Dan K
10-17-2014, 11:01 AM
My wife has a 2012 Ford Edge that we purchased new. Even with constant attention, I have always had trouble keeping the chrome clad wheels looking good. I have (mistakenly) used different strong wheel cleaners on them, to no avail.
A little while back I came across a post from this or another forum which said to use cleaner wax to take the tarnish off of chrome clad wheels. I couldn't believe that a cleaner wax could succeed where more harsh methods had failed, but I figured it was worth a shot. I took some Meguiar's Cleaner Wax and a green foam finger pocket and tried a spot on the wheel. To my surprise, it worked! The tarnish that wheel cleaners would not touch was gone! I finished that wheel by hand, and a few weeks later I had the chance to clean all of the wheels with a Mothers mini power ball, my Ryobi cordless drill, and the Megs cleaner wax.
The wheel from the pics below is the wheel that I did by hand. For the prewash I used Ultima Waterless Wash. (I subsequently went back over this wheel using the powerball when I did the others, but the pics of the wheel itself are from the application by hand.)
Here is the prep for the other wheels. The wheel faces received diluted Diablo gel.
The barrels would be receiving Opticoat2, so I needed to clean them a thorough cleaning. I used Eagle One A2Z wheel/tire cleaner, and Tarminator to remove a few tar spots. After a thorough rinse, I blew the wheels off with my Metro Sidekick, and did a final dry with a microfiber towel. I finished the barrel prep by using DP prep polish by hand, and then Opticoated the barrel.
After the cleaner wax, I applied Collinite 845, because I figured it would work fine being applied over top of another wax. I didn't feel like spending more time to prep for a different product, because I had already spent over six hours during this wheel cleaning session. I will see how the wheels hold up, and decide if I need to use a different product to protect them in the future.
On to the pics
I found that by placing the wheel/tire on my detailing cart it was just the right height to easily work on.
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/IMG_0871_zps17de735f.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/IMG_0871_zps17de735f.jpg.html)
Picture of wheel before cleaning
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040064_zpsc49c8257.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040064_zpsc49c8257.jpg.html)
After cleaner wax
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040062_zpsa64f4fa1.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040062_zpsa64f4fa1.jpg.html)
50/50 left side quick cleaning with Ultima WW/ right side dirty wheel
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040067_zps42f782ec.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040067_zps42f782ec.jpg.html)
After cleaner wax
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040068_zpse910f375.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040068_zpse910f375.jpg.html)
This is all it takes
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040069_zps995ba494.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040069_zps995ba494.jpg.html)
A little while back I came across a post from this or another forum which said to use cleaner wax to take the tarnish off of chrome clad wheels. I couldn't believe that a cleaner wax could succeed where more harsh methods had failed, but I figured it was worth a shot. I took some Meguiar's Cleaner Wax and a green foam finger pocket and tried a spot on the wheel. To my surprise, it worked! The tarnish that wheel cleaners would not touch was gone! I finished that wheel by hand, and a few weeks later I had the chance to clean all of the wheels with a Mothers mini power ball, my Ryobi cordless drill, and the Megs cleaner wax.
The wheel from the pics below is the wheel that I did by hand. For the prewash I used Ultima Waterless Wash. (I subsequently went back over this wheel using the powerball when I did the others, but the pics of the wheel itself are from the application by hand.)
Here is the prep for the other wheels. The wheel faces received diluted Diablo gel.
The barrels would be receiving Opticoat2, so I needed to clean them a thorough cleaning. I used Eagle One A2Z wheel/tire cleaner, and Tarminator to remove a few tar spots. After a thorough rinse, I blew the wheels off with my Metro Sidekick, and did a final dry with a microfiber towel. I finished the barrel prep by using DP prep polish by hand, and then Opticoated the barrel.
After the cleaner wax, I applied Collinite 845, because I figured it would work fine being applied over top of another wax. I didn't feel like spending more time to prep for a different product, because I had already spent over six hours during this wheel cleaning session. I will see how the wheels hold up, and decide if I need to use a different product to protect them in the future.
On to the pics
I found that by placing the wheel/tire on my detailing cart it was just the right height to easily work on.
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/IMG_0871_zps17de735f.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/IMG_0871_zps17de735f.jpg.html)
Picture of wheel before cleaning
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040064_zpsc49c8257.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040064_zpsc49c8257.jpg.html)
After cleaner wax
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040062_zpsa64f4fa1.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040062_zpsa64f4fa1.jpg.html)
50/50 left side quick cleaning with Ultima WW/ right side dirty wheel
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040067_zps42f782ec.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040067_zps42f782ec.jpg.html)
After cleaner wax
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040068_zpse910f375.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040068_zpse910f375.jpg.html)
This is all it takes
http://i1382.photobucket.com/albums/ah266/DetailedbyDan/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040069_zps995ba494.jpg (http://s1382.photobucket.com/user/DetailedbyDan/media/Our%20Edge%202014/P1040069_zps995ba494.jpg.html)