Need help with these wheels

D

Deanw15

New member
I have a 2010 Kia Sol which has never been properly taken care of heavy mildew and oxidation. Got that corrected but the wheels are hammered. Looks like years of dog piss and brake dust have taken its toll. Is there any way to get these clean without polishing them ?




 
What have you tried so far?

What products do you have on hand?

Are you looking for something OTC or ordering from Autopia?
 
I have acid and have tried Megs apc at 4:1. Really don't have much other than that. Willing to do whatever I have to to clean these up for a customer the next time I take care of this car
 
A set of wheel woolies, small, medium and large will help with future wheels. For those you'll appreciate the small.
Add one of those purple colour changing wheel cleaners like Sonax Full Effect and you'll be good to go.
Spray on, let dwell, agitate a bit, then rinse the beejeebers out of them and they'll look brand new once again.
I think Griot's sells the woolies singly or in sets but for weird angles and thin areas, the small one is a winner.
 
Do you have an Advance Auto near you? If so look for Dub wheel cleaner. That will knock a good amount of that off so you can really see what you're dealing with.
 
wheel cleaner plus, a good set of wheel woolies and a detail brush similar to the Uber wheel brush.

Take a dry (COOL) wheel and load it up with wheel cleaner plus on the exterior and barrel. Let it sit. It will bleed purple, let it sit 4-6 minutes the first time and this purple ooze will start to worm. Swish it around with the largest wheel woolies that fits into each spot. Use the brush on the lugs and tight angles. Next wet the wheel woolies in water and repeat and you will see spots that need more scrubbing. You may need multiple applications to perfect them. Next I would coat them with a RIM coating if you plan on keeping them up to save time and money. I gloss coated my rims and all I need is water to clean them up.After the winter I will use a wheel cleaner like I listed above and its really easy to get them minted out.
 
Those look like they could still stand a good polishing after they're clean.

Don't forget about clay, it might come in handy while the Wheel Cleaner is dwelling (yeah, the Cleaner will dissolve the clay but IME it's still often worth doing).

Don't just use "acid" without knowing what kind of acid it is, what the strength is, and....well, I wouldn't do it anyhow as any areas of compromised finish will probably result in damage to the aluminum. Similarly, don't use something really alkaline as that can mess things up too.
 
I've cleaned up wheels way worse than that. As long as the finish isn't compromised (assuming they are clear coated) they will look great. I used car pro trix on the ones I cleaned. Took multiple applications and a lot of time but they cleaned up
 
ShaneB said:
I've cleaned up wheels way worse than that. As long as the finish isn't compromised ...
Click to expand...

Finish *is* compromised on the spoke around the 5-o'clock position, all the way through (what I assume is OE powdercoat) to the aluminum. But I agree that overall (at least that one wheel) things don't look too bad.
 
Accumulator said:
Finish *is* compromised on the spoke around the 5-o'clock position, all the way through (what I assume is OE powdercoat) to the aluminum. But I agree that overall (at least that one wheel) things don't look too bad.
Click to expand...

Yeah, that 5 o'clock looks like a curb ding though, but I'm with you Accumulator, I've seen much worse that have cleaned up. My daughter has a Soul with those same wheels, they're not smooth finished even brand new in those pockets and I curse them every time I clean them. I've had good luck with hers with Griots Heavy Duty Wheel cleaner. I haven't used Meguiars DUB, but I've read nothing but good things about it.
 
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