Chrome wheel help.....

[Jenb]

Hi,
i need some advice on caring for and cleaning some aftermarket chrome wheels. Not what I would have chosen, but I bought a SUV with them already on. I looked online and they are the Lexani LX-7 alloy chrome wheels with black inserts. Overall in good condition. Some pits and a couple small rust spots. I live in Tennessee, so salt on the roads in the winter is not an issue. I do drive to Michigan at Christmas and need to be more careful about hosing them off. I had some chrome aftermarket rims on a previous car and they ended up rotting and the tires would no longer hold air-partly due to my not taking care of them. This time I want to do what I can to keep them as long as I can. I`m not opposed to spending money on good products.
any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
thanks

[Ronkh]

Clean em well and coat them.

Pretty much the way to go for long term easy care.

[tom p.]

Jen, welcome aboard!

You`re going to need to find a wheel cleaner that`s suitable for regular use on chrome. The wheels will likely need to be cleaned weekly assuming the vehicle is driven daily.

[Stokdgs]

Welcome to the Forum -

If the chrome starts coming off on the inside of the wheel, especially around the inside of the bead where the tire bead fits, they will cause air leaks someday that will make your crazy..
Hopefully, they are new enough to not be doing this for a long, long, time...

Im with Ronkh - clean them up really good, and see if you can get something to coat them, or second best, seal them...
If you can only seal them, you will need to keep them clean and especially free from salt, and hopefully the chrome coating was done very well and they will last a long time for you..
Good luck !
Dan F

[PA DETAILER]

How To Clean and Polish Chrome Wheels, chrome wheel cleaning

Agree. Coat them!

Mothers Pro-Strength Chrome Wheel Cleaner

Detailer`s Wheel Coating

The beauty of a coating is once on, you will just need soap & water to clean them.

[Swanicyouth]

I would clean them initially with an iron attacking wheel cleaner. 1Z or Megs Dub are my favorites. Then, invest in some Iron X paste for any rusty pitted spots.

After that, I`d asses the finish and polish as required with a good chrome polish. I don`t have a lot of experience actually polishing chrome, but I`m thinking if they are not too bad something from Mothers or Megs will suffice.

Just be aware - chrome polish, aluminum polish, and metal polish can be different - you want chrome polish.

Then I would coat them with Permanon spray sealant once a month or so. After the wheels are initially clean, if you maintain them you won`t need to clean them with anything but concentrated car wash. I use an oz of Citrus Red in a 32oz bottle of water with a foaming sprayer. This will maximize the life of your wheel protection as well; opposed to high pH wheel cleaners.

Switching to low dust pads will make your wheels stay cleaner longer. The difference can be quite dramatic. I`m login the Wagner Thermo Quiet pads. PBR/REPKO ceramic pads are excellent as well.

[mnehls86]

Then, invest in some Iron X paste for any rusty pitted spots.

Great idea!


I would coat the wheels though and I would do 2 coats.

[Jenb]

Thanks for all the info. I had a small window of semi-okay weather this afternoon-and upon further inspection one rim is pretty pitted/flaking......the other 3 are good. I ran out of cleaner. I ordered some CarPro Hydro2... and am going to order the Iron x paste today. I guess the aftermarket chrome-plated alloy wheels really suck when they pit and flake because there really isn`t anything to do to repair it. Unless you have a friend that specializes in "re-chroming" and will do it for free
I have heard good things about the Chemical Guys Diablo wheel cleaner....have you ever tried it?
Thanks

[Stokdgs]

I have seen nothing good from C/Guys Diablo wheel cleaner. it came out perhaps 7-8 years ago???

I tried it and its too weak and slow to do anything unless you want to spend a day watching it do nothing to your dirty BMW wheels...

Not sure if its even ok to use on Chrome - see if you can find out from here or perhaps take the hit and spend time on their website...

I needed something to work fast and well, and this was not even close - I threw it away..

Good luck with your wheels !
Dan F

[blucpe]

I use colinite 845 about every 2 mo. works for me.