Cleaning Polished aluminum Rims

[rollbonez]

Hey guys!

So I finally got my 18x8 American Eagle Alloy 077s put on with sweet Yokohama AVS ES100s in 235/40-18! I'll have pics later this weekend.

http://www.aewheel.com/wheels_detail.cfm?id=57

http://www.pfyc.com/store/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=PFYC&Product_Code=GN9001&Product_Count=9&Category_Code=GAWHEELS

I noticed something odd about them. Only outside of the rim is finished. The inside of the rim is still a rough metal surface. Is this common with polished aluminum rims?

I was wondering how to clean the rims to bring out the shine as well. After Discount Tire Co. bolted them on, there were a ton of fingerprints and marks that looked distinctly like swirl marks. I tried to clean one rim with Eagle One Nevr Dull wadding polish. It brought out the mirror finish, but I could still see swirl marks on the spokes upon close inspection. They're not noticeable from a few feet away, but when you're standing next to the car, the swirl marks are noticebale because there's a difference in the luster.

Is this something that is natural with polished aluminum rims? I drove 20k miles on the chrometech torqued pattern stock rims and everytime I polished them I never noticed swirl marks.

Should I consider taking them back to Discount Tire Co. to get new ones?


tom

[smitz123]

Yes the backs and the parts that aren't seen on the rims are normally not polished to save you and the company making them money, this is done commonly on low end rims. Also the polish you are using is fine some swril marks may be there for good, but remeber the car owner (you) will always notice things wronge that everyone else will never see! :D

[Dallas_95GT]

That's probably just how they are... I have some 16" AR-157 polished rims on my '95. They've been on for about 2 years, and they've been through some harsh weather and dirt roads. I find that Mother's Aluminum polish works good, and another thing is Eagle One makes a spray, I think it's called A-Z? The stuff works great, and the best thing is spray on and spray off!

If you keep a good coat of wax on polished wheels, that'll help brake dust and grime come off a lot easier in the future.