I just purchased my first set of aftermarket wheels for my 2004 XLT. All I could afford was a used set of 18 XD Hoss wheels. I need a little advice on what to use to polish these before i put them on. I have this Turtle wax chrome polish laying around that i haven't tried yet. I also hear that steel wool is pretty good stuff. Any suggestions?

 

If that is uncoated chrome, the Turtle Wax stuff you have will work fine. If they are clear coated, you treat them just like paint. I would NOT use steel wool.

 

That looks like water spots. Try the Turtle wax stuff, and preferrably a buff bit on a drill to polish that out. My old Jeep had Chrome rims that did that pretty often.

 

If they are coated wheels, try a clay bar to get rid of the waterspots.

 

Are you even sure that's chrome and not polished aluminum??

 

I can't tell if they're coated or not.
I just came back from the auto parts store to see what they had.
I ended buying the stuff below to clean the wheels and I might use the Turtle wax stuff to polish them. I did see the clay bar their but it was pretty pricey. I think the buff bit would great for the spokes. thanks for the advice

 

If you don't know whether they are coated or not, you shouldn't buy stuff to clean them till you CAN find out. Chrome and clearcoat have completely different characteristics.

 

How can one tell if they are coated or not?

 

Hop on Google and search, or contact KMC Wheels direct and ask.

http://www.kmcwheels.com/contactus/

 

Yeah I have emailed them and haven't received a response yet. I just got off phone with the tire rack though they said all chrome xd series wheels are coated.

hey darren i was using your old maroon ford as motivation. I have a maroon 2004 ford xlt extended cab i was going to black out like yours but I ended getting a decent deal on these chrome wheels.

 

FYI- household vinegar (white vinegar) typically works well for removing/dissolving hard water spots...and it will not hurt the "clearcoat"

 

If they are coated, do not use that chrome wheel cleaner or the chrome polish on them. Treat them like paint.

Wash, clay bar, cleaner/compound, wax.

 

White vinegar? Interesting.

What exactly is clay bar? I've seen it at the local auto store but I don't know anything about it.

 

It pulls contaminants out of the paint to ready it for cleaning/polishing. Break the bar in half and knead it in your hand, spray some quick detailer on the surface and scrub with it. Keep the surface wet, don't apply pressure, reknead periodically. If you drop it on the ground, throw it away.

 

Most aluminum polishes, but especially polishes for billet aluminum, are fairly mild. Do a small test spot with an aluminum polish. If your rag turns black, and I do mean dirty pitch black, they are non-coated aluminum. If nothing changes color, they're coated of some sorts in which case I recommend treating them like you would any painted surface.