how to clean wheels/rims

[spr85gmc]

so today i went to the local auto store looking to get some cleaner and polish for my coy c5's any way i walked out with nothin because ther are so many options out there......what do you guys use and what do u recomend that wont cost more than 15-20 dollars.............

[Mudder]

What kind of wheels are they? Polished? Clear coated? Chrome?

[piecesparts]

You will get what you pay for, in this world. The cleaners for a custom wheel is an art and it is painful, if you want it to shine like a mirror.

First of all, the question above is an honest one---are the wheels polished, natural, chrome, or clear coated. The Coys rims that I have seen offer chrome, pollished and painted, if I remember right.

Chrome and painted would be the easiest to clean, but hard to treat after cleaning. Brake dust is your ENEMY--- no matter what. If you drive a lot, you either have to wash the rims a lot or use a "dust shield". I personally chose dust shields to help keep my wheels cleaner.

Polished is the most expensive type to deal with. You see items on the market, such as the power balls and liquid polish---such as Mothers offers. That works quite well, but there is another step to go if you want it to reflect like a mirror. I use Mothers "Billet" polish and a soft rag to clean it to the type of finish. I then SEAL the metal with a sealant to keep the water spots and the dirt from sitting in the pores of the aluminum. I use a product from the Wizards company ( http://www.wizardsproducts.com/store...us&mode=update) called "Power Seal" and it works great, even in the winter months.

No matter what you have or do, use a good paint or metal sealant to protect those rims.

[72BlckButy]

Check out the following link for some more products mentioned for polishing up your wheels. LINK

[spr85gmc]

they are the coy c5's gun metals

[piecesparts]

This is a coated rim with a polished trim ring and a spoke that has a paint or powder coating on it. I would look at the coated area with care and not abuse it to much with anything that is rough. Look for suggestions from Coy's, or other outlets that have coated wheels, if you cannot find anything close to home. The use of a good soft wheel brush and good soap (NOT dish soap) to clean them is suggested. Be careful of anything touting that it is SAFE for wheels. test on the back side for safety.

The polished part can be cleaned and protected with a metal polish. Seal the coating and polished areas with a good sealant.

ONCE AGAIN contact Coys and find out wht athey recommend.

[AceX]

Mequire's just came out with a new wheel cleaner that is made specifically for aluminum wheels. It should provide some cutting ability and is safe for the polished lip (I use it on my fully polished wheels before polishing with Simichrome).

Don't use anything abrasive on the wheel center. You'll destroy that center really quick if you do. I suggest a clean wash mit, or household sponge (again, non-abrasive). For really tough stuff, a terry cloth.

For polishing, I will never use anything but Simichrome. This stuff is by far the best polish I and many friends have come across. Its been around forever and the formula hasn't changed form day 1. That's saying something.

[trenz68]

Originally Posted by piecesparts

You will get what you pay for, in this world. The cleaners for a custom wheel is an art and it is painful, if you want it to shine like a mirror.

First of all, the question above is an honest one---are the wheels polished, natural, chrome, or clear coated. The Coys rims that I have seen offer chrome, pollished and painted, if I remember right.

Chrome and painted would be the easiest to clean, but hard to treat after cleaning. Brake dust is your ENEMY--- no matter what. If you drive a lot, you either have to wash the rims a lot or use a "dust shield". I personally chose dust shields to help keep my wheels cleaner.

Polished is the most expensive type to deal with. You see items on the market, such as the power balls and liquid polish---such as Mothers offers. That works quite well, but there is another step to go if you want it to reflect like a mirror. I use Mothers "Billet" polish and a soft rag to clean it to the type of finish. I then SEAL the metal with a sealant to keep the water spots and the dirt from sitting in the pores of the aluminum. I use a product from the Wizards company ( http://www.wizardsproducts.com/store...us&mode=update) called "Power Seal" and it works great, even in the winter months.

No matter what you have or do, use a good paint or metal sealant to protect those rims.

Thanks for the link i too like wizards products, especially there wax spray. I have boyd coddington smoothies and have always used mothers and applied by hand.Time consuming but now i have spots or stains cause i havent cleaned them in a while. It does not come off by hand so i will need to use a buffing pad, do u recomend one, they have a lot to chose from on wizards page.

I use the Wizards products, but have found that for hand polishing, a trip to the local Walmart or a Sam's wholesale outlet is warranted. I buy the large pack of "Microfiber" towels and use them to pollish aluminum with. I use one to apply the rubbing compound and work it until it is turning stiff, then a I use another to clean the compound off with--this is where a good detail spray comes in handy--use it to remove the rubbing compound. I follow that up with a clean rag that has the metal treatment on it to seal the metal.

If you have some hard spots to remove, you can use the foam balls and liquid rubbing compound, that Mother's sells to rub out the stains or spots and then follow up with the rubbing compound. I have found that the bolls do a heck of a job, BUT they do not leave a mirror finish.

If I have a scratch in my metal, I use a fine grade of wet-n-dry sand paper (600 to start and then 1500 and finsih with 2500 grit) and wet it with WD-40 for lubricant. Then I follow it up with a powered fine edge "Razor" buff on a die grinder. The razor buffs are around 3" to 4" buffs that are about a 1/2" thick and polish metal quite well--using the rouge sticks that you can get almost anywhere. You can find razor buffs on the web.


Garage too small? Drive fast and stop slow---it will soon fit your needs.

[72BlckButy]

Nice addition trenz68