Best way to clean t-type wheels on car?

[t-typinator]

I hate bumping old threads but I'm still having a hell of a time getting my rims clean. I've scrubbed them twice with a hard bristle toothbrush and eagle 1 mag wheel cleaner and they still look mediocre at best. I haven't even got to the point to polishing the spokes yet because the rest of it isn't satisfactory. I haven't even got serious on the backside yet and they are completely black. Any suggestions? I'm putting new tires on this week so I'm gonna be stuck with these for quite a while. I like the stock T wheels but when they don't look good they make the rest of the car look like crap.

Did you get the eagle 1 mag cleaner ,that says, " For Rough Cast Wheels" on the can, because there is at least a couple diff types.
It has to be the one for Rough Cast Aluminum. I tried everything on mine in the pics above + nothing worked at all,but look at the second set of pics of the wheels , after the eagle 1, they came out awesome.
Williambavila also sent me some of the acid he talks about above ,+ it worked good also,i had already cleaned the set above with the eagle 1 but i used the acid on another set + it worked great.
I just went out to the garage to see if i had any of the acid left that i could pass on ,because someone was nice enough to give it to me,but i must have used it all because i couldn't find it.I'll look again for it in the morning, but if i can't find it,make sure you have the right type of eagle 1.
If you can,post up some before + after pics.

 

[usetaboost]

The wheel cleaner I got is eagle 1 mag wheel cleaner. Didn't see anything that says for rough cast wheels. I'll try to dig some pics up later when I get home.

 

[Eazy-E]

Look up Sonax full effect wheel cleaner on YouTube and be amazed....It is a tad bit pricey but worth every penny

 

[Butchman]

Make sure your using "Eagle one etching MAG cleaner " When I used it I sprayed it and scrubbed and they were clean. I'm not sure if regu Mag cleaner is as strong.

 

[t-typinator]

Here is a pic of the one you want,blow up the pic some + you can see where it says on the front of the bottle,
"Effective cleaning for Rough Cast alloy wheels". this is the stuff that made the difference on the above pics,it works great.
http://www.eagleone.com/mag-wheel-cleaner

This ad from jegs shows all the diff types that eagle 1 sells,Get the one from above link + you should be all set. Good luck.
http://www.jegs.com/p/Eagle-One/Eagle-One-Wheel-Cleaners/2015611/10002/-1

 

[Butchman]

Hmm did some searching around looks like they discontinued the Etching Mag Cleaner. However it looks like all you can get is what you got. I'm guessing its not as strong as the old. Good luck with your quest.

 

[t-typinator]

Hmm did some searching around looks like they discontinued the Etching Mag Cleaner. However it looks like all you can get is what you got. I'm guessing its not as strong as the old. Good luck with your quest.

I just called jegs ,he didn't say if it was discontinued or not but he said they have 13 bottles on hand.
Auto zone near me still has some also.

 

[usetaboost]

I'll hit up a few stores next time I'm out. The mag cleaner worked wonders compared to what they looked like. If I can't find anything stronger I'll just keep some of the mag cleaner on hand and spray the wheels down every time I wash the car. I really would like to stay away from acid since the finish isn't THAT bad on them yet. Like I said they're not embarrassing, just not up to par. There is some corrosion from wheel weights and stuff. I've repaired scratched polished aluminum wheels but never done anything like these. Anyone got any tips?

 

[Butchman]

Here is what I used. I bought a couple bottles a few years ago.

 

[aminga]

I have a acid that I got a place that sells supplies to truckers and it works fantastic. I have had wheels as black as the tires they are on them . I put some of this acid in a hand spray bottle that I bought from Walmart and I spray the acid on straight no diluting and I use a old tooth brush and they look fantastic when done. I usually pull the wheels from the car and I always push the center caps off from the back side with a hammer handle since the plastic tabs are now pretty fragile and break easily if not pushed straight off

I did that and it yellowed the Wheel.

 

[turbo39151]

The Eagle Brand Chrome cleaner IIRC has the most acid.... Read the labels to find out.. It's some really strong stuff.

Probably easier to just find a soda blaster... My local guy charges something like $20-25 for the front part of the rim and double if you want the back... But, then it's really clean! And you can paint or powdercoat afterward...

 

[usetaboost]

Not really big on spending a lot of money on these wheels. If it's gonna come to that I'll just buy some nice low mile wheels. I'll just keep working at them guys, thanks.

 

[usetaboost]

THis one is the best looking one. THis pic was taken last fall. Would it help to use some wheel polish on the machined edges?

 

[Butchman]

That looks like its cleaning up pretty good. Definately use some metal polish on the edges.

 

[usetaboost]

what grit should I use to take the corrosion down with? I was thinking 600

 

[aminga]

Can you get your hands on some 320 Greasless compound?

 

[Butchman]

600 should work Mine were bad so I had to start with 320 then 600 finished with1200. polish after tha.