Cleaning negected aluminum wheels - suggestions?

[Mantilgh]

Cool.

I forgot about steel wool. That would be a step up from a scrub pad and not as aggressive as a sand paper I would use.

You could try one of your cleaners with the wool too.


Just wondering, do you know what the the sides are made of?

It can make a big difference in what type you product you should use. If it is thinly painted aluminum, do not use an abrasive polish.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wgasa84]

I haven't put a magnet to the trailer to see if the sides are steel or aluminum, but I believe it's steel sided. Logan Coach trailers are definitely some of the better made horse trailers so I'm hoping it's a paint job similar to a car. I'm going to call the manufacture to see how they paint their trailers so I can properly address the paint.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Mantilgh]

It looks more like steel, you usually see a bunch of rivets at the seams with aluminum.

If they give you an idea of what to use that would be cool, but they (or the customer service rep) may have no idea.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wgasa84]

It looks more like steel, you usually see a bunch of rivets at the seams with aluminum.

If they give you an idea of what to use that would be cool, but they (or the customer service rep) may have no idea.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Yeah, Logan is known for using a 3M adhesive for adhering aluminum panels to the steel frame of the trailer. Frankly I'd be shocked if it's aluminum... we would have gotten one hell of a deal if it's aluminum!

If they are as useless as most CS reps usually are; I'll just have to test as I would with automotive paint. Hell, I don't even know if it has a clear coat on it. I haven't washed it since we bought it. With the current heat (it was 95* today) it'll be a while before I want to start working on the paint. The alumnimn tread plate and wheels will take me probably 3 more sessions. I still need to do a full decon, polish and wax on my DD 2016 CrewCab Silverado 2500HD as it already has some pretty good swirling, scratches and contaminated paint so that'll take priority if we get some cooler weather.



Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[ZiggyPopp]

I would stop where you are. It will be enough to maintain them as is. They look awesome and the barrels are not very visible with that wheel design.

If you want to go further, you can use a metal polish with a cotton wheel on a speed drill. Make sure they are not coated first. If they are coated, the corrosion may be under the paint and you will need to strip to make them perfect.

Kerosene will also do a good job with steel wool to melt road tar and grime as will iron x.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[wgasa84]

I would stop where you are. It will be enough to maintain them as is. They look awesome and the barrels are not very visible with that wheel design.

If you want to go further, you can use a metal polish with a cotton wheel on a speed drill. Make sure they are not coated first. If they are coated, the corrosion may be under the paint and you will need to strip to make them perfect.

Kerosene will also do a good job with steel wool to melt road tar and grime as will iron x.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Thanks I appreciate your input. Im going to try steel wool just to see what i can get off so I have an idea of what steel wool can do for future detailing.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk

[Vegas Transplant]

I've had great success using OTC metal polishes and tapered Buffs or mushroom buffs and rotary drills or rotary buffers in cleaning up the barrels (rust and minor scratching) to the same level as the rim and face. Just be careful when using extensions on a rotary a little duct tape or electrical tape covering the metal extension will save you a major headache.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ng-polish.html

[wgasa84]

I've had great success using OTC metal polishes and tapered Buffs or mushroom buffs and rotary drills or rotary buffers in cleaning up the barrels (rust and minor scratching) to the same level as the rim and face. Just be careful when using extensions on a rotary a little duct tape or electrical tape covering the metal extension will save you a major headache.

https://www.autogeekonline.net/forum...ng-polish.html

Thank you for the info. I've been looking into those buffs.

Sent from my SM-G955U using Tapatalk