Cleaning Polished Aluminum Wheels

[mrk5]

I have some polished aluminum wheels and I'm looking for a good cleaner.

They are not pitted or anything, they just kind of have a white haze to them. I sprayed just water on one, and it looks a hell of a lot better. So, they don't need a serious cleaning.

Is there a good spray type cleaner to use for just periodic cleaning?

 

[84_Chevy_K10]

http://coloradok5.com/forums/showflat.php?Cat=0&Board=blazer4x4&Number=301171&PHPSESSID=&fpart=1#Post301171

That's for polishing.

Eagle One PH NEUTRAL for cleaning.

If you don't clean them really often it's back to polishing though /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

 

[mrk5]

Thanks!

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If you don't clean them really often it's back to polishing though /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

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Yeah, that's why I was looking for something like that Eagle One product. I'd rather keep up with them, and not have to do a lot of serious polishing and buffing.

 

[rjfguitar]

[ QUOTE ]
Thanks!

[ QUOTE ]
If you don't clean them really often it's back to polishing though /forums/images/graemlins/frown.gif

[/ QUOTE ]

Yeah, that's why I was looking for something like that Eagle One product. I'd rather keep up with them, and not have to do a lot of serious polishing and buffing.

[/ QUOTE ]
A good polish should help get them decently shiny, a buffer would be better though.

As for keeping them polished it depends on the brand and quality of the wheel. I remember my old junk eagle 589's were a bear to keep from oxidizing, even after I thuroughly buffed them to a decent finish. On the other hand I can put off washing my Welds and get brake dust, road grime, and anything else built up on them over a couple weeks time....clean them with car soap and a sponge and they look like they did the day the UPS guy delivered them. It must be the amount of impurities that are in the aluminum that makes some oxidize faster than others.

Anyway, with any alum I have found that by simply washing them once a week with car soap and water does wonders towards keeping them from wanting to oxidize. /forums/images/graemlins/thumb.gif

 

[Nonesuch]

When a polished surface gets very cloudy I use steel wool to clean it up. I use very fine #00 steel wool. Once finished with that,a good polishing and you are set.

Steel wool ratings: http://www.briwaxwoodcare.com/stelwool.htm
#0000 (superfine)
#000 (extra fine)
#00 (very fine)
#0 (fine)
#1 (medium)
#2 (medium coarse)
#3 (coarse)
#4 (very coarse)

You can buy fine steel wool at grocery stores, wal-mart, etc.

 

[mrk5]

Thanks for all the tips. This is the first time I've had shiny wheels.

They are Colorado Custom wheels. I got them free, but if I would have bought them they would have been about $400ea. So they'd better be a good quality.

 

[MTBLAZER89]

If ya have a Les Schwab near ya they carry a product called Heavy Metal. It comes in the different kinds fine medium and coarse. Stuff worked better than any other cleaner I've ever used. /forums/images/graemlins/waytogo.gif