Whats safe to use on polished aluminum

[BrandonB56]

The other day i was watching the instructional videos vol. 6 . and i heard adam mention that one of the products isnt safe to use on polished billet aluminum.

 

since i have polished aluminum rims on my camaro i need to know what i should and shouldn't be using on my rims.

 

would products like the

 

metal polish

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-68-adams-metal-polish.aspx

 

detail spray

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-45-adams-detail-spray.aspx

 

invisible undercarriage spray...

 

green wheel cleaner

 

vrt etc..

 

 

Thanks for helping me out

[Chris@Adams]

Are your wheels cleared?

 

Check this out!Green Wheel Cleaner

[Nordgrey]

Are your rims the stock Camaro rims?

 

If so, then they should be coated from the factory and all the products safe to use on them.

[Team Adam's]

Like the others the first question I'd need an answer to is are they ACTUAL polished aluminum (billet - aftermarket) or are they the factory GM "polished aluminum" which is actually a painted and clear coated finish (just like the rest of your car) made to resemble polished aluminum.

 

The fastest way to know - take a small drop of metal polish on a light colored towel. Rub into a spot of your wheel (when they're clean) if you get a lot of black transfer you have raw aluminum... if you don't get any black transfer you're dealing with something else.

 

EDIT: If you're wheels look like this they're clear coated.

 

[BrandonB56]

ok i understand now, yes my rims are the stock gm " polished aluminum " wheels. so i guess that means they are clear coated.

thanks alot guys.

 

if yall were wondering

Im about to order some more products for christmas.

 

recently i orderd all of the basic wash products

http://adamsforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=9638

 

and now im ordering all of the basic wax/shine, clay bar, hand polished products and tire products

 

heres what i got going so far

" wheel basics care kit"

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-413-adams-wheel-care-basics-kit.aspx

Blonde fender brush

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-411-adams-boulder-blonde-fender-brush.aspx

"premium shine kit"

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-566-premium-shine-kit.aspx

" hand polish combo"

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-472-adams-hand-polish-combo.aspx

 

and i also need clay bar... hhhm

 

Edit:

Clay bar !

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-36-adams-detailing-clay-bar.aspx

[Team Adam's]

Cool Brandon. Thanks for your business!

 

You'll pretty much just treat those wheels like you do the rest of the paint on your car. Polish and wax them... polish as needed and wax/seal as often as you can as it will break down quickly due to the heat and exposure on the wheels.

 

Keeping them protected will also make them much easier to clean. The factory camaro brakes are DUSTY!! The more you can do to make cleanup easy the better off you are.

[camaro2ssblack]

Cool Brandon. Thanks for your business!

 

You'll pretty much just treat those wheels like you do the rest of the paint on your car. Polish and wax them... polish as needed and wax/seal as often as you can as it will break down quickly due to the heat and exposure on the wheels.

 

Keeping them protected will also make them much easier to clean. The factory camaro brakes are DUSTY!! The more you can do to make cleanup easy the better off you are.

 

 

+1 everything he said...the brakes are rediculously dusty. I do the following to my camaro rims:

- wash with adams shampoo

- dry

- revive polish with blue hex pad

- machine superwax with yellow hex pad

- if I am really wanting that ultra pop, I will put on a coat of brilliant glaze with a yellow hex pad

 

Be sure to treat them just like the paint as far as dust removal and swirl prevention because they show scratches very easily..I learned the hard way because I was just wiping them down daily with a mf towel to remove the brake dust..bad idea, swirl city..hours of hand polishing later I got them back to 80% perfect which is fine for rims IMO

[BrandonB56]

+1 everything he said...the brakes are rediculously dusty. I do the following to my camaro rims:

- wash with adams shampoo

- dry

- revive polish with blue hex pad

- machine superwax with yellow hex pad

- if I am really wanting that ultra pop, I will put on a coat of brilliant glaze with a yellow hex pad

 

Be sure to treat them just like the paint as far as dust removal and swirl prevention because they show scratches very easily..I learned the hard way because I was just wiping them down daily with a mf towel to remove the brake dust..bad idea, swirl city..hours of hand polishing later I got them back to 80% perfect which is fine for rims IMO

 

thanks for this , i would have probably ended up with swirls .

 

aha im glad i was lazy and didn't wipe them down yet

 

if i need something extra , what would yall suggest using ? green wheel cleaner or all purpose ?

[camaro2ssblack]

thanks for this , i would have probably ended up with swirls .

 

aha im glad i was lazy and didn't wipe them down yet

 

if i need something extra , what would yall suggest using ? green wheel cleaner or all purpose ?

 

 

I havent used anything other than shampoo so far but I wash weekly. I would just use all purpose cleaner if necessary because you will have some around at all times for other uses. Green wheel cleaner is one of the few Adams products that I do not intend to use (at least on my Camaro), but I bet it works great

[Osok]

Power stick rocks when it comes to rims...just sayin.

[Doug123]

GWC is more gentle than APC - I wouldn't use APC on my paint, either, too strong, and with the advice above, the idea is to treat your coated wheels like the rest of your paint. When in doubt, go gentle, then work up from there. Start with Adams Car wash (mixed with water, what you use when washing the car - put some in a spray bottle and try it), and if that doesn't do it, then step up to GWC.

[mc2hill]

Start with Adams Car wash (mixed with water, what you use when washing the car - put some in a spray bottle and try it), and if that doesn't do it, then step up to GWC.

Like this?

Adam's Car Wash (premixed at 1 oz. to 2 gal) with a foaming sprayer: