Howdy. Anyone have a definitive product to clean tires without etching my polished aluminum wheels, one that doesn't take a lot of elbow grease to use? I recently completely refinished my wheels (starting with 220g then up to 1000g wetsand, switched over to cotton buffs with progressive metal compounds then applied 3 coats of WheelWax) and wanted to give the tires a final clean. Used "EagleOne All Wheel and Tire Cleaner" on one tire, following directions exactly, and proceeded to f***up the wheel finish. Plain metal polish didn't touch the milky spots. I had to run the cotton buff/metal compound series (not the wetsand) in order to remove it. I like my tires clean with bright white lettering, but NOT the shiny/wet look. On my chrome wheel/tire combos I used to use "Westley's BlecheWhite", which gave me the look I prefer. Unfortunately I can't seem to find a good product that is compatable with aluminum.

 

I've been using MOther's metal polish. I used it with a Mother's power ball. It did a good job on my aluminum rims on my car.

[IMG]local://upfiles/32197/3FF08FA81ECD49BEA58B5A0523216DA8.jpg[/IMG]

 

Is it possible that you might have gotten the wheel etching cleaner by mistake? Someone at the local 4X shop had some sent over from the parts store and they got the etching one and milked their wheels too. They use the stuff regularly and didn't notice the difference on the bottle until it was used. I use it also for regular cleaning while washing the truck. Just bought the mothers and power ball last week. Haven't used it yet.

 

1RewdRam,

Sorry to hear about the damage done to your wheels after all the hard work. I have used the same exact wheel cleaner on my polished aluminum wheels and the same thing happened to me. Some of the wheel cleaners that are out there, that include both wheel and TIRE cleaners, can contain some harmful acids that can damage the surface of your bare metal(s). For cleaning the tires, try some dilluted Simple Green and water. That should help prevent further damage of your wheels as well as give your white letters a nice clean look. As far as metal polishes are concerned, you might want to take a look at Adam's Metal Polishes #1 and #2. Adam's Metal Polish #1 helps to remove any sort of oxidation or haze (like wheel acids) and bring back the shine in any sort of metal. Adam's Metal Polish #2 helps to protect and enhance the shine of the metal. Both polishes are non-abrasive and will not scratch. Adam's products are also 110% GUARANTEED to outshine the competition.

Here is a direct link to the website, hope this helps:

http://www.adamspolishes.com/site/de...4AA4&killnav=1

If you have any more questions please feel free to contact me.

Dale