Help Cleaning Wheels please.

[cars4me89]

Hello, I have a set of Prime wheels that are rather old but still in fairly good shape. I believe they're two piece wheels and the two different pieces are made of different materials or coatings.

What's happening is that on the outer "lip" it looks like water droplets are forming. I think it might be because of the poor water quality in Phoenix, AZ that is causing this build-up. But the build-up is pretty bad and wheel cleaners can't seem to get it off. Any advice?

 

[rs4rush]

There is a product for water spots on paint that will get it off, not sure if it would work on rims but its worth a shot! I foget what its called but I'm sure a shucks could help you.

 

[rodel]

Hello, I have a set of Prime wheels that are rather old but still in fairly good shape. I believe they're two piece wheels and the two different pieces are made of different materials or coatings.

What's happening is that on the outer "lip" it looks like water droplets are forming. I think it might be because of the poor water quality in Phoenix, AZ that is causing this build-up. But the build-up is pretty bad and wheel cleaners can't seem to get it off. Any advice?

Get the outer lip polished.

 

[cars4me89]

I bought some Mother's Aluminum and Mag polish.. and it gets some of the "spots" (gonna say spots cause idk if they're water spots or what they're from) but it wont get it all off.

 

[Davismj711]

OOOO very fine steel wool and Simichrome polish, guaranteed to work ^^

 

[cars4me89]

OOOO very fine steel wool and Simichrome polish, guaranteed to work ^^

Simichrome polish? I can get this at any autozone or parts store and is there a brand you recommend? also did you mean semichrome* polish?

 

[Davismj711]

It is spelled SIMICHROME POLISH, made by Happich. You can purchase at most any Motorcycle shop, or eBay, or Google it ^

 

[Poodles]

pics of said spots?

if the wheels are cleared, any harsh polishing will only make the issue worse...

 

[Davismj711]

If the wheels are clear coated, the only way to remove the problem is to remove the clear coat and then polish and clear coat again, or simply keep it polished once a week ^^

 

[cars4me89]

Tried steel wool then the simichrome polish.. it helped a very little bit but i think these spots are deep down i'll try to get a pic today.

 

[Davismj711]

If the spots are that deep you may need to use a sanding process then the steel wool and simichrome. Start with a 120 grit, then 220, 320, 400, 600, and then the steel wool. Use with a bucket of water as wet sanding goes much faster and allows the sandpaper to last much longer.

If you do this process, you may need to do that entire section of the wheel, as it will usually outshine the rest, that however is up to you and your preferences.

 

[Facime]

If the spots are that deep you may need to use a sanding process then the steel wool and simichrome. Start with a 120 grit, then 220, 320, 400, 600, and then the steel wool. Use with a bucket of water as wet sanding goes much faster and allows the sandpaper to last much longer.

Hes got waterspots and you recommend sandpaper? 120grit sandpaper on alloy wheels no less? do you like creating more work for yourself? Maybe if he was trying to take out some mild road rash I could see it. Not to mention it was never established if the wheels were CC'd or not. Take 120 grit sandpaper to a clearcoated wheel and see what kind of a can of worms you open.

If they are really hardwater waterspots try removing them chemically. CLR or just good old fashioned vinegar should do the trick. If they are waterspots that have indeed affected the polish of an UNCOATED wheel, a soft cloth and some polish should restore shine. IF the worst case scenario is that the spotting is very deep into the surface of the wheel you MAY need to have the wheel repolished, but if you dont have a clue where to start DONT start with 120grit paper...sheesh :nono:

 

[cars4me89]

Hes got waterspots and you recommend sandpaper? 120grit sandpaper on allow wheels no less? do you like creating more work for yourself? Maybe if he was trying to take out some mild road rash I could see it. Not to mention it was never established if the wheels were CC'd or not. Take 120 grit sandpaper to a clearcoated wheel and see what kind of a can of worms you open.

If they are really hardwater waterspots try removing them chemically. CLR or just good old fashioned vinegar should do the trick. If they are waterspots that have indeed affected the polish of an UNCOATED wheel, a soft cloth and some polish should restore shine. IF the worst case scenario is that the spotting is very deep into the surface of the wheel you MAY need to have the wheel repolished, but if you dont have a clue where to start DONT start with 120grit paper...sheesh :nono:

I really don't know what the wheels have on them and the previous owner took really good care of the car, as I have.. but I'm not an expert with car care at all.. I might try the CLR or vinegar on just a small part of a wheel to see what it does.. it's just a lot of things to try for these wheels and this guy down here wants to trade my rims for his MK4 rims.. so I might just do that.