Are these wheels oxidized or just dirty?

[Rawrster]

I couldn't get this brown/yellow stuff out just by standard washing... is it oxidation?

[MarquisMark]

Re: Are these wheels oxidized or just dirty?

I would say the only solution to that would be a respray or, better yet, powdercoating.

[Michael Stoops]

Re: Are these wheels oxidized or just dirty?

It sure looks as though the clear coat has been seriously compromised here and that a full refinishing is in order. Looking at other areas on the wheels we see a lot of chipping and pitting. Use of certain wheel cleaners on a surface with those kinds of imperfections can cause the cleaner to leech under the clear, or even the color coat, and start doing damage from the bottom up. This is really easy to see on factory polished and clear coated aluminum wheels with damage to clear near the wheel lip; A product like our Hot Rims Wheel & Tire Cleaner is technically safe to use on those wheels, but if the clear is damaged it's also common to see the product begin to leech under that clear and start to stain the aluminum underneath it.

In your situation here, it appears that there is a lot going on - it could be that the clear is so compromised that it's holding on to the dirt more tenaciously than usual. Try going over an area with Ultimate Compound on a microfiber towel - just don't scrub really hard as that can be a potent combo if used really aggressively in small areas. That will at least help to remove the majority of the embedded dirt and grime and hopefully reveal the true nature of what you have happening here. But in all candor, we're thinking the only real way to bring these back is to refinish them.