Ceramic Coating on Raw Aluminum Wheels

[85.5Pinin]

Has anyone used the ceramic wheel coating on raw aluminum wheels?  I have a set that must be constantly polished in order to remain clean and shiney.  I am hoping that the ceramic coating will help reduce the maintenance and not stain the aluminum.  There is no coating on the wheels and I would like to keep the high polish look.

[Dan@Adams]

Hi Jeffrey! Our Ceramic Wheel Coating works great on raw aluminum wheels. Adam coated the aftermarket wheels on his Porsche (that you may have seen in the background of a few of our videos) several months ago prior to the release of the coating and they're still holding up quite well. 

 

You would have to make sure to polish them as well as possible first, and then follow the instructions included with the Wheel Coating Kit

[galaxy]

Jeffrey...you must have have been reading my mind. I have a bare set that I absolutely love, but they are a pain in my *** to keep looking good. Ordered my coating today and gonna jump all over it. If I get mine done first, I'll let ya know how it goes.

Edited March 2, 2017 by galaxy

[DREWBUSH]

Sort of on the same topic, how would you prep raw aluminum for coating? I have an old bare aluminum bicycle that I hate to keep polishing every month. Would love to just coat it and forget about it. 

[85.5Pinin]

I currently use Liquid Paint Sealant on them which definitely helps but it would be really great to have something that lasts longer without looking like a clear coat finish.  Metal Polish 1 & 2 is what I use to clean them after washing them with Car Shampoo and water.  This process works pretty well and avoids the more harsh chemicals.  I get about a month or two with the Paint Sealant so if Adam has several months on his that is a significant improvement.

[BRZN]

I've ceramic coated the wheel barrels and back of the spokes, but not the faces. I've never been able to be 100% satisfied with the wheels outward appearance and don't want to hinder myself from polishing them. I wipe the wheels down after every drive with a very liberal amount of Waterless Wash using an individual Waterless Wash specific towel on each wheel. The brake dust does come off the ceramic coated portion of the wheels much easier than the faces and no new marring is seen from their wipe downs in the barrels.

 

How to prep for coating them? Polish to your satisfaction and then follow the instructions as for any other wheel type.

[pirahnah3]

Dave has some awesome write ups on here about those rims and how to polish and care for them. 

 

BTW Dave, your not driving that car enough. 

[85.5Pinin]

Those wheels look really great.  If I have success on the wheels, I am going to try it on all the blillet, chrome and stainless trim pieces too.

[Geebee]

I hate to say it but Adam's #1 didn't even touch all the blemishes and scratches on these puppies. The #2 Polish was taking way too long. They were really bad. Had to go to another vendor and use they're Heavy Polish. Now I can add the Ceramic Coating.

Edited March 3, 2017 by Geebee

[BRZN]

Gary, what you've got in those pictures sure appears to be chrome, not raw aluminum. Chrome is a very hard and durable coating over another material, in your case, could be over steel, or plastic wheel covers. Adam's Metal Polishes will dramatically help improve the appearance of chrome by removing oxidation, rust spots, and other contaminants, bringing up an awesome shine. It won't however, do much to remove anything but the slightest of marring on the chrome itself. For that, as you've found, you'd need a more aggressive metal polish and polishing media.

 

Adam's Metal Polishes, used on softer metals like raw aluminum will cut, and correct, leaving a near flawless surface as well as add the required shine to the metal.

Edited March 7, 2017 by BRZN

[hemi1300]

I hate to say it but Adam's #1 didn't even touch all the blemishes and scratches on these puppies. The #2 Polish was taking way too long. They were really bad. Had to go to another vendor and use they're Heavy Polish. Now I can add the Ceramic Coating.

These look like wheels on a dodge ram, same as the one's on my 14 laramie. If so, they are not real chrome, just a chRome plastic cover over a steel wheel