polished aluminum wheels - best way to clean?

If they are clear coated or powder coated, then I would and do use the same products I use on any painted surface.

If they are bare polished aluminum, I have used both Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish and Nevr-Dull® Wadding Polish with good results.

FWIW, bare polished aluminum wheels were a real PIA for me to keep looking the way I wanted them. If I had it to do over today, I would probably spend the money to have them clear coated or powder coated.
 
I typed a rather long response to this thread and hit post but a blank page returned. In the meantime Charles responded. In reality I couldn't say it much better and his post was to the point.

I have found Pro-Polish to work well on non coated wheels and Powerballs work well in semi-tight places. Dremels will get into the most intricate areas. I like to use a sealant on coated wheels, wax does not last long with the hight heat of the brakes. Though I have used specialized wheel sealants I haven't found the need to go beyond that of a regular paint sealant.
 
CharlesW said:
If they are clear coated or powder coated, then I would and do use the same products I use on any painted surface.

If they are bare polished aluminum, I have used both Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish and Nevr-Dull® Wadding Polish with good results.

FWIW, bare polished aluminum wheels were a real PIA for me to keep looking the way I wanted them. If I had it to do over today, I would probably spend the money to have them clear coated or powder coated.
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GearHead_1 said:
I typed a rather long response to this thread and hit post but a blank page returned. In the meantime Charles responded. In reality I couldn't say it much better and his post was to the point.

I have found Pro-Polish to work well on non coated wheels and Powerballs work well in semi-tight places. Dremels will get into the most intricate areas. I like to use a sealant on coated wheels, wax does not last long with the hight heat of the brakes. Though I have used specialized wheel sealants I haven't found the need to go beyond that of a regular paint sealant.
Click to expand...

Both very sound advice for polish besides PB I use Zephyr Pro40 AG I think carries it.

The one thing that you need in really getting polished non-coated aluminum to stand up is heat. The Mothers power ball on a drill do a decent job of that. Some years back I spent some months developing this process. The link to the thread where I talked about it


http://www.detailcity.org/forums/auto-detailing-101/882-aluminum-polishing.html
 
oops out of town. I keep looking but I cannot find if they are coated or not - it is a 2008 Trailblazer SS - some of the corners of the wheels are looking brownish but I don't know if it is oxidation or ....
 
groebuck said:
oops out of town. I keep looking but I cannot find if they are coated or not - it is a 2008 Trailblazer SS - some of the corners of the wheels are looking brownish but I don't know if it is oxidation or ....
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I'd guess coated and the brown stuff :hmmm: brake dust :rofl
 
groebuck said:
oops out of town. I keep looking but I cannot find if they are coated or not - it is a 2008 Trailblazer SS - some of the corners of the wheels are looking brownish but I don't know if it is oxidation or ....
Click to expand...

I would bet that they are coated, get some PB PP and or something like it and polish a small area, if that turns black they are not coated
 
Like this rim??? :D


Trailblazer.jpg


On this car :hmmm:

trailblazer2.jpg



Steve told me to post this up it just came in rollover right by the shop :yikes:
 
Okay so what I see from the gm site is they are


Polished Cast Aluminum Wheels...so if they are polished are they not coated?
 
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