What should I do to clean up these rims??

[SHIFTrl240]

these wheels are just DIRTY and i have tried engine degreaser, brake parts cleaner, dial soap etc. and none have any real change in the wheel's look. theres also some corrosion around the center cap, which i was told that it was from the road salt, so i dont know if theres anything i can do about that. so now im ready for any solution you guys might have that i can get these wheels at least looking decent..... and i mean ANY solution (except new rims ) thanks! :ylsuper

[Silent Drifter]

get some low grit sand paper sand all that sh*t off then get some high grit an smooth em down so there blingin. Get some clear coat an spray em for more bling an to protect it from rust.

[navysnail]

one of my wheels is about 100 times worse than that, never seen any road salt, but most of it is covered in dark grey splotches, looks like something took off the coating that makes it shiny and it is un-reparable. Yours look like some of the areas are beyond repair, but it's not too bad. sorry i couldn't help more.

[BoyWonder]

I have some armor-all tire cleaner that works well enough.. also have a brush that goes with it, and have no problem getting brakedust/dirt/etc off with it.

[EazyBreazy]

thats more like corrosion than brake dirt/dust.

[SmithSR]

WARSAW Chemical has some stuff that will literally eat your skin off! It works great on the built up dust/corrosion. It's their version of whitewall cleaner/bleach. It'll strip all the dirt off, but will play hell with bare, unfinished metal surfaces. It will also dull a clear coating.

The white stuff looks like oxidation under the clear coat. This is not uncommon for older aluminums with clear coating. Small cracks form over time, or curb rash can do it, allowing the bare aluminum underneath the coating to corrode.

[SmithSR]

P.S.

the wheel looks like it's been curbed a bit. This means the clear coat was cracked and allows moisture onto the bare metal surface.... causing corrosion/oxidation. Also, clip on wheel weights like you have will allow for the aluminum oxidation to spread like a nasty mold on your wheel.

I'd wager that's what the white stuff is. Corrosion. There is no repair except to strip, clean/polish, and have the wheel re-coated. WAY too labor-intensive and expensive than it's worth. If it bothers you that much, might be time for some new wheels..

[Silent Drifter]

dude you guys have no faith trust me sand it down doesnt take that long depends on how nice a job you want. My wheels looked the same now there flawless.

[SHIFTrl240]

i think im gonna try the sandpaper thing... got nothing to lose. i dont really have 500 for new wheels

what kind of clear coat did you use?

[Rownan]

Sanding the oxidization down is way to time consuming and labor intensive. Go to Home Depot, and get some aircraft stripper. It's like a jelly, smear that **** on the wheels, don't get it out your hands or breath it in, it'll eat your lungs!

This will get rid of all the wheel coating and corrosion. Spray it off, wet sand to get rid of any left over contaminates.

Respray, re clearcoat, you'll have beautiful new rims.

[Silent Drifter]

like he said, works like a charm. any clear coat will do.

[twlnbro69]

neverdull

[SHIFTrl240]

ok i'm going to try this aircraft stripper stuff this weekend, is it possible to do this with the tires still on or should i get them off first?

strip, and re clear coat right?, sorry im a noob when it comes to painting/clearcoat

[240DRFT]

you could spray paint them silver but tell everyone they are platinum then get platinum teeth to match it