Best way to clean alloy wheels

[mva]

I just bought a 2002 Honda Civic that came with a set of aftermarket alloy wheels. These wheels are very dirty - dark grey. But otherwise good with minimal curb rash.

I am looking for ideas on how to restore them. If i am not successful I can always give them a coat of paint.

 

[Donald]

You can try a brush and some wheel cleaner (detergent). If that does not do it there is paste wheel cleaner (Mothers) thats a very fine abrasive. Then there is something like soda blasting. On Jeep wheels, the salt gets under the clear coat and causes corrosion. If thats the case and you are not happy with just cleaning with a brush then the clear coat needs to come off.

 

[147_Grain]

Nevr-Dull Wheel Polish works well.

 

[mmab]

Use sonax wheel cleaner with a Daytona brush

 

[R2d2]

Originally Posted By: mmab
Use sonax wheel cleaner with a Daytona brush


This...I've found it easier to get them really clean when taking them off the car.

 

[durallymax]

I am assuming they are coated? If they are then you will just need a good cleaner and scrub.

If they are not coated and you want them to shine. There is a lot you can do from dull shine to blinding shine. Polishing metals is still my favorite over paint even if the additional PPE is a hassle, I think its more rewarding.

If they are coated and you want them to shine more, or the coating is rough, you can strip the coating off and then polish the actual wheel. Depends on what you want and your ambition though.

 

[Silverado12]

I've found that aluminum brite (available at NAPA) will make the wheels shine like new if they're uncoated. A lot quicker than polishing. Just spray on, scrub a little and rinse off, but will not have the shiny polished look. More like clean new aluminum.

 

[grampi]

Most alloys these days come with some sort of a clearcoat on them. The factory alloys on my Corolla got so bad with road grime/brake dust that nothing would clean them. I tried many different cleaners with my high pressure sprayer, and while some of it comes off, it's impossible to get rid of it all. If your wheels are to this point, you may have to get some paint stripper to remove all of the old clearcoat, then re-clearcoat them.

 

[mva]

Thanks for the responses. I am not sure if these wheels are coated or not. Here are some photos. I will try cleaning them and report back.

 

[Vikas]

You should assume they are clear coated and see if you can clean them using the method which is safe for clear coat.

 

[durallymax]

Originally Posted By: grampi
Most alloys these days come with some sort of a clearcoat on them. The factory alloys on my Corolla got so bad with road grime/brake dust that nothing would clean them. I tried many different cleaners with my high pressure sprayer, and while some of it comes off, it's impossible to get rid of it all. If your wheels are to this point, you may have to get some paint stripper to remove all of the old clearcoat, then re-clearcoat them.


I would not recoat them unless you want to do the same all over again and do not want a show quality shine.

You cannot get a show quality shine from coated aluminum, to win shows you need to polish often.


To the OP, rub some aluminum polish on it, if it turns your rag black then there is no clear in that area. Check other areas to verify though.

 

[Gotch]

Those are painted rims with machined center and Outerportion. The machined areas are most likely clear coated, unless the clear has failed. Do not use anything that is labeled "metal/aluminum rim polish". Hit them with "paint safe" rim cleaner, then soap and water. Clay bar if you wish, then cleaner/wax, etc. You could get fancy and use a Mother's Powerball Mini and some sort of cutting compound (Meg's Ultra Cut, scatch remover etc.). Seal and Wax after you are done to protect them.

If the clear has yellowed (if they are cleared) you may not be able to bring them all the way back.

 

[mva]

So I tried a bunch of clearcoat safe wheel cleaners and none of them came close to cleaning these rims. Then I tried oven cleaner which worked not too bad but they still were not that clean. I even tried Brasso which did not take the staining off.

I then tried oxyclean combined with a scotchbrite sponge which scratched the rims. In the end I decided to spray them black. They will get a final coat today. Here are photos of the final result of the cleaning and then painting.

 

[Gotch]

They turned out pretty good!

 

[durallymax]

Same reason many people opt to paint the fuel tanks on their semis to match the truck. Much less maintenance.

As long as you like the painted rim look, you saved a lot of time and money. In order to bring them to an eye popping shine it would've cost you enough to pay someone else to do it, or cost you a lot to buy the needed supplies, plus your time.

Good luck, looks good.