Need help cleaning Chrome Lip

[dna59]

Well I;'ve noticed my rims have become very stained and discolored. I've been using Meguiar's Chrome Cleaner and this does nothing. The stain are still there, to me it seems like its some kind of liquid staining it due to the run marks. Couldn't it be the chrome cleaner staining and discoloring the lip? I wash the rims really good after applying the cleaner and dry it well, but all the crevices I guess still have liquid in them. Is there ne way I can bring back the chrome to its original look?

[DietoRemain]

Which meguiars chrome product are you using? And no it wouldnt do that unless it wasnt chrome as you thought. Also pics would be helpful. Have you tried cleaning it well and then using some good metal polish!?

[dna59]

I'll post up pics in the morning

[Pb]

Yeah, post some pics. Are you sure it's chrome? Chrome is a very hard surface and stains don't usually soak in.

Could it be clearcoated?

[dna59]

Here is a pic of what I'm talking about.

[Pb]

Hmm. That lip almost looks like aluminum. Try some aluminum polish on a Mothers PowerBall Mini.

[ToyotaJimD.]

R-1 does make a wheel with a chrome lip. I'd verify with the manufacturer or your wheel dealer before using aluminum polish (which should quickly turn black when rubbed on bare aluminum, but won't on chrome).

If it was the Meguiar's Hot Rims Chrome & Wire Wheel Cleaner (product #G14024) that you used on the rims -- you don't want to use that -- it'll destroy the finish on the center. Instead, you should use a wheel cleaner safe for both coated finishes as well as chrome. What's probably happening is the coating on the center is breaking down and staining the chrome.

If that's not the case, What's the history of the wheels? Specifically, what kind of polishes or cleaners have been used before it started looking this way?

Assuming the lip is chrome, try some Mothers Chrome Polish or a similar chrome-specific polish.

[dna59]

Well I don't use the chrome cleaner on the whole wheel,only on the lip. This is the only cleaner I have used on these rims. I've tried regular wheel cleaner too, but still doesn't help.

[ToyotaJimD.]

dna59,

I'd be interested to see a close-up of the stain... I'd be willing to bet you've got some chrome finish damage, which is likely irreparable.

Try some chrome polish. While some mag polish may also help, be careful not to wear the plating.


With any spray-on, hose-off wheel cleaner, I recommend a thorough rinsing followed by a sudsy wash, another rinse, and a thorough dry.

[dna59]

^^that's what i do when I clean my rims. I'll try some polish, but from what I've seen I doubt it will work.

[ToyotaJimD.]

Strange things can happen. It just takes one little bit of concentrated wheel cleaner to drip down from a crack somewhere and sit on a surface and cause a stain over time.

Regardless of how careful you are, in the future, I'd strongly caution you against using a chrome-specific wheel cleaner on a wheel with multiple finishes.

[Pb]

Yeah, Chrome polish is real abrasive. It would be bad if you used chrome polish on an aluminum or painted wheel.

[dna59]

I use the chrome cleaner only on the lip, nothing else.

[costadragon220]

What about some Nevr-Dull?