Detail: 07' Escalade

David Fermani said:
FYI: I looked into this further and spoke to a company I regularly do business with called Wheels America. They recondition all types of wheels including steel/allow & chrome/polished/bare. The manager assured me that no OEM companies chrome & clearcoat wheels; especially GM. He also mentioned that pretty much all chrome wheels are triple plated. This means the bare wheel is coated in (in order) copper (for filling imperfections & is relatively soft), then nickle and finally chrome plated. It is virtually impossible for the middle layer of nickle to dent/marr without damaging the outer chrome layer much more severly. Especially with steel wool. He doesn't recommend to people to use steel wool on chrome, but off the record mentioned that he uses is regularly to clean up chrome finished wheels. He avoids telling people to use it in case the steel wool get contaminated with dirt/debris that will then scratch the chrome. I think alot of people aren't able to identify the finish on alot of wheels because more and more companies are high polishing their alloy wheels these days (which are clearcoated). And because they are so shiny and appear chrome, they really are not. Again, I think it's important to identify the type of finish you're working with(in alot of detailing aspects) before using any kind of abrasive or cleaner 1st.



Todd - please don't feel I'm singling you out in any way. I simply trying to educate where I can.
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I don't feel singled out out David, it is my job to correct you and those who give you your information. I'm not saying that you are wrong or right, but I trust my source completely. I have witnessed several GM chrome wheels with scratched clearcoat's. Esclade and Solstice come to mind.



From Scott Kennedy, "Yes most chrome plating is a three step process. Chrome that is high in nickle content is usually adverstised as "triple-chorme plated". The higher the nickle content under the chromium, the more likely the outter surface is to dent."



Scott Kennedy is the forumlator of a lot of metal working polishes such as Metal Masters, Bright Max, and Deep Finish.



Also, the Pontiac Solastice has chrome finish wheels that are clear coated. Whether they aluminum clear coated or chrome, I don't know.



Also, after market compaines can clear coat the finishes on their chrome wheels. Best advice would be to check with wheel maker or brand before scrubbing anything with steel wool.



Personally, I would not recommend it. However, as the OP noted, the rims had rust and grime on them, so he is a better judge then I.
 
Also, since the purpose is to educate I would not recommend placing any thing plastic or hard directly on the surface of paint, such as spray bottles or wax containers.
 
TH0001 said:
I don't feel singled out out David, it is my job to correct you and those who give you your information. I'm not saying that you are wrong or right, but I trust my source completely. I have witnessed several GM chrome wheels with scratched clearcoat's. Esclade and Solstice come to mind.



From Scott Kennedy, "Yes most chrome plating is a three step process. Chrome that is high in nickle content is usually adverstised as "triple-chorme plated". The higher the nickle content under the chromium, the more likely the outter surface is to dent."



Scott Kennedy is the forumlator of a lot of metal working polishes such as Metal Masters, Bright Max, and Deep Finish.



Also, the Pontiac Solastice has chrome finish wheels that are clear coated. Whether they aluminum clear coated or chrome, I don't know.



Also, after market compaines can clear coat the finishes on their chrome wheels. Best advice would be to check with wheel maker or brand before scrubbing anything with steel wool.



Personally, I would not recommend it. However, as the OP noted, the rims had rust and grime on them, so he is a better judge then I.
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Sorry to bring this up again, but I did a little research to find out the facts about chrome & clear coated wheels. I contacted multiple places that do wheel repair as well as re-chroming (Wheel Technologies, South Bay Chrome & Turbax Wheel Repair) They all stated they’ve never seen a wheel that was chrome & clear coated and was confident that putting clear over chrome plating would have no positive effect on durability or shine and would probably fail because of the improper ability to prep the bare surface for paint (clear) Some people stated that this could even promote corrosion. They all confirmed that Cadillac Escalade wheels are chrome plated (without clear) & Pontiac Solstice wheels come in both high polished (with clear) & chrome (without clear). Then, while I was inspecting a vehicle at a local Cadillac dealership today, I went over to their Parts Department to ask them about chrome/clear combos. They also insisted that Cadillac doesn’t offer a clear coated chrome wheel. They even went 1 step further and called General Motors Tech Support (dealership access only) and spoke to a specialist there who also confirmed that GM offers no clear coated chrome wheels. I then remembered to call Ron Ketcham at AutoInt (wealth of knowledge) and asked him about this subject. He remembers a company called Superior Wheel attempting this combo back in the early 90’s/late 80’s on some Chrysler vehicles but I interpreted this as just a temporary trial & error thing that only lasted a few years, on a few vehicles (this was also confirmed with Bob Bouskill of Superior Wheel who also confirmed that the process of clear coating chrome wheels is no longer being done).



As far as using #0000 on chrome, I asked most of the people about this too. Most suggested not using it in fear that is could scratch the chrome if not used properly or rubbed too much & could even prematurely wear away the chrome finish. I also spoke to Andy @ Highway Shine (who sells & is familiar with Metal Masters, Bright Max, and Deep Finish) and he thought this too, but suggested testing it in an inconspicuous area 1st to see if it caused damage (I usually resort to using steel wool on a surface that’s already pitted and corroded in the 1st place, where a dedicated polish/clearer won’t help). All people didn’t know how using #0000 steel wool could cause denting in the nickel center surface of a chrome plated wheel without damaging the chrome 1st. “You’d have to be using some large abrasives for the chrome & nickel to dent� 1 person stated.









TH0001 said:
Also, since the purpose is to educate I would not recommend placing any thing plastic or hard directly on the surface of paint, such as spray bottles or wax containers.
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Not sure how this is relevant, but you’ll probably have heart attack seeing how some people use plastic razor blades (successfully) to remove decal glue from paint!! Ever wonder how Paintless Dent Technicians can bang on a painted surface with metal & hard plastic hammers without scratching the surface? Applying enough force to pop out a dent. Kind of a far stretch from resting a clean plastic wax container carefully on a waxed finish don’t you think?



Escalade067.jpg


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David Fermani said:
Not sure how this is relevant, but you’ll probably have heart attack seeing how some people use plastic razor blades (successfully) to remove decal glue from paint!! Ever wonder how Paintless Dent Technicians can bang on a painted surface with metal & hard plastic hammers without scratching the surface? Applying enough force to pop out a dent. Kind of a far stretch from resting a clean plastic wax container carefully on a waxed finish don’t you think?
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Personally I think this is very relevant. I think the purpose of these forums is to always preach the safest method possible. Saying that I would have a heart attack seeing what people do to cars is absolutely correct! I have always found autopia to be a safe haven from what "other people do to cars". Autopia has always been more about "What we do to our own cars."



So using incorrect (or, in your words, scary) technique to justify your own is a far stretch, IMO. That is like comparing myself and saying, well its okay to use a twisted wool and rubbing compound on a this perfect car, because body shops do it all the time.



I aim for perfection, so the thought of comprimising my finish by a piece of grit getting stuck under the hard containor is enough to make me cringe. Even the the thought of the slightest swirl mark that I could causing is mind boggling. And I would imagine that most on here feel the same way. But then again, I surmise that this "passion" is what makes autopia different and makes me happy to be here.
 
I can speak as to the fact that my experience with GM wheels are that they are not clearcoated. I have chrome SS wheels on my camaro and, sadly, many are witness to the chrome peeling and can verify no clearcoat.
 
I think if you let such a nice car get like that you should be forced to take the bus; as far as the detail goes perfection nice job
 
Nice turn around. It boggles my mind how someone could pay a lot of money for a truck, then abuse it. If you are going to do that, why not do it to something more suitable? My Escalade won't ever see the day that it gets that bad as long as I own it.
 
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