i do alot of offroading and my rims look bad here is a dirty pic and one clean pic what is the best product to polish them and to protect them, i used mothers aluminum polish on them but it didnt help thanks in advance guys
dirty

kinda clean

they looked alot shiner and chrome looking when i first got them 4 months ago they are dull looking now

 

First of all, nice truck! As to your specific question, I believe your wheels are polished aluminum with no other protective coating. What you are probably experiencing is oxidation of that unprotected aluminum. I'd suggest a good metal polish (I've had the best luck on my similar wheels with a product called Wenol) to bring the shine back. Next, to keep that shine for as long as possible, you might want to try one of the various sealers available out there. Zoop (see another post in this forum) is pretty good stuff. No matter what you do with polished aluminum with no clear coat though, you'll be polishing them often.

 

were would i look to buy these products?

 

Up until recently, my favorite metal polishes where found here:

http://www.heavymetalpolish.com/Products/Polishes/

Those polishes are still excellent. However, my new favorite metal polishes are found here:

http://www.englishcustompolishing.co...utomotive.html

I used the Showmans Polish on stainless steel.......... that stuff was AWESOME!

That would also be the product to use on aluminum wheels too.

The Zoop Seal can be found here:

http://www.zoops.com/zoopseal.asp

 

are they avaliable localy like at walmart or pepboys or somewere similar?

 

Nope.

 

bigtruck311,

Alas, Boss is right. The really good stuff is rarely available at convenient places, but there is hope. I get most of my stuff from the local wholesale detailing supply house, but I also find some good stuff at Wal-Mart and the local auto parts stores. Although all of us here have our personal favorites, you might be able to find something pretty good by checking the shelves of your local stores. There are any number of "good to very good" products out there in convenient places. Some of us are just very picky. You might also try google. Hope that helps!

 

thanks all

 

I just got the eagle alloys 189 and I am not sure of wether or not they have a clearcoat finish or not. Does anyone have any idea? I called the co. and they said a metal polish would be fine but some metal polishes say not to be used on a clearcoat. So now I don't know which way to go for the best cleaning agent. I have been using the new dupont teflon stuff and it gets them clean just not that pop out at you blinding shinning. Any ideas?

 

You do have to be careful what type abrasives you use on clear-coated wheels. Same thing goes for chrome (clear-coated & regular).

Look at your wheels when the sun hits them. If you see a kind of "rainbow" color to them, they are probably clear-coated. However, to be sure, I would contact the manufacturer and ask them specifically if they are clear-coated or not.

 

Wenol you can find at some antique stores, and most car show type vendor areas. Another one that is good for aluminum, is MAAS. I found that at Home Depot if I remember correctly. Maybe it was Lowes? Get ready for alot of rubbing and buffing either way. Bare polished aluminum
is no picnic.,,,,98