Cleaning polished chrome alloy wheels

[Asucar]

What is everyone using to clean and protect (seal?) the polished (not 100%) chrome wheels? And are they clearcoated? The chrome polish I got says not to use with wheels that are clearcoated. I'm just soooo confused about difference between 'chrome' and polished chrome alloys..... ..and how best to clean and protect 'em....

[03Cobra]

There is a difference between chrome wheels and polished wheels. Each one requires a bit of different treatment. Which do you have?

[Asucar]

I have the polished chrome alloys....

[marlboromike]

spit shine worked fine during the vietnam war...

[coopcj7]

I believe the polished wheels have a clear coat on them. If you polish them the coating will be removed and then you will get to clean them more often. the clearcoat protects them from tarnishing. Just good ol soap and water to clean the aluminum rims.

If you still want to polish them to a higher luster, you can, but make sure you coat it immediately with a sealer such as ZOOP's this will protect your work

[snaponbob]

Chrome covered wheels are just that - chromed. In our case, the aluminum wheel is chemical dipped and the resulting process gives us mirror like finished wheels. They are NOT clear coated. The next wheel in the line is the polished aluminum wheel, and they are just that, too. The aluminum wheel goes through a series of smoothing and polishing procedures that result in a satin finish, and that IS clear coated. The base wheel is a silver color painted aluminum.

The painted wheel is washed. That's about it.
Unless you want to create a REAL maintenance nightmare, just wash the polished wheel. Stripping the clear coat to get a higher sheen will expose the aluminum to the atmosphere and the wheel will oxidize unless the rim is re-clear coated.
The chrome wheel needs a good quality CHROME wheel cleaner/polish. And it should only be used on chrome wheels.

That's about it. Bottom line, DO NOT use chrome cleaner on the polished wheels.