oxidation on my wheels

bart3lz · #1 12-30-2004

hey everyone. There has been some oxidation on my wheels for some time. it started going away in the summer when i washed them very well very often. but recently i have no time to pay so much detail to them. i dont know if they are clear coated or what but im pretty sure they're chrome. i dont know the difference between chrome and polished. i have attached a picture of them so u could see them. they are common aftermarket wheels ( atleast i've seen them on like 4 diffeent cars around here). i just wanted to know what i could use to get the oxidation off and clean them up really nice. thanx

Forrest T. · #2 12-30-2004

Those wheels look like chrome to me.

I'd use a quality wheel cleaner, dry them, then use a good Chrome Polish

bart3lz · #3 12-31-2004

so would that start to take the oxidation away. i used turtle wax chrome polish once. dont know if it did a whole lot. it was pretty old. do u think mothers would do alot better?

Forrest T. · #4 12-31-2004

Assuming the wheels are chrome plated, they should be shiny just after soap and water. A quality chrome polish will add more sparkle to them.

If the wheels seem cloudy, it means the chrome plating is degrading. A chrome polish may not clean it up.

BTW, the chrome polish you mentioned using before is a relatively harsh product - great for the bumpers on a 1973 pick up, but a bit harsh for show quality chrome wheels.

Look at your wheels closely - do you see a haze to them, or are they clear and shiny when clean?

bart3lz · #5 12-31-2004

they are clear and shiny when clean. they look really nice but after a week or so they collect dust. could it be the clear coat that is making it look oxidized. i'll go out and take a picture

Jim D. · #6 12-31-2004

Sounds like brake dust... especially if the fronts are worse than the rears (I'll assume you have rear drums and thus little or no brake dust there).

The beautiful thing about brake dust is that there's an endless supply of it.

If you think about it, you basically answered your own question... in the summer when you washed the entire vehicle often, you didn't notice the build-up.

To address it, see this post:

http://www.waxforum.com/showpost.php?p=2194&postcount=7

Like dirt on your paint, you need to keep on top of brake dust on your wheels. Start with the least-aggressive method (a simple washing).

Heck, sometimes I've left the paint dirty and simply cleaned the wheels... especially when the weather's bad but the wheels look especially horrible.

bart3lz · #7 12-31-2004

it says the file is too large. it is like 703 KB. what can i do to make it smaller?

admin · #8 12-31-2004

You'll want to size a .jpg file down to about 8" wide (just under 600 pixels) at 72dpi.

E-mail it to me at admin@waxforum.com and I'll be happy to size it and post it for you if you like.

bart3lz · #9 12-31-2004

here it is. finally. if i had a bunch of pictures big like that would i have to resize them all seperatly? because i have encountered the same problem while sending pictures through email where the file would be to large and would freeze the internet while uploading them into an email. could i adjust that on the digi cam?

admin · #10 12-31-2004

Check your digital camera settings and adjust to make a "smaller" file. Generally, I shoot big (just in case) and re-size in Photoshop; but any image editing software will work (most computers have one).

As for the dark-colored spots on your wheels... it looks like built-up semi-metallic brake dust that has taken hold of the surface. A little bit of scrubbing will help... see if it comes loose with your fingernails (I bet little chunks of it will).

Be sure to check the Detail Guide's section on Wheels... good stuff in there... use whichever method is appropriate to your type of wheel (based on your pictures, they look chrome plated; ask the manufacturer to be sure)...

http://www.detailguide.com/

Good luck!

bart3lz · #11 01-01-2005

well i scratch it all the time but nothing comes off. well not chunks. just like little tiny peices, then i get to the part that want come off at all from scratching.

Jim D. · #12 01-01-2005

I think at this point the Admin guy would say (if he weren't in bed) that you need a good spray-on wheel cleaner and a little agitation to help dissolve the build-up. Then follow with Chrome Polish which will help protect it.

Forrest T. · #13 01-01-2005

I'd suggest:

wash
quality wheel cleaner and a proper brush (not too stiff)
rinse

Then, if it's still there, use a clay bar. Note afterwards mark the container so you NEVER use it on a paint surface.

Chrome Polish.

bart3lz · #14 01-01-2005

so wheel mist would take care of this?

Forrest T. · #15 01-01-2005

Wheel Mist would be a good choice. Since your wheels are chrome plated, get a wheel cleaner formulated for chrome wheels.