Hello everyone, I put on new aftermarket polished wheels on the truck this week and was wondering what you guys think I should do to keep them clean with a longlasting shine. I was thinking of putting on a coat of wax to begin with and maintain them regularly with the Eagle 1 stuff. What do you guys think?

 

Are the wheels uncoated Billet/Polished Aluminum or are they clear coated? If they are uncoated Billet/Polished Aluminum wheels, you are going to spend a lot of time taking care of them. I would recommend some great metal polishes like these:

http://www.englishcustompolishing.co...utomotive.html

http://www.heavymetalpolish.com/Products/Polishes/

After washing, cleaning, and polishing, apply a coat of a good sealant to them... something like NXT wax or FX Synwax.

You could also look into this product...

http://www.zoops.com/zoopseal.asp

If the wheels are clear-coated... treat them just like paint.

Hope this helps.

 

Here's a HUGE thumbs up for the Heavy Metal Polish (recommended to me a while back by Boss)... this is, by far, the best metal polish that I've utilized.

Be sure though, that they are not coated wheels... if they are, treat them like paint (just like Boss mentioned).

 

Thanks for the input Boss & RP!! The wheels are a uncoated highly polished aluminum surface. I am going to order the heavy metal stuff tonight for polishing and tomorow I am going to give them a good wash and apply the NXT wax. Thanks again, I just wanted to make sure I take care of them correctly from the start.

 

Sounds like a good plan...

Remember, when you polish with the HMP, you are going to remove the protection that you're applying.. hence, you'll want to reapply your NXT after you use the HMP...

The best way to keep them up and keep them looking perfect is to stay on top of them on, at least, a weekly basis. Use clay on occasion to knock down anything that my not be getting removed with normal polish, washing, etc... an ounce of prevention... blah blah blah.

 

Yeah, great tip with the clay! Thanks again RP. Looks like I am going to have a good time taking care of these wheels. All kidding aside, I do enjoy taking care of my truck.

 

One other thing to watch out for on that kind of wheel is making more work for yourself when washing. I found that the mineral content in the water in my area was just high enough to cause problems when I washed the truck with hot wheels. If the wheels were still hot enough (from braking) when I washed the truck, the rinse water evaporated and left some pretty ugly water spots - which then had to be polished out. Solution? Let the wheels cool down and / or dry them immediately. I also used the hose to cool the wheels down once when I had a hot date.

 

Thanks 2stroked! Yeah, I do let the wheels cool down when I need to wash. Out here in the Cali desert (100+ degrees everyday in summer), I always try to wash my vehicles early in the morning to prevent any water spotting. Like you said, I need to not make more work for myself. I have a coat of wax on them right now, that should help as I don't want to be polishing them all the time!