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Old Jul 18, 2010 | 10:12 AM
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Default Chrome wheel cleaning

Can you use mother metal polish on gm chrome wheels? Also can you use the ball or the cone? These things are nasty and soap and water ain't working.
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Old Jul 18, 2010 | 01:55 PM
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i always used my hands, and used mothers chrome polish to clean them up real good, never had them get real bad when I had chrome rims. even with my ltz 20s, i still use the mothers polish, and it keeps them looking good as well
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Old Jul 18, 2010 | 02:05 PM
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well i will say it again, BAR KEEPERS FRIEND! it will clean them up like new. just make sure to put a good coat of wax when they are all dry. GL
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Old Jul 18, 2010 | 03:20 PM
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are they clear coated ? just clay wash and wax like your paint if they are.
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Old Jul 18, 2010 | 06:38 PM
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See that's just it I'm not sure if they are clear coated. I need to find that out.
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Old Jul 18, 2010 | 07:01 PM
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here is a easy way to tell, go outside and take some polishing compound and find a scratch, if you you can buff it out then its cleared. if not then there is no clear on them, because you cannot buff scratches out of straight chrome.
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Old Jul 18, 2010 | 07:15 PM
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I have always clay bar'd the difficult areas on mine. and then a good coat of wax to keep them great looking for a few months.
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Old Jul 18, 2010 | 07:35 PM
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Originally Posted by BLUES MAN
here is a easy way to tell, go outside and take some polishing compound and find a scratch, if you you can buff it out then its cleared. if not then there is no clear on them, because you cannot buff scratches out of straight chrome.
Adding to this, check the colour of the polishing compound after rubbing it on the metal; only a polishable surface will turn it black.
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Old Jul 19, 2010 | 06:47 AM
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so if they are cleared, a good clay bar/ cleaner wax should work wonders? if they are straight chrome then mothers polish and then wax. i waxed them when i first got them and it seems that the rag was black as i did it but its been a while. i'm going to try it out today.

has anybody used the ball or the cone thing? just to make short work of it.

while we are on the topic here. what do you guys use for your bumpers? and are the grills cleared? mine need done bad. not to mention the exhuast tip.
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Old Jul 19, 2010 | 07:23 AM
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Another possibility is they're polished, which just means it's bare metal polished to a chrome-like shine. Doubtful if they're wheels from GM, but a lot of aftermarket wheels are polished. The exhaust tip is almost certainly polished.

I use a chrome polish for the bumper, but any metal polish should work.

The stock grille is chrome painted plastic, so I wouldn't use anything aggressive with it.
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