Acat

Ive got the stock 18 inch chrome rims on my 14 f150. These things are horrible to get clean. I don't know if its the one winter of salt or just a poor finish but soap and a power washer won't even come close to cleaning them. Even used windex, simple green, etc by hand to no avail. Looks like if I scrub real hard with a polish I could get them back to a good shine but I think in 2 weeks they'd look like crud again. I've got chrome rims on my wrangler that I take through the woods all the time and they clean right up to new with a rag and windex. Not to mention they are 10 plus years old. Anyone else have this problem.

itore87

I use chrome wheel cleaner. You can buy it from your favorite auto parts store. I spray it on all four wheels, a few minutes before I wash my truck. Rinse it off as I am washing the truck. Then after I dry my truck. I will use a little chrome polish, so they really shine. I have a chip on one of my wheels. Under neath the chrome, is some composit material, there plastic. lol

richardscalp

For the initial cleaning -- which I had to do right after buying the truck -- I used Brasso and followed up with a covering of car wax. The Brasso lifted everything bit of dirt right off easily. Brasso is what we used for spit and shine in the Army.

TX 5.0

Aluminum wheels with chrome plastic over it, I'm glad they aren't using that method anymore on the 15s.

Jesseb3

I just tried cleaning my 2011 20" wheels for the first time in two years. Dish washing liquid, window cleaner, Murphy's soap and WD-40 wouldn't dent the discoloring. I thought they were ruined. After reading about some highly rated wheel cleaners, I looked at the ingredients...aluminum oxide, ie abrasive. So, I dipped my finger in a bag of diatomaceous earth (pool filter media), walked out to the truck, and wiped it right down to chrome in one swipe.

I mixed maybe half a tablespoon with water in a coffee cup, and using a 4"x6" piece of an old t-shirt, I wiped my wheels amazingly clean. I can't get over how easy it was.

Is DE scratching them? I dunno'. Aluminum oxide has a hardness rating of around 9, while diatomaceous earth is 1-1.5... close to talcum powder. Seems safer to me, but I'm not a metallurgist.

I don't know if I'd want to use it daily, but for a deep clean, DE seems to work great. Has anyone else tried it?

Oh, and lastly, chrome is chrome, whether it's on metal or plastic.

12xltsupercab

Collinite metal wax...works just as easily as 845 on the paint and removed all the oxidation

Deathroe

Wash the rim and then use steel wool 0000. Dip the steel wool in soap water and have at it. It took 5 minutes a rim. Then seal the chrome with chrome polish. It will not scratch the chrome. Works on the running boards and bumpers as well.


Done

Jesseb3

Good idea. I'm out of 0000 wool, but had 50 lbs of diatomaceous earth. 😛 BTW, I tried a scotch brite pad, and it scratched the chrome. Really surprised me.

RealQuiet

Meguiar's Cleaner Wax. I got the recommendation from a professional detailer and has since been confirmed by autogeek.

Jesseb3

Contains hydrated aluminum silicate. Has a hardness of 1-2 - should work very well and won't scratch. I'll check that out next time!