ryangambrill

I have polished wheel, not chrome on my 40th Anniversary coupe.

Does anyone have advice on the best way to keep them looking good. It seems as though they are more susceptible to the elements.

I have the mothers polish and "power ball" attachment. It seems to work OK, but not great.

Thanks

ivangene

IDK, are they clearcoted? If they are and you use metal polish.... they wont be for long

ryangambrill

They were no clear coated when I got them.

redridge

elbow grease and wheel polish is the only way..... those wheels are high maintenance w/o clearcoat.

nick49

The secret with a polished wheel is to never let them get too bad. Brake dust can be a bit corrosive, so wash it off often. Use a good polish, like Mother's with a 100% cotton cloth. A quick polish every other time you wash the car will keep them new looking. Polished aluminum has a much richer and softer look than chrome and looks better polished without a clear coat which clouds and yellows.

htny

My advice is clear them! Mine are polished and cleared, no maintenance at all. If you don't want to shoot them with clear, you can always use a very aggressive sealant and apply frequently, like rejex or optiseal, but it won't be as effective. There is a product available to pro detailers called opti coat, which apparently is a viable alternative to clear for this application, but I am just an amateur and have no experience with it. If you contact optimum products they will be able to refer you to a pro in your area who could apply it, probably cheaper than someone professionally clearcoating, although while opti coat is advertised as permanent I have my doubts (even clearcoat eventually fails)

aron in toronto

I thought the Anniversary "chrome" wheels were actually a special powder coat finish, so they may require special care/cleaning that differs from polished aluminum.

ryangambrill

The wheels are not powder coated. Just polished aluminum.

FLY996

Clear Powder Coat

ryangambrill

So what is the best recommendation to get them back to looking new? What would you guys do?

They just have some spots that look a little cloudy.

How do I know if they still have clear coat? I do not see anything peeling or flaking.

alpine003

Here's another option: http://www.sharkhide.com/mpinfo.html

Landshark87

the owners manual of my old 928 said to rub petroleum jelly on the factory polished aluminum wheels every so often. it gave them a satiny look, but it supposedly helped to protect them.

FlatSix911

Do not apply a clear coat ... you will regret it when it starts to peel and fade.

Try a professional product made to clean and protect aluminum wheels.
I had a set of polished Fuchs and this was the perfect solution ...
http://www.alcoa.com/alcoawheels/nor..._care_info.asp

nick49

If you use a polish and the oxidation is being removed, a very black reidue will develop and your rag will be black in no time. This happens with non coted polished aluminum. If no black develops, they are either powercoated or cleared.

ryangambrill

The very first time I applied polish, I noticed the black residue.

Looks like this is just oxidation as I see no signs of clearcoat peeling.

I originally tried the mothers polish and powerball attachment for the drill. It seemed to work OK. Not sure if it was not a high enough speed and probably too big of an attachment to get into the nooks of the wheels.

Thoughts on using a dremel with a polish attachment?