87camaro87

I just put my IROC wheels on and they are filthy. I tried using degreaser and a power washer they were a little bit cleaner but i want them to look a new as possible any suggestions?

majobis

iTrader: (3)

Most likely, they've dulled. I have the same year and wash mine every year but they still look dull. I just brought them in to be refinished. The do it yourself posts here are awesome but I don't have time to drive my car, let alone the many hours it will take to make them look great. I think the members name is Cavazo? here.

This was my cars first time out of the garage early July this year and it hadn't been washed/waxed yet. Look at the 'regularly' cleaned wheels and their (lack of) shine.

87camaro87

Yeah I have the same style rims as you so I dont think they are meant to be polished to a mirror finish I think??? At least thats not what am wanting. I want the silver to look brighter along with the black lines.

86iroct5

you can try some mothers mag polish, it should bring them out decently and remove some oxidation

Joe Tag

iTrader: (4)

Probably will not work. Mag/aluminum polish is for uncoated metal.The clear coat dulls, yellows ,and oxidizes over time and that's why they are not shiny.
They were not "meant" to have a mirror shine, but they can with (many) hours of wet sanding then polishing.

86iroct5

agreeed butttttt they did polish my friends GTA crosslace lips pretty well (to my surprise) . it removes oxidation from the clear which is the first thing to deteriorate, if the clear hasnt pealed this should work fairly well.

obv like you stated wet sanding would be the best given the OP has the will and time to freshen up older rims.

cavazos31

iTrader: (4)

Metal polish is best used on bare metal. If the rag doesnt turn black when you polish the metal, your hitting a clearcoat. If the clearcoat is weathered, like most 20+ year old wheels, a rubbing/polishing compound for paint will give you the best results. A metal polish will dull the clearcoat on a polished paint. On a weathered surface, it might polish the clearcoat some, but something to address the clearcoat would work better. If its too far gone, the clear that is, it will yellow the wheel no matter what you do.

You can just strip them and re paint/re clear the wheels. With my first set of Z28 wheels, I did that and they looked great. I actually left them bare aluminum and hand polished them when i washed the car. My second set had curb marks that I needed removed, so I polished them. I've actually got a set of single line IROCs in the garage now. Not sure if I polish them or not.

majobis

iTrader: (3)

I was close with the name LOL! You were who I was referring to in post #2. Put the link here for the OP to see your legendary 'after' results.