I picked up an older jeep wrangler to shuttle the kids to soccer & LL baseball games. It's got a set of 15 x 10 polished aluminum wheels on it that are in overall good shape, (not pitted) but were dirty & neglected. Lots of brake dust etc. They aren't clearcoated & I've spent a couple evenings on them trying to get the shine back. They're better, but what should a guy use to really polish them up to the original chrome like finish they have when they're new ? How does the factory get the highly polished look on them ? I can't quite get them to really shine........there's a haze on them that just won't leave & I'm afraid to get too agressive & scratch them up as they're not too bad now, but could be better.

 

If these are uncoated wheels, the best polish I've ever used is a German paste called Auto Wenol. It comes in a toothpaste like tube (use the blue tube). It will put a mirror finish on "bare" aluminum wheels. You can find sources online. It makes the billet wheels on my old street truck look like they're chrome plated.

 

thanks for the tip

http://www.wenolit.com/autowenol2.html

 

Try the Mother's Power Ball or some other similar product. It takes more than just "elbow grease". You need speed. I have 10 year old Alcoa wheels on my truck and they still look brand new. I hit them about once a year.

 

Are you using a buffer, or by hand ?

 

I tried the mother's powerball on mine and it did jack. I've already had to wet sand mine once and then buff and polish them back. I've pretty much given up on them. May try that wenol polish though.

 

Hand rubbed

 

Fine buffing wheel and jeweler's rouge....it comes in a stick, you actually put it on the buffing wheel. Then I use Eagle wadding polish to knock the crud off the rim.

I know a nifty trick for diamond plate too.......take an old piece of berber carpet and put it on an orbital sander. We used this trick with Mother's on the ladder truck I worked on....made the miles of diamond plate look like mirrors.

 

Flitz works well for me

 

California Custom's Aluminum Deoxidizer and Purple Metal Polish. You wipe on the Aluminum Deoxidizer first then use the Purple Metal Polish right over it and buff to a nice shine. Good stuff. www.californiacustom.com . -Glen

 

Check out the Cat 3412 in my profile, I only use Wenol on that for the ease, and knowing it will not scratch my polished aluminum.

 

How do I identify "berber" carpet??

Does it have to be "berber"??

I assume some kind of polishing compound is added to the carpet.

Thanks.

 

Sorry. I've used it on my Alcoas, on the American Racing Torq Thrusts on both my wife's suburban and my Camaro, and on my aluminum door handles. I think it works great. I damaged one of my outside rear duals and had to switch it to the inside. I took the inside rear and flipped it around to run on the outside. It had ten years of neglect on the aluminum. I hit it with some 000 steel wool and an abressive polish and then with the powerball. Looks brand new again.