Unsure how to best take care of these....

[Cat]

I just put on new rims - gloss black with a machine lip. I don't want to do anything that is going to make them look bad. Any suggestions as to how would be the best way to detail them? I never use anything but microfiber towels but someone told me to use a shammy on them but I am unsure if there is any product that will keep them looking there best.



Cat :x

[Murr1525]

Re: Unsure how to best take care of these....

Is the lip bare, or clear coated at all like the black?

[Cat]

Re: Unsure how to best take care of these....

Unsure if they are clear coated or not. No indication on the information I have on them. They have small groves in the lip and felt like there was a film on them when I got them.

Cat :x

[Murr1525]

Re: Unsure how to best take care of these....

I would probably want to use soapy water, and/or the Aluminum Wheel Wash for regular cleaning. Along with soft brushes, etc.

The black you can treat like paint, as far as claying, paint cleaner, etc.

Frankly, you could probably apply SwirlX or UC to the polished part as well, and bare metal or coated, would still shine it up. Also, if you did that, how much black you pull up would indicate coated or not.

However, if it was bare metal, a proper metal polish could also be used.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Unsure how to best take care of these....

Here's a quick way to check for a clear coat on the polished lip:

Take a clean, white terry cloth towel and some aluminum polish or even cleaner wax and work it against the finish with moderate pressure (make sure the surface is completely clean and dry of course as brake dust will throw the test off). If the towel comes up literally black as soot after even a brief application, then you're working on bare metal - if not, then it's either chrome or clear coated aluminum (these will almost never be chrome, by the way).

If the applicator came up black, meaning you have bare aluminum, then you want to stick to either Hot Rims Aluminum Wheel Cleaner or just soap and water to clean the wheels. Drying is best done with a microfiber drying towel, and Hot Rims Mag & Aluminum Polish can be used on the lip to keep it at a high gloss. The black spokes look to be painted/clear coated and not merely anodized. If so then you can treat them like the rest of the paint on the car - even using a paint cleaner and wax is fine.

If the lip has a clear coat (which we suspect it does) then you can use Hot Rims All Wheel Cleaner or soap and water to clean, and then a paint cleaner and wax if you wish on them as well.

All of this is speculation of course, and it's always best to contact the wheel manufacturer to find out exactly what kind of finish you're working on. Google is your friend here.

[Cat]

Re: Unsure how to best take care of these....

Thanks for the help! I will do that - I just got my Meguiars order in and taking two days off from work to get the car ready for my first show of the 2010 season. We had a horrible winter here this year and the paint is in need of some TLC to get it back to show ready. Very hard showing your DD - but lots of fun keeping it show room looking.

Cat :x