & am willing to do the work to keep them that way. I also don`t want 2 set`s of rim`s & tire`s & have to keep switching them back & forth every season. I`ll keep them looking the best I can & just run them all year.



Please help to steer a fellow detailer in the right direction.



~Fall~

[forrest@mothers]

In your neck of the woods I think it`s a terrible mistake to not have 2 sets. Salt will damage the finish, which means you`ll really be after the rims come springtime.



But, as for care, If you want flawless without any marring, doing it in 2 polishing steps. First, use a good quality aluminum polish. Then, follow it up with a billet type polish. Where some of that minor marring has come from is most likely the towels used. Use microfiber towels instead of terry cloth for polish.



I run billets on 3 of my cars, and polish them every 2-3 weeks with billet polish and a microfiber. About every 3 months, I pull them off and use a cotton buffing wheel on a drill with regular aluminum polish (including the backside), and then go back over the wheel with billet polish and a microfiber as the finishing touch.



If you choose to run just the one set, make sure you`re cleaning the wheels at least every other day to get the salt off them, and to prevent the pitting. THe polish will leave a slight protective film, but it won`t stand up to salt. I wouldn`t recommend Klasse on a bare aluminum wheel, you won`t be happy with the look (vaseline will actually protect the finish better, but the rim will look like garbage until you clean it off). I even know of folks who`ll put a coat of paste carnauba wax (no cleaners in it) on, and not remove it - just leave the rim all caked up. It protects well, and then apply more to remove that come spring.



Hope this helps.

[Fallz]

forrest, Thank`s for the info & I know what your saying about the salt & running them year around,but I see people doing it around here all the time with nice rim`s ect... and the look great. I just don`t get it. Everyone say`s it will trash my rim`s but I nice really nice looking one all winter here. I wish I could stop some of them and see what they are using .



Has anyone ever tried a product called "Metal Wax" I was reading about it after doing a search on the web.

[forrest@mothers]

The next time you see some of those nice wheels running around, look at them closely.



I would think they`re clear coated.



I got caught in a snow storm 5 weeks ago. By the time I drove home (250 miles), and rinsed the rims off, they were already in serious need of polishing.

[Fallz]

forrest,

Ya I know what you mean. The wheel`s I see here ar not clear coated. There are very few afterrmarket wheel`s that are clear coated. The one`s I see most often are a set of A/E 589`s & a set of MT Classsic II`s & a set of Centerline Hellcat`s. The guy with the centerline Hellcat`s lives by me & I had a chance to talk to him at the gas station. He said he does nothing to them except a polish & a wax 2-3 time`s per year. They look pretty nice considering our winter`s here.



I get so much mixed feedback about this subject . Some say it`s fine & some say it`s not.



You work for Mother`s. They make great stuff . What would you recommend. Mag & Alum. Polish or the New Billett polish. Or what is it that you use ?



Fall