Chrome and polished alum.

[05 Powerstroke]

Thought I had finally found a store that carried All metal polysh but when I got to the store they said they didn't carry it. Can I just clean the chrome and clean the polished alum wheels and then put the NXT tech wax. Will there be much difference without using the metal polish. Thanks

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Chrome and polished alum.

Originally posted by 05 Powerstroke
Thought I had finally found a store that carried All metal Polysh but when I got to the store they said they didn't carry it. Can I just clean the chrome and clean the polished alum wheels and then put the NXT tech wax. Will there be much difference without using the metal polish. Thanks

Sure, as long as the product you use to clean the chrome and the aluminum does a good job of cleaning.
Are the aluminum wheels oxidized or in good shape?

[RamAirV1]

Re: Chrome and polished alum.

Originally posted by 05 Powerstroke
Thought I had finally found a store that carried All metal polysh but when I got to the store they said they didn't carry it. Can I just clean the chrome and clean the polished alum wheels and then put the NXT tech wax. Will there be much difference without using the metal polish. Thanks

Are the polished aluminum wheels clearcoated? If the rag turns black when you polish, they are not clearcoated. If they are clearcoated, treat them like paint. If they are not clearcoated, Meguiars has some other aluminum polishes too.

RamAirV1

[05 Powerstroke]

The wheels are in good shape, the truck only has about 350 miles on it. I was going to wash them then maybe use quick detailer and maybe clay to clean them. Does that sound ok. I don't know if they are clear coat or not. Thanks

[RamAirV1]

If they are factory wheels, they are most likely clearcoated. Testing with a white towel and aluminum polish will tell you for sure.

RamAirV1

[Mike Phillips]

Or testing with a white cloth and something non-abrasive like ScratchX just in case it is clear coated.

Error on the side of caution, some metal polishes may dull or stain a clear coated wheel. A paint cleaner like ScratchX will show nothing on white cloth if the wheels are clear coated, if they are polished aluminum, it will pull some oxidized aluminum and you'll see grayish/black on a white cloth.

Either way, once you determine what the wheels are made out of or coated with, then you can wash and wax them using NXT Tech Wax.

[RamAirV1]

Originally posted by Mike Phillips
Or testing with a white cloth and something non-abrasive like ScratchX just in case it is clear coated.

Error on the side of caution, some metal polishes may dull or stain a clear coated wheel. A paint cleaner like ScratchX will show nothing on white cloth if the wheels are clear coated, if they are polished aluminum, it will pull some oxidized aluminum and you'll see grayish/black on a white cloth.

Either way, once you determine what the wheels are made out of or coated with, then you can wash and wax them using NXT Tech Wax.

Good point! I don't use metal polish that often and didn't think of that. Fortunately, all my polished aluminum rims have been clearcoated so maintenace has been easy. I would imagine non- clearcoated polished aluminum rims would require frequent polishing. If the NXT All Metal Polysh were used, it would probably require less frequent polishing.

I saw some Mother's Billet Aluminum Polish at Meijer's the other day. Isn't that supposed to be a very aggressive polish?

RamAirV1