Bluewater49,
Well Sir, yep you've been given good answers. As anyone who's done it, they all know there's no "elixir" for magically polishing wheels, or, any aluminum without a ton of "LABOR"!! If you can use any of the commercial "balls" of foam, wool, tied up felt, anything, it will make the job considerably easier but, it's still labor. I've been polishing aluminum since Jesus was a corporal.
It all primarily depends on what kind of condition the wheels are in, when you start the process. If you are fortunate enough that the previous owner kept them up and, protected them, you might have an easy road ahead of you. But, if they've been neglected, and are quite dull and even have a wee-bit of corrosion on them, you've got a long, hard road ahead.
And, as has been stated, it's possible you may have a "coating" on them. That's easy to tell. One simple way is to try a tiny spot with the metal polish and see if it turns black instantly. If not, than, it's quite possible you have a coating on them. And, I respect every ones opinion on here but, those coatings are considerably strong applications. It's quite hard to "ruin" them with just a test to see if one exists. It's usually made of a real strong "Urethane" that's very resistant to not only the elements but, also scaring.
In any case, without a doubt, removing the wheel from the coach is by far, the best way of doing a bang-up job on those things. By doing it that way, you get at all the angles and, around the lug nuts. But, not many guys are willing to go to that extent. It's work and, dedication. But, it all depends on what kind of result you want to accomplish. A "Mirror" finish requires, much of the time, around at least a two-step process. By that I mean, sometimes it requires a primary polish to get them ready for the final stuff. Sometimes, just a brush-up is all that's needed. Again, what kind of condition where they in when you first start?
I've used "Semi-Chrome", Mothers, Never-Dull, Zeypher-40 (normally sold at Costco on line only) and a few others. I've got a myriad of aluminum polishes I keep around. Mothers is a good finishing product. One thing though, make sure you use a good, soft cloth for both the application and the removal/buffing stage. It makes a huge difference.
Scott
Well Sir, yep you've been given good answers. As anyone who's done it, they all know there's no "elixir" for magically polishing wheels, or, any aluminum without a ton of "LABOR"!! If you can use any of the commercial "balls" of foam, wool, tied up felt, anything, it will make the job considerably easier but, it's still labor. I've been polishing aluminum since Jesus was a corporal.
It all primarily depends on what kind of condition the wheels are in, when you start the process. If you are fortunate enough that the previous owner kept them up and, protected them, you might have an easy road ahead of you. But, if they've been neglected, and are quite dull and even have a wee-bit of corrosion on them, you've got a long, hard road ahead.
And, as has been stated, it's possible you may have a "coating" on them. That's easy to tell. One simple way is to try a tiny spot with the metal polish and see if it turns black instantly. If not, than, it's quite possible you have a coating on them. And, I respect every ones opinion on here but, those coatings are considerably strong applications. It's quite hard to "ruin" them with just a test to see if one exists. It's usually made of a real strong "Urethane" that's very resistant to not only the elements but, also scaring.
In any case, without a doubt, removing the wheel from the coach is by far, the best way of doing a bang-up job on those things. By doing it that way, you get at all the angles and, around the lug nuts. But, not many guys are willing to go to that extent. It's work and, dedication. But, it all depends on what kind of result you want to accomplish. A "Mirror" finish requires, much of the time, around at least a two-step process. By that I mean, sometimes it requires a primary polish to get them ready for the final stuff. Sometimes, just a brush-up is all that's needed. Again, what kind of condition where they in when you first start?
I've used "Semi-Chrome", Mothers, Never-Dull, Zeypher-40 (normally sold at Costco on line only) and a few others. I've got a myriad of aluminum polishes I keep around. Mothers is a good finishing product. One thing though, make sure you use a good, soft cloth for both the application and the removal/buffing stage. It makes a huge difference.
Scott
I've used both Mothers and Flitz and the Mother's polishing ball and the Flitz polishing ball. I like the Flitz products better. Initially, I polished and polished and they never looked that good. Finally....I realized what I was doing wrong. I was using waaaaay to much polish. Once I got it figured out, I found that I used about a thimble full of polish per wheel.
You just want to put on a small amount and buff until the wheel starts to shine. If you end up with a lot of black residue, you're using too much polish.
Once I got the wheels into good shape, it would only take 20-30 minutes per wheel. Once I was done, I kept them covered when not in use. Covering them extends the life of the polishing by 10 fold.
They make a tool with a rubber tip that easily removes the lug nut caps (Camping World), making it easier to clean/polish around the lug nuts.
You just want to put on a small amount and buff until the wheel starts to shine. If you end up with a lot of black residue, you're using too much polish.
Once I got the wheels into good shape, it would only take 20-30 minutes per wheel. Once I was done, I kept them covered when not in use. Covering them extends the life of the polishing by 10 fold.
They make a tool with a rubber tip that easily removes the lug nut caps (Camping World), making it easier to clean/polish around the lug nuts.
