White spots on chrome wheels after Brown Royal

L

levander

New member
I just tried spraying Brown Royal on some chrome rims that hadn't been cleaned in a long, long time. I sprayed, let it sit a minute, then rinsed off with a consumer grade pressure washer (Karcher, 2000 psi I think, got it at Target on sale). After first time I noticed all the stuff I wanted off didn't come off, so I tried the same process again, maybe four times.



After maybe the 2nd time, I noticed there are all these little white spots on the chrome wheels. I have no idea what it is or if I can get it off. I still haven't tried cleaning the other 3 chrome wheels yet. But inspecting them, no white dots on those.



The other 3 wheels are noticeably duller. It's possible the white spots are the dull stuff that's on the other 3 wheels? The spots are just where the dull stuff didn't clean off? I don't think so, but it's the only guess I got.



Here are the spots I'm talking about on the cleaned wheel:

2011-10-27_18-23-37_128.jpg




Another view of the spots:

2011-10-27_18-25-12_206.jpg




The photo lighting is not great here at all, and maybe it's only because I know what I'm looking for, but I can tell how the uncleaned wheel is duller in these photos below...



Here's a wider view of the cleaned wheel:

2011-10-27_18-44-51_719.jpg




And, here's a wide view of an uncleaned wheel:

2011-10-27_18-45-06_799.jpg
 
I think a lot of people are going to say to throw some acidic cleaner on there. But since I'm still newb, I'd rather not mess with the dangers of having the acid eat the wheel up.



Anyway, anybody know what those white spots are? Have I screwed up the wheels royally?
 
If you were to wipe clean one of the still-dirty wheels, do you see any white spots? Could it be previous damage and you're just exposing it after cleaning the filth?
 
tom p. said:
If you were to wipe clean one of the still-dirty wheels, do you see any white spots? Could it be previous damage and you're just exposing it after cleaning the filth?
Click to expand...



That's what I'm thinking. It looks like damage that was already there.
 
That's actually my brother's old car, it's like a spare 3rd car for my parents now. He bought those wheels maybe 10 years ago now, when the car itself was five years old. He said they were chrome, but he very well could be wrong. That Eagle brand name in the middle of the wheel, you can tell they're not factory



I looked into "pitting". Those wheels have never been protected with anything. If they are chrome, after the Autopia search I just did, I'd be surprised if they weren't pitted.



But since you guys are saying it's probably polished aluminum, when you say polishing, you mean with a dual-action polisher machine? I'm not that far into detailing yet. Surely you guys don't mean I could get away with the Duragloss 501 I've been using to "polish" paint? Just on me and my mom's car, I've "polished" with Duragloss 501, then followed with Duragloss 111.



tom, I'll try wiping another wheel down with OPC tomorrow and see what happens. OPC, Brown Royal, and ONR is really the only stuff I've got here to clean wheels. Been reading about A2Z on Autopia and half thinking about buying some. Should I just wait till I've got some of that stuff to try to clean the wheels good?



Still thinking I should stay away from acid cleaners...
 
As mentioned, get some aluminum polish and simply test a small spot. I am confident you will see a BIG improvement in about 2 minutes of polishing.
 
Well, a guy who was doing work for a neighbor saw me outside trying to wash my car just came over and talked for a bit. Apparently he's spent some time doing professional detailing. Knew plenty about the things I've been messing around with learning. He took one look at them and said "no, they're chrome...".



I wonder if it's just the trouble of getting the lighting right with a digital camera that makes you guys think they're polished aluminum?



I do have some Optimum Metal Polish here. If I put a dab on the wheel in an inconspicuous spot and buffed, what's supposed to happen if they are chrome? I think I remember reading somewhere it's supposed to turn black if they're chrome?
 
Clean the other wheels using car wash solution and see if you get the same type of spotting on those. Meguiar's also sells a chrome polish you could try if you're certain you are working on chrome.

Those wheels might also benefit from some claying.
 
levander said:
Apparently he's spent some time doing professional detailing. Knew plenty about the things I've been messing around with learning. He took one look at them and said "no, they're chrome...".
Click to expand...



Highly polished aluminum and chrome can look very similar. I doubt someone could tell exactly which it is just from a cursory glance, especially given their condition. And not to put too fine a point on it, but "professional detailing" encompasses a broad range, no way to tell where your neighbor's expertise falls within that category. There are already a few well-known pros here stating they appear to be polished aluminum.
 
Aluminum wheels will turn your towel black after a little bit of polishing.





Keep in mind the visual representation of etching on aluminum of both heavy alkaline cleaners like BR and anything acidic will look the same.
 
I'm pretty sure they are polished aluminum...I worked on what I think is that exact rim a month ago and had the same problem. I was using a carbrite brand non-acid wheel cleaner on them and it actually foamed up a bit similar to how an acid would on aluminum (not sure why this happened).



Optimum metal polish helped a bit, but to get them looking perfect will take a loooooong time.
 
JPostal said:
I'm pretty sure they are polished aluminum...I worked on what I think is that exact rim a month ago and had the same problem. I was using a carbrite brand non-acid wheel cleaner on them and it actually foamed up a bit similar to how an acid would on aluminum (not sure why this happened).



Optimum metal polish helped a bit, but to get them looking perfect will take a loooooong time.
Click to expand...



see here:

autoaesthetica said:
Keep in mind the visual representation of etching on aluminum of both heavy alkaline cleaners like BR and anything acidic will look the same.
Click to expand...



Using acids or bases(alkalines) on bare reactive metals(such as alum) facilitate redox reactions. Redox is lay for reduction and oxidation.



Reduction(which is basically addition of electrons despite its name) is what happens when reactive metals are exposed to alkalines, oxidation happens with acute exposure to acidic compounds. Its the rapid give/take of electrons depending on the reaction that results in the etch and ultimately the "eating" of the metal.



Non-acid does not mean "safe" for metals.
 
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