Thursday, September 2, 2010

What do you recommend for protecting aluminum wheels?

We at Planet Ford 45 always get asked what is the best way to protecting aluminum wheels. So we put our heads together and and did some research and this is what we found out.

According to Yahoo! Autos the most original equipment aluminum wheels are clear coated for corrosion resistance. You can generally use any type of wax or sealer specially formulated for alloy wheels, or any product that is designed for a base coat, clear coat finish.


CAUTION: Do not use any wax or polish that contains abrasives on a clear coated wheel (chrome polish, rubbing compound, ordinary wax designed for ordinary painted finishes or that "restores faded paint." The abrasives in such products will scratch and dull the clear coat on the wheels.If your wheels are not clear coated, or the original coating is worn away or damaged, you can clean the wheels with "mag wheel polish" or fine steel wool to remove surface oxide and dirt (and what's left of the old finish) -- then repaint the wheels with a durable clear coat epoxy or paint designed for this purpose.


Unprotected aluminum wheels quickly corrode and pit when exposed to road salt and excessive moisture. If the corrosion continues unchecked for too long, the cosmetic damage may be too great to reverse. So if you don't want to drive around with ugly, pitted alloy wheels, use some type of coating (wax, sealer and/or paint) to protect them from the elements.


You can also stop by Planet Ford 45 and get your car fully wash by one of our service representatives that specialize in car looks and maintance.