Cleaning Cast Aluminum Wheels

[Matthew D.]

Cleaned my cast aluminum wheels the other day. Having a hard time getting some black squiggly looking stains out of the crevices (see pic). Not sure if its brake dust or what. I used some Meguires aluminum wheel cleaner and a stiff nylon brush with no luck. Wheels are bare aluminum with no paint or finish on them. Any suggestions on cleaners/tools/technique for these wheels? I'm a little hesitant to use something harsh on this metal.

Thanks in advance

Matt

[Henry J.]

Re: Cleaning Cast Aluminum Wheels

I have had remarkable success by running wheels (one at a time) through a cycle in the dishwasher.

[Bill W.]

Re: Cleaning Cast Aluminum Wheels

Try Mothers aluminum polish .

[Anthony S.]

Re: Cleaning Cast Aluminum Wheels

Try Adam's Polishes two step metal polish. I use it on my 30 year old unfinished aluminum wheels on my Porsche and the results are amazing..

http://www.adamspolishes.com/p-602-adams-metal-polish-1-2-combo.aspx

[John D.]

Re: Cleaning Cast Aluminum Wheels

Matthew, Be careful as typical aluminum wheel cleaner is too strong. Can easily burn the aluminum causing it to turn gray.
Sometimes at the shows you see fuel injection units that are gray looking. Too strong of chemicals.

Go to NAPA and buy a small container of Twin Etch. Basically it's strong phospheric acid. Water it down big time. Mix in some Palmolive or Dawn liquid detergent.
Spray it on and then use a nice sponge or 0000 steel wool or fine scotch brite dipped in the solution. Scrubbing several times is better than doing it once with a strong solution. Have your hose ready to wash it off quickly. Warm to hot water works better than cold water. I used to clean aluminum castings that way years ago. Does a nice job but won't hold up long.
Negative is that Twin Etch is very expensive. But a little bit goes a long way. Can't tell you a formula as never measured. I will take a stab and say that 1 oz of twin etch to a gallon of water. One ounce may be too strong. But don't hold me to that. John