Need your help - What's the best polish for wheels?

[fogghornn]

Guys, I need your help.


The STA got the through the wicked winter quite well. The Paint was in fantastic shape.
I used Mother's California Clay Bar treatment to get rid of the grunge, and waxed it with Meguiar's NXT.

Miraculously, the 20" OEM wheels had no salt damage, however they did develop a gold tinge in places.
Is this caused by the residue from the disc brake pads?

What's the best polish to use on my STA's OEM polished aluminum wheels?
What's the best method to get my wheels back to "like new"?
Have you used Mother's Mini-PowerBall?
Does it do a decent job?

 

[UIN2IT]

I would suggest teh Mothers power Ball......along with the metal polish. That is what I use on my wheels and intake.

 

[fogghornn]

I would suggest the Mothers power Ball......along with the metal polish. That is what I use on my wheels and intake.

Thanks.

Guess I'll have to head for the local Canadian Tire Store and find a Mother's Mini-PowerBall. Not sure what get for polish though. I suspect the STA's wheels may have a clear coating on them... not sure... didn't want to use a product that would remove it. Do you know if these wheels are clear-coated or not?

 

[0uTkAsT]

They are clear coated. The Power-Ball will not remove hardened, thick, or crusty buildup... It merely polishes and lifts minor debris from the surface.

 

[Flounder]

Because they're clearcoated, consider removing them and using a claybar on them as you would the body. Alternatively (or in addition), hit it with a DAP as you would a body panel. Then, apply a healthy amount of sealant. Sealant acts as a decent protector against baked-on brake dust.

 

[fogghornn]

They are clear coated. The Power-Ball will not remove hardened, thick, or crusty buildup... It merely polishes and lifts minor debris from the surface.

Luckily, there's no big amount of grunge, just a little gold discolouration in a couple spots. Maybe I'll just try the claybar treatment first, then followup with some Mother's carnuaba wax.

 

[0uTkAsT]

That's your best bet. I have many, many cars, and I've found the Power-Ball to be all but useless on many finishes. It does well polishing some of my raw aluminum wheels (when used on clean wheels with a good polish), lightly polished wheels, and my girlfriend's chrome wheels & trim, but it does virtually nothing to coated, painted, or highly polished surfaces. I get the best results on my show cars with a microfiber towel, polish and cleaner matched to the surface in question, and some good ol' elbow grease.