disgusting chrome wheels

[capecodtahoe]

hello all, i have been trying to get my rims clean for some time now and ive been successful for the most part but have a few questions. what i have are american racing 18" "nitro" rims. they came on my truck when i bought it and they were in pretty rough shape. i went and bought a bottle of turtle wax chrome and metal wheel polish at autozone, some terry cloths and polishing cloths. i got most of the dripping and marks off and the rims looked pretty shiny and clean but theyre pretty pitted and beat up on the inside. a week later i went to use the same combo to clean them and they came out really foggy looking and worse than they were. i use a terry cloth and polish and rub it in then take it off with a soft polishing cloth. i did, a few days earlier wash the cloths with cold water and laundry detergant... did this ruin the cloths? am i using the wrong stuff? suggestions on different ways to clean the rims? thanks

[inDetail]

probably the wrong stuff. Are they clear coated or not? You could order some Brown Royal or Sonax wheel cleaner both good. Iron X will remove most of the pitted brake dust and grime. Your gonna have to take the wheels off the truck one at a time. If they are clear coated you could use a quality polishing compound. No clear coat grab a good chrome polish. I use P21s polishing soap. There are others out there. Anyone else please chime in and help this guy out

[capecodtahoe]

probably the wrong stuff. Are they clear coated or not? You could order some Brown Royal or Sonax wheel cleaner both good. Iron X will remove most of the pitted brake dust and grime. Your gonna have to take the wheels off the truck one at a time. If they are clear coated you could use a quality polishing compound. No clear coat grab a good chrome polish. I use P21s polishing soap. There are others out there. Anyone else please chime in and help this guy out
thanks! dumb question but how do i know if theyre clear coated?

[inDetail]

damn what's the test. I'm pretty sure if you are using a straight metal polish on chrome the residue will turn black on your rag. If you use it on a clear coat it will not leave black residue. I would clean the rims first and do a test area and see if the rag turns black. If it turns black get good chrome polishes there are a lot.
btw- there are no dumb questions. Just read all the descriptions on the products you buy.

[rmagnus]

damn what's the test. I'm pretty sure if you are using a straight metal polish on chrome the residue will turn black on your rag. If you use it on a clear coat it will not leave black residue. I would clean the rims first and do a test area and see if the rag turns black. If it turns black get good chrome polishes there are a lot.
btw- there are no dumb questions. Just read all the descriptions on the products you buy.

Yep you got it right.

I've always had good luck with Flitz on chrome. Not much you can do about the pitting on chrome but re-chrome it.

Theres another wheel post where the OP wanted to clean up the inside of the wheel and used steel wool. A buffer on a drill helps take the elbow grease out of the work. Just do a search and you should find it.

Found it for ya
http://www.autogeekonline.net/forum/auto-detailing-101/67066-nasty-wheel-barrels-help-please-2.html#post903558