Thread: Spiffing up polished aluminum wheels

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  1. #1 Spiffing up polished aluminum wheels 
    SE Level Member sn95gt50's Avatar
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    I have a base 2008 Grand Prix with polished aluminum wheels that after 13 years leave a lot to be desired. Not looking for a perfect finish, but a good 10-20' finish.

    What is recommended, what should I avoid to keep them from looking worse.

    Thanks,
    John
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  2. #2 Re: Spiffing up polished aluminum wheels 
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    do they still have the clearcoat on em?
    08 grand prix NA3800
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  3. #3 Re: Spiffing up polished aluminum wheels 
    SE Level Member sn95gt50's Avatar
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    3 do, 4th the clear coat is in bad shape.
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  4. #4 Re: Spiffing up polished aluminum wheels 
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    I have the same polished wheels and love them!

    I've had good luck keeping the outsides clean with just regular washings and the occasional douse with whatever wheel cleaner is on sale.

    The back sides are much more of a chore, however - that's where the brake dust really digs in and the previous owner never cleaned back there. I've had some "okay" results by just spending a lot of time and elbow grease with anything from brake cleaner (washed off pretty quickly) to just elbow grease and wheel cleaner. But they aren't easy, and the results have been so poor that I gave up after just a few square inches...

    I have seen an acid-wash work on some painted wheel finishes but I don't know which acid they used nor how well they would do on polished wheels like ours.

    Watching the rest of the thread to see what others say!

    -Bob C.
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  5. #5 Re: Spiffing up polished aluminum wheels 
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    Quote Originally Posted by sn95gt50 View Post
    3 do, 4th the clear coat is in bad shape.
    the clear is failing. probably in the same boat as me- road salt/ calcium chloride getting underneath and makin them look like crap.
    nothing makes failing clearcoat look better. strip and polish is time consuming and the right tools necessary.
    powdercoat,boneyard rims, paint, polish. only choices i know of to make em look better.
    other than that i know of no 10-20' finish other than wash thoroughly
    08 grand prix NA3800
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