Dusted Flakes

The majority of what ends up all over the wheels in normal driving is dust from the brake pads. Barrel-assing around will require more braking power to stop, and will create more dust. Switching brake pad compounds can help, but brake dust is inevitable. The rest of the crud can come from sources as common as road grime or nefarious as neighborhood cats and dogs. At best the wheels get filthy. In a very worst-case scenario the contaminants in the dust and grime can etch into the wheel finish or paint, and even the wheels themselves. Road salt accomplishes this task very well. Corrosion and pitting will require expensive wheel refinishing.

Brush Off

The procedure for cleaning and detailing wheels on an automobile varies with the type and finish of wheel. Before washing or detailing any wheels make certain they are cool to the touch. Brakes get hot, and so do the wheels. Hosing down hot wheels to speed things up will warp brake discs about as quick. While we know as well as you that there are scads of these bottled miracle spray cleaners, make sure the formula is compatible with the wheel finish by testing on a small area before coating the entire wheel. Some of these cleaners can cause damage to certain finishes. One-step cleaners are sometimes a good quick fix but where's the fun in that? Bring a bucket.

Stuff You'll Need:

· Dirty and/or Crusty Wheels
· Bucket of Warm Soapy Water
· All Manner of Scrub Brushes
· Towels
· Chrome Polish, Aluminum Polish, or similar
· Carnauba Wax, or Similar
· Hose and Spray Nozzle

Park the vehicle in the shade. Allow wheels and brakes to cool. Cold water and hot brakes make for warped rotors. Don't do it, man! Hose off dust and debris only after wheels and brakes are cool to the touch.

Painted finish wheels should be cared for in much the same way as paint on the car. Washing followed by a good coat of wax will help prevent brake dust from sticking to the spokes. Use soap, water and brushes to remove built up dust, grime, and debris.

Getting rid of stuck on dirt is easier with brushes. Make sure the bristles won't damage finishes before diving in too deep. Long-handled brushes can help prevent aching backs, and get in-between spots. Bottle-type brushes can help remove dirt from spokes and brake calipers.

Chrome finish and polished aluminum wheels look similar, but require different care. Don't apply wax to chrome finish wheels, as the chrome needs to breathe. Use a polish or cleaner made for use with chrome.

Polished aluminum wheels are a perpetual cleaning affair. The oxidation process begins as soon as shine is achieved. Magnesium in the aluminum alloy wants to turn dull gray. Be careful with one-step cleaners on polished aluminum.

One-step cleaners can be very effective, but test on a small area first before coating the entire wheel. Keep a hose nearby in case bad, corrosive things start to happen.

Removing the wheel and cleaning the backside can add a higher level of detail. Scrubbing will most likely be required to remove years of collected crud.

A shining wheel backside can make the front side appear brighter by reflecting more light back through the spokes. Potrzebie! – Mike Bumbeck

Related:
Polishing Aluminum Wheels; And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Parts [Internal]

Corn Flakes

Buffing out aluminum to a mirror shine involves smoothing out the irregular surfaces of the metal itself on a level unseen to the naked eye. Under an atomic-powered electron microscope, the surface of a dull or pitted aluminum wheel would look sort of like a bowl of 99-cent store corn flakes - full of jagged peaks and valleys. When light hits rough surfaces it diffuses and dissipates. We see dull. A polished aluminum surface under a microscope looks more like a bowl of hot Cream-o-Wheat - slightly bumpy, but mostly smooth and flat. When light hits a mostly flat reflective surface it has nowhere to go but right back at you. The jagged peaks get knocked down by buffing.

Don't Let the Smooth Taste Fool You

The best way to smooth out a bowl of cornflakes is to eat it. Smoothing the peaks and valleys of aluminum requires use of a series of buffing wheels and polishing compounds. The buffing wheel works with the embedded abrasive buffing compounds to smooth out the aluminum. Steps and stages are key. Each wheel and compound must be used in sequence. Stiff buffing wheels with coarser compounds work into softer buffing wheels and less aggressive compounds to produce the shine. The right balance of buffing wheel revolution and pressure is brings it all together. Too little pressure and compound along with bits buffing wheel will end up all over the garage. Too much pressure and the compound can dig in and burn the surface instead of buffing it. Practicing on the back of the wheel before going nuts on the front is a good idea. Work from coarse to smooth. Use a dedicated buffing wheel for each compound.

Buffed Out

While standalone buffing machines are very handy and not really all that pricey, we didn't have one. We weren't out to win any Funkmaster Flex car show trophies anyway, so we used a 29-buck handheld buffer and a few 6" buffing wheels. We were shooting for a shining set of daily drivers on the cheap. As with using any type of power tools caution must be taken. At best bits of the buffing wheel, compound, and microscopic aluminum dust will get everywhere. At worst, high RPM high torque power tools can be dangerous! Wear a mask, gloves, and safety goggles at all times while buffing aluminum. Make sure the wheels are bare aluminum before beginning. Any paint or clearcoat on the wheels will be quickly destroyed by the buffing process.

Stuff You'll Need:

· Crusty Set of Mag Wheels
· Degreaser, Bucket, and Scrubbing Stuff
· Utility Knife and Hand Tools
· Hose and Nozzle
· Power Buffer of Some Kind
· Buffing Wheels and Arbor
· At Least Three Degrees Buffing Compound (Coarse, Medium, Fine)
· Clean Rags
· Safety Goggles, Gloves, and a Mask

Remove anything that will get in the way of buffing. Valve stems. Wheel weights. And so on. Make like Mr. Clean with the degreaser and remove all dirt and crud. Grab the hose and rinse the wheels. Buffing crud into the aluminum with power tools is a bad idea. Don't run the wheels through the dishwasher. People get mad.

Deposit the wheel onto a five-gallon bucket. The local donut shop is a good source for five-gallon buckets. Some even smell apple-filling fresh. Use a flat file to smooth out any nasty curb rash. Don't go crazy removing material. Just knock it down mostly flat so it the buffing wheels don't get caught on jagged aluminum and disintegrate.

Buffing compounds are made in abrasive degrees with wheels to match. Coarse. Medium. Fine. Start with a bit of the coarsest or most abrasive compound on the stiffest buffing wheel.

Use the right combination of revolution and pressure to get the compound working. Let the buffing wheel material and compound do the work. Buff one section at a time, overlapping slightly until the whole wheels is done.

Clean the entire wheel surface of buffing compound in between each step. If the balance is right there won't be much to clean off.

Use a separate wheel for each compound to stop contamination between steps. Here a less abrasive compound is used with a loose sewn wheel for a finish buff.

Use a hand-applied liquid polish for the last and final step. Clean all the buffing compound and cloth off the safety goggles and buff out the other three wheels. – Mike Bumbeck

Related:

And You Will Know Us by the Trail of Parts [Internal]