How to keep polished wheels shiny?

[Mark Preus]

I got polished aluminum wheels on my stang and I can spend hours polishing on them and the first time it rains they look like poop. Not literally poop but not as good as they did. Any suggestions on how to keep them looking better longer? I usually use the mothers polish with the powerball just as I imagine the man Chip Foose would do himself. Thanks

[DARK HORSE]

After you polish them, seal them with Poorboys World Wheel sealant. They will still get poopy after a rain, but the poop will wipe right off with ease and your wheels will look great again with out effort.

Poorboy’s Wheel Sealant: Protective sealant that improves & maintains the appearance of wheels. wheel protection, poorboys wheel wax

[Shade Tree]

After you polish them, seal them with Poorboys World Wheel sealant. They will still get poopy after a rain, but the poop will wipe right off with ease and your wheels will look great again with out effort.

Poorboy’s Wheel Sealant: Protective sealant that improves & maintains the appearance of wheels. wheel protection, poorboys wheel wax

+1

Wheel wax and even sealant works well to preserve the polished appearance. Maintenance is a breeze as you'll want to reapply the wax maybe once a month or so depending on driving time and wash intervals.

[ScottB]

Wheel Sealant help indeed ... Poorboys, DP, and Wheelwax all offer dedicated wheel sealants.

Polishing a wheel prior to sealing will help too just remember clearcoated wheels need to be treated like paint and thus us paint polishes.

[WiSh4SvTs]

Leave them black= no polishing. But they look sweet polished.

[Clutch34]

Wheel Sealant help indeed ... Poorboys, DP, and Wheelwax all offer dedicated wheel sealants.

Polishing a wheel prior to sealing will help too just remember clearcoated wheels need to be treated like paint and thus us paint polishes.

How can you tell if the wheels are clearcoated or not?

[ScottB]

How can you tell if the wheels are clearcoated or not?

I might suggest contacting the manufacturer as one way or the reseller. Another way is to test a very small unseen spot. When using a metal polish against an uncoated wheel the tarnish almost turns a black color when rubbing. Unfortunately metal polishes can harm coated wheels so its not the best choice IMO and thus tread carefully.

[Mike Phillips]

Another way is to test a very small unseen spot. When using a metal polish against an uncoated wheel the tarnish almost turns a black color when rubbing.

This is correct and a great visual indicator if you're working on uncoated, bare aluminum.

Unfortunately metal polishes can harm coated wheels so its not the best choice IMO and thus tread carefully.

This is also correct and the problem is you might not find out you have coated wheels until after you've rubbed on the clear surface potentially dulling the coating.

Here's another way that is usually a safer approach. Use a paint cleaner or even a cleaner/wax on the wheel. If the wheel has a clear coat on it then the paint cleaner, compound, swirl mark remover, basically anything safe for use on the clear coat on your car won't harm the wheel.

If the wheel is uncoated, then in most cases there will be enough abrading power in most clear coat compounds, paint cleaners and/or SMR's to do like a metal polish would do and that's abrade the metal a little and turn your cloth black.

You're talking to a guy that has owned a lot of polished aluminum in his life and is part aluminum himself.

From left to right,

Jonny Zurba - Wet Wedge Water-Fed Sanding Blocks
Pete Santini - Santini's Paint & Body Werkes
(Me)

[Mark Preus]

Leave them black= no polishing. But they look sweet polished.

Yeah but even if there black the lip is still polished

[dublifecrisis]

I'm liking DP Wheel Glaze. Seems to last about a month with easy maintenance in between.