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Polishing Chrome Wheels

12K views 41 replies 19 participants last post by  omw41 
#1 ·
Hey, question i am about to remove the plasti dip i had on my wheels and i was thinking what do you guys use to polish your chrome wheels? and a wax to seal them in??
 
#7 ·
Blue - that depends, how do you apply your wax to the car body? Circular is a no-go. If you get a contaminant on the pad you create swirls. Best to go back and forth in a linear motion. For the spokes on the wheels I'd go center to out and back. Rim area - follow the radius.
 
#8 ·
I use a good clay and clay lube on the exterior of the wheels whenever I strip, clay, & polish the car. After clay, I like using a few coats of Zaino Z5. With each wash after doing this, I just towel dry the wheels with no fuss. If I notice any water spots (happens a lot in the Texas summers) I hit em with a bit of DP Krystal Vision glass cleaner.



For the inside of the wheels, I used Never Dull and some elbow grease to shine them up. Only had to do this once (now I just towel them off after each wash, and wipe them down with a damp towel when they are off the car for rotations/etc...). After daily driving the car for the first two years, and seeing some pretty nasty weather, the inside of the wheels got a bit nasty.



The never dull did a pretty good job if you ask me


They hardly see any weather these days, and look pretty good for having almost 80k on them imho.

Good luck and enjoy the shine :cool:
 
#15 · (Edited)
For the inside of the wheels, I used Never Dull and some elbow grease to shine them up. Only had to do this once (now I just towel them off after each wash, and wipe them down with a damp towel when they are off the car for rotations/etc...). After daily driving the car for the first two years, and seeing some pretty nasty weather, the inside of the wheels got a bit nasty.



The never dull did a pretty good job if you ask me


Ok that interests me quite a lot. I was under the impression that our inside rims were painted silver. In fact on another post I mentioned that I used too hard of a cleaner and some of the silver paint rubbed off revealing what looked like a black (base coat maybe) so I repainted them. Your insides look awesome in the picture. Do you remember going through a silver and then black look to get to a chrome?

In the other post I think someone said that the inside chrome was not very durable and "flaky" so for that reason and to provide some contrast, GM ordered them painted on the inside

Edit here's one of the posts:

http://www.solsticeforum.com/forum/showthread.php?t=72884

Sent from my iPhone using Autoguide.com App
 
#17 ·
Ok that interests me quite a lot. I was under the impression that our inside rims were painted silver. In fact on another post I mentioned that I used too hard of a cleaner and some of the silver paint rubbed off revealing what looked like a black (base coat maybe) so I repainted them. Your insides look awesome in the picture. Do you remember going through a silver and then black look to get to a chrome?

In the other post I think someone said that the inside chrome was not very durable and "flaky" so for that reason and to provide some contrast, GM ordered them painted on the inside

Edit here's one of the posts:

Removing Clear Coat From Factory Wheels - Pontiac Solstice Forum

Sent from my iPhone using Autoguide.com App
I do not think there was any paint on the inside of the wheels. I did not notice a black or dark base/primer. I tested the waters on the blades of one wheel close to the center. In case something did go wrong, it was in an area no one would see. I tried a few different things (other metal polishes), before deciding Never Dull got the best result. So then I did the Blades of one wheel to get the process down (once again, an area you cannot see when the wheels are on the car). Before moving on to do the whole thing.

As a note, I do not use any harsh chemicals, over the counter wheel sprays, or acid based cleaners on wheels (exception being overspray from degreasing the under carriage once).

Could there be differences in the wheels based on year and/or production run (mine being a ’06)? Maybe they were treated/coated in different methods? I don’t know.

If the wheels are painted, the only way I can think to care for them would be by using a good rubbing compound and DA polisher to get them cleaned up. Then polishing/waxing them and maintaining the polish/wax just as you would the paint on any of the cars surfaces.

All that said, as best I can tell the inside of my wheels are a bare surface.
 
#16 ·
Mine are certainly painted on the inside - a greyish color. I've never tried to 'clean' it off, so don't know if there's chrome under that, but I expect so. I also assume GM did it to protect the inner chrome from corrosive brake dust.
 
#18 ·
My wheels don't get very dirty, unless I unexpectedly get caught in a rain, or can't avoid a puddle. When that happens, I wipe them off with a wet cloth, then rinse with spot free water. Usually, they just get pressure washed with rinse water, then rinsed again with spot free. After 10k miles and 2+ years, they look great.
 
#20 · (Edited)
I have a few spots inside the wheels that are showing chrome underneath. Since I do furniture stripping with this special stripper I get from New York, I know it would take that paint off without harming the chrome underneath. :) I haven't had the nerve to try it yet though because I'm afraid I might not like the results of seeing total chrome.
 
#24 ·
Regarding the inside of the rims



That little bit of chrome layer on the inside of the wheel is not like the outer facing. It is very thin and underneath would be bare aluminum. Would think twice about fiddling with it. Spray paint it silver maybe.
 
#21 ·
Hi there!

I use Meguiar's synthetic sealant (#21) on the wheels. It makes keeping them clean (i.e. brake dust) much easier. I'd guess any wax good enough for your paint would be good enough for the chrome wheels. I would avoid "cleaner waxes" as that would probably scratch the chrome. Come to think of it, I avoid that stuff on paint, too :)

To clean the wheels, beyond just car was soap, I've used both "Bike Brite" (sold at motorcycle shops -- works great but removes wax, so be careful) and "Pro-Honda Spray Cleaner and Polish". That stuff works very well for spot-cleaning. It's not a terrible idea to take a can of that with you to a car show, etc. for touch-up. It also does a pretty good job on motorcycle windshields and helmets (and helmet face shields).
 
#22 ·
Hi there!

Re: the back of the wheels, I'm thinking of painting them black to make the chrome fronts stand out a bit more. I've got a brand-new can of DupliColor black caliper paint which should stick and hold up to the elements (given that it works well on brake calipers). Anyone else try this?
 
#23 · (Edited)
I am pulling my wheels off soon to put some Riken Raptors on, but I like the look of the chrome. I think I am going for that. In your case, I am not even sure you have to use the caliper paint, although your logic is sound. In any case, paint does not adhere well to chrome, unless you use some kind of etching primer, and that stuff is not cheap. I have no idea how they did it at Wilmington, if they did it. However, it would seem by most accounts, the insides are painted. When I pull my wheels off, I'll revist the post and confirm or deny on my car.

To paint wheels, I have used Duplicolor and a couple of other brands, but I use high heat paint-the kind of stuff you would paint your valve covers with. I don't use the Wal-Mart brands or anything. Whatever I get I make sure it is for automotive heat applications. I've done wheels before, both inside the rim and outside. Not on a Solstice, but on the E30 platform 1986 BMW 325's with basket weave rims. They held up pretty well; just do not forget to spray a couple of coats of clear over the color. I know you are only talking about the inside so the chrome pops.

A lot of OEM Wheels are painted. I'm sure the process is more involved than a rattle can, (baked or electrocuted on or something) but over the years I have had some suprizing results on wheels with just a rattle can. Do it. Post pictures. You have me interested. :yesnod:
 
#25 ·
Mine had the grey/silver paint on the inside, and it was coming off in some places. I started removing the paint, and yes it was was chromed under the paint but the metal was not polished before chroming. Looked very rough. I repainted with a rattle can from one of those outfits online that match your paint color. Looks pretty good, and holding up so far. I expect it will have to be redone sooner or later.
 
#28 ·
The inside of the where did come off pretty easy. But for now just cleaned it when and left the grey layer on.

But as for my wheels (chrome part)

The process im going to try out would be clean the tires soap and water. dry them. then clean it will glass cleaner. then a touch of McGuire's ultimate quick wax. will see how it turns out. Dont think would be any damage. any input?
 
#29 ·
Blue - shouldn't have any problems there.

I just make sure to always caution people with "chrome" wheels because most of them are clear coated as are the factory wheels on the Sol. (Have the chips in the clear coat from the previous owner to prove it.) I've talked with one body shop about getting them stripped and recoated and yes, it would be as much if not more than replacing the wheels.
 
#33 ·
Now THAT might have just occupied the rest of my 4 day weekend. (After all the other tasks of course.) I'm intrigued. Like the way it offsets and highlights the chrome. Also, our calipers are a "deep purple" that doesn't tend to stand out. Well, we didn't want them to "stand out" but this might make them a bit more noticeable. Nice touch, Jay! Thanks for sharing!
 
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