Alum. wheels

[Bill Lytle]

I have a 2008 Pontiac Solstice, need any good info on removing salt pits from the inside of polished alum. wheels.

[Tuck91]

Re: Alum. wheels

Before you use a wheel cleaner, You might want to try Car Wash Soap and water with a good quality wheel brush.

If that dosent work, then maybe try a wheel cleaner like Meguiars Hot Rims Aluminum wheel cleaner or Meguiars Multi piece wheel cleaner

[Mike Phillips]

Re: Alum. wheels

If these pits as you state are actually areas where aluminum has been eaten away from the surface of the wheel then you're going to need to level the remaining upper portions of the surface with the lowest depths of the pits caused by the salt.

What it means to remove a scratch or etching out of anything...

That means a complicated sanding and/or machine buffing process using tools usually found at metal polishing shops. If they're very shallow you might be able to restore a fairly decent appearance using

G13508 Hot Rims Mag & Aluminum Polish

[Bill Lytle]

Re: Alum. wheels

Thanks for all your advise, I will give it a try.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Alum. wheels

You need to first determine if your wheels are clear coated or bare, polished aluminum. It is extremely rare to find bare polished wheels from the OEM because upkeep is sort of a pain for bare aluminum, not to mention it's actually a pretty delicate surface.

On a clean (washed and dried) wheel, apply some cleaner wax or aluminum polish with a clean, white towel. Just do a small area, working the product against the surface for several seconds. Bare polished aluminum will turn the white towel black almost immediately. And by "black" think black as soot not just "dirty".

If the towel does come up black then Hot Rims Mag & Aluminum Polish would be an excellent choice for working on the wheels. If not, they they're clear coated and an aluminum polish wouldn't do much of anything. If clear coated and the wheels are pitted, then unfortunately you've got a potentially serious issue with the clear.