How To Clean These Darn Wheels!

[1991LS400]

Here's a side view of my 91 LS 400:

I have just purchased and installed new center caps for my wheels and if you look closely you can see the difference in the color of my stock rims in comparison to the new center caps.

What can I possibly do to get my factory "sawblade" rims looking less dirty and darker then my center caps? I'm going to be getting new rims soon but I still don't want to be rolling around with unmatching factory rims and center caps. And for the record, I have tried all sorts of degreasers on these factory rims and nothing works.

[TOGWT]

1.Road dirt / Tar should be removed with a solvent type cleaner (and #0000 synthetic steel wool if necessary) and any bonded contaminants or over spray removed with Detailer's Clay, then clean surface with a chemical cleaner / polish (Klasse All-In-One) wash and dry wheel surface thoroughly.

2.Once the brake dust has been removed with a 100% acid-free wheel cleaner (P21S Wheel Cleaner) apply a citrus based cleaner (P21S Total Auto Wash) to the surface, agitate with a boar’s hair wheel brush and rinse off, dry thoroughly and then apply a polymer sealant for protection, this will also make future cleaning easier. A polymer is recommended (Klasse All-In-One or Zoopseal) as it has a higher melting temperature (350oF) compared to Carnauba wax (180oF) a wheel surface will reach a temperature in excess of 120oF due to rotor friction and in excess of 195oF when parked in the sun.

3.Stubborn brake dust- Power Wheel Cleaner, even though it does not contain harsh acids, it dissolves the adhesive that is mixed with the brake dust. (This is why brake dust is so difficult to remove.) Just spray on wheels and tires, agitate with brush if needed, and hose-off. Don't worry if you accidentally spray your vehicle's body, it will not harm the paint. http://www.topoftheline.com/

4.Periodically remove the wheels (one at a time) to enable the back of the wheel, callipers and give better access to the wheel wells. Should the wheel surface have small scratches they can he removed with a mildly abrasive polish.

Caution- avoid metal polishing products that contain anhydrous ammonia, solvents or acids, zinc, which is often present in aluminium in large quantities, can be dissolved very easily by ammonia, the related anhydrous chemicals and acids.

JonM

JonM