Is there any way to get my wheels shiny and clean besides spending hours on each wheel with a rag and mothers? Maybe Im just slow, but I started one of my wheels with mothers and I think I got a quarter of the wheel done in 30 minutes. Ok, I dont remember the exact time but it felt like forever. I guess having all those holes in the wheel doesnt help the time factor.
Thanks!

 

Uhhh... what type of wheels? Sounds to me like somebody's got polish AL wheels... D'oh!

 

I think you're right. They came with the truck so I had no say in it.
So is chrome the way to go?

 

I personally think polished aluminum wheels are like a good scotch, it's an aquired taste. Many folks love the look, only few like to maintain them. And god help you if you live in a state with snow & salt!!!!

Polish them, wax them, and keep them clean... that's about all you can do. Don't use any harsh wheel cleaners, the chemicals will just eat away at the metal and make it look dull that much faster.

 

I love chrome wheels (especially on a black vehicle) but, they are definately a beast.

The best rule of thumb is to stick with standard car shampoo diluted to the correct mix and alot of elbow grease. There, unfortunately, is no silver (or in this case chrome) bullet to solve the stuck on brake dust problem.

Most wheel cleaners and chrome polishes contain acids that effectively are there to remove rust. Naturally, if you keep them clean and such, you won't have to worry about this rust or pitting.

I know it's not the news you wanted but, it's the unfortunate bottom line.

TIPS

1. Wheel cleaners can remove some of the grime but, 99.99 times out of 100, if you're like me, you're going to be down there working on them by hand. By removing the wheel cleaner, you've saved yourself some time, money, and maybe a headache considering the acidity of many of the products on the market today.

2. Consider buying dedicated sponges and such for your wheels. Being chrome, they are probably clear coated as well and, ultimately, you can scratch them pretty easily (very similar to clear coat on paint). Make sure that your sponges are VERY clean and are rinsed thouroughly prior to use and after your done using them. Further, I might recommend utilizing a fresh mix of car wash solution at the end of your wash in a clean bucket.

3. Patience is a virtue. They're a royal PITA but, in the end, once you sit back and look at them, they're really nice.

4. Synthetic wax (Zaino, NXT, etc) is a good tool to help to remove your problem dust and grime. A good layer of this type of product will resist some of the bonding issues that wheel cleaners are designed to break.

Bottom line, elbow grease, not a spray bottle of 'stuff'.

RP

 

I'm still not sure which wheels you actualy have. If you have factory wheels, you either have 1) painted steel, 2) chrome plated steel, or 3) clear coated aluminum. Technically speaking, all three of them are pretty much the same from a "how long it takes to polish" standpoint - unless they got way out of hand.

Now you say it took you 30 minutes to do one quarter of one wheel. That sounds like uncoated, polished aluminum to me. (I have a set of those and they can be a bear, but they look great when done properly.) So, which wheels do you have? Based on that, RockPick is the man with the best advice. Could it be that you have factory wheels that just got way out of hand with brake dust, rust, etc.?

 

Honestly im not sure which one of the 3 you mentioned I have. Im guessing polished aluminum. All 4 wheels are dull looking but get pretty shiny when mothers is applied. I like to keep my vehicle clean at all times, because that cuts down on situations like the one im in where you have to spend hours to get something back to the way it used to look. Unfortunately the previous owner must have let that idea fly out the window.
Thanks for all the help. I guess Ill do one wheel at a time!

 

On a 2001 XLT, you almost certainly have either clear coated aluminum or chrome plated steel. Both of those surfaces were designed for durability and easy care. My truck came with clear coated aluminum, but I run aftermarket polished (no clear coat) aluminum in the summer. (Our road salt in the winter will reduce unprotected aluminum to dust in no time.) I say that because the aftermarket wheels look great, but are a royal PITA to keep looking that good.

My caution on taking 30 minutes per (factory) wheel is that you risk polishing / cleaning right through the protective surface on either wheel. That would be the clear coat on aluminum or the chrome plate layer on steel. I've seen well intentioned people polish right through the clear coat on aluminum. It looks great - for a while. Likewise on chrome plate, steel wool will remove surface rust, but wait till you see what happens next. Be very careful here and trust what RockPick says. He's da man on car / truck care products.

 

Oh yea, almost forgot one thing. Last time I checked, Ford did not clear coat their chrome plated wheels. The reason? It's almost impossible to get anything to stick to chrome plating. The other interesting note here is that the protective layer is actually not the chrome plate. It's generally the copper and nickel layers underneath. The chrome is mostly for looks. (I used to work in a plating shop.)

 

I have a 2000 XLT 4x4 and one of the options was 16 inch polished aluminum wheel. Trust me there is no clear coat on this wheel. I have the 97 style Borla that exits in front of the wheel and it will pit if you don't clean it. I upgraded the wheels to 16x10s that were pitted from neglect. I spent countless hours wet sanding and then polishing. A friend of mine uses WD40 on a clean wheel and heats the wheel till the WD40 smoked. He said that this will keep it sealed for up to 6 months.

JMC

 

Thanks for all the info. I spent some time the other day on the wheels and its a start. Ill probably do it one more time to get them looking even better.

 

I feel that nothing is better than good old elbow greese but dust shields work nicely to stop some brake dust from reaching your wheels in the first place. Their cheap and easy to install.

 

For what it's worth and just for general info, my 2002 Lariat
has the factory standard chrome steel wheels, but the wheels are steel with a chrome plastic cover permanently bonded to the steel wheel. So cleaning these takes a bit of extra care so as to not damage the plastic.
These wheels came standard on the F-150 Lariat and on some of the Expys.
Reloader

 

can't he clear coat them? My aluminum wheels are clear coated and they have been real easy to care for so far. (two years)

Tom

 

JMC,

What I think your're seeing is oxidation of the clear coat. (Yes, paint can oxidize too.) I had the same problem with my '97 XLT / ORP with 17" polished & clear coated aluminum wheels. They were very definitely clear coated, but the exhaust exiting in front of the right rear was killing it. By the way, I complained and my dealer installed a '98 exhaust system at no charge. Problem solved. If the aluminum had no protective coating, you'd be astounded how fast the wheel would deteriorate. (The heat generated by braking also accelerates the corrosion in a wheel.)


Thall,

Nice thought, but chrome is next to impossible to paint over and have it adhere. It's also fairly non-porus, so most dirt / junk doesn't stick to it - like paint.