Best way to clean chrome wheels?

[TimRXUV777]

Hi,

I just noticed the chrome wheels on my Envoy have a light rusty haze on them in places. What's the best way to remove this rust, clean the rest of the wheel and get them and keep them really shiny and looking like new?

Thanks

 

[dmanns67]

I have personally used fine steel wool (Would not recommend for wheels as you can leave scratches) and aluminum foil dipped in water to remove rust from chrome. Rub the rust areas lightly with the aluminum foil and it will react chemically with the rust then follow-up with a chrome polish. Make sure as you are rubbing the rust away to keep adding water to the area you are cleaning to keep from scratching the surface.

I have heard of others using high acidic products like soda, lemon juice, and vinegar to remove the rust as well.

 

[shepherd92683]

Hope this helps...
http://www.discounttire.com/dtcs/infoWheelCleaning.do

Also do not EVER clean them while they are hot. They must be cold or it will damage the finish. Also Mothers makes a good polish, you may look into what they have to offer. If pitting has started however, nothing with remove is unless the wheels are stripped and re-chromed.

 

[triz]

I also like to put a small coat of wax on chrome wheels. That will help keep the dust off and give it some bling.

 

[HARDTRAILZ]

Go with a little wax once clean"

 

[shepherd92683]

Waxing 3-4x yearly works best to insure brake dust etc doesn't harm finish, just more work to put in to keep them looking good!

 

[TimRXUV777]

Cool Thanks. What kind of wax do you guys recommend?

 

[sawicksted]

Mother's chrome Polish. And I used the Mother's power ball for the buff/ polish removal process ( goes on the end of a cordless drill and cuts the time down significantly.) Apply polish by hand - remove with the powerball.

I had a supercharged Bonneville SSEi with the chrome rims for about 10 years and the rims were still show stoppers when I sold the car. Every spring when I would get ready to put summer tires on I would put at least five coats of polish on them( Mother's chrome) including the inside/ backs. I would run a set of winter tires on the aluminum Pontiac 5 spokes.About once a month I would polish the rims by hand after I washed the car. It took a lot of time but it was worth every bit for the look of the chrome. I love chrome rims and wish I had a set for the TB....Maybe some day...

 

[shepherd92683]

I used this when I had some gloss black and machined lip wheels and it was amazing. Gave a great shine and is relatively easy to use. Takes a good hour to do the job right unless you have a lot of rivets/spokes then it may take longer.
https://www.wheelwax.com

 

[glfredrick]

I just used this product over the weekend (on aluminum wheels -- it works on chrome) and it did a fantastic job. Looked just like the pictures of the product on Amazon.

http://www.amazon.com/Sonax-230200-755-Wheel-Cleaner/dp/B003UT3S6Q/ref=sr_1_2?s=automotive&ie=UTF8&qid=1402315994&sr=1-2&keywords=wheel+cleaner+spray

 

[shepherd92683]

Good to know, thanks!