Fuchs Wheel Help - Oops, I screwed up.

[bryankloos]

Hey All,

I was just cleaning the 83 and hit the tires/wheels (black center, clear lip) with some Maguiares wheel/tire cleaner.
I wiped off the rims and they are now all marked up. Seems I didn't read the directions which states to not apply to unfinished aluminum.

What are my options at this point?

Very frustrated with myself.

UGH

[john walker's workshop]

Try a vaseline rub.

[Paulporsche]

As John said. Your wheels from the factory were clear anodized, not unfinished. What they were during your cleaning you have to tell us.

[Arne2]

The Vasoline rub John notes may help, depending on whether your wheels are still the original anodized finish, or if the anodizing has been stripped off and polished.

The polished finish will have been very shiny, possibly mirror-like. The anodized finish as done originally by the factory has a soft, satin look.

If your wheels were polished, simply re-polishing them should work, and probably won't take too much effort. Probably easy to do by hand.

If they are still anodized, the Vasoline rub may help some. But if the cleaner was not pH-neutral (either acidic or caustic), the anodizing may have been stained or damaged. If so, the wheels will need to be stripped and re-anodized to bring back the original finish. There are several shops around the country that can re-finish the anodized wheels, but you should expect to pay around $300 per wheel for the service.

[Arne2]

Found some pictures you posted of your car in another thread. Not 100% certain from the pictures, but the wheels looked anodized to me.

[bryankloos]

Hey Guys,

I'm guessing the wheels were anodized, as they are nowhere near mirror, but more satin. I'll go through the records and see how they were redone when the previous owner had them shipped out to CA for refinishing.

The vaseline rub did help a lot, thanks for the suggestions. I still have some spots on the outer rim where the rim meets up with the rubber, though the inner rim looks pretty good. Maybe a bit more vaseline on the outer lip will help.

Should have read the bottle, as I think the cleaner is caustic. Live and learn.

I'll take a few picks and report back later today... Yard work is calling me now.

[manbridge 74]

Use a heat gun or even a blow dryer on the rim to help Vaseline penetrate easier. Seems I once used a combination of WD40 and Vaseline as well

[bryankloos]

Vaseline did the trick. I'm hard pressed to see any of the dots left by the cleaner.

Going forward, what is the preferred method for cleaning fuchs?

Thanks!

Bryan

[Arne2]

Mild soap and water, or a dedicated, pH neutral wheel cleaner. I've been using Griot's wheel cleaner on my Fuchs for years.

One final note. Even with proper cleaners, NEVER clean wheels when hot, or even warm. Let them cool first.

[Locker537]

Adam's wheel cleaner works quite well in my experience. It is ph neutral. They do warn to be careful on aluminum wheels, which I suspect is more to cover their liability than anything else.

If the wheels aren't very dirty, regular car soap and water is sufficient.

[timmy2]

And treat them with Vaseline after cleaning.
I believe it’s even in the owner’s manual to do so.

[Mike Andrew]

And avoid Simple Green. Learned the hard way.

[garment]

I messed up my wheels and used “NEVR-DULL” plus elbow grease with good results.

[walt]

Mothers Aluminum wheel cleaner works great.

[markmalin]

Originally Posted by walt

Mothers Aluminum wheel cleaner works great.

I used this as well - you have to read the label. Several of the Mothers and McGuires products state that they should not be used on anodized aluminum, but others say they are safe for all wheels. I used the "safe for all wheels" McGuires and it worked really nicely. Cleaned up the brake calipers, etc., as well.

[NickP]

I have some staining on my anodized wheels that I treat with Gibbs Penetrating Oil which lasts well between washings. Also great on magnesium parts.