Messed up Rims - Need help...

[Icemaster]

Backstory:

I decide to help out the neighbor kid who's trying to collect money for a school trip by letting him detail my car. He's a bit of a motorhead himself and washes his own toy every week so I figure I'm safe. The kid does a fantastic job, show up with toothbrushes his own buckets sponges and sundries. Unfortunately, he also shows up with a gallon bottle of ArmorAll Wheel Cleaner which I happen to see him douse my wheels with as I glance out the window.

Where before I had consistent color, I now have this on the rims:





What now? Anyone else faced this problem? What can I do besides send them to Al Reed for polishing?

HELP!!!!


And yes, I paid the kid, although not as much as promised. He did an excellant job otherwise and he promised to come back and do whatever he could to make things right.

[Shuie]

I did the same thing to the anodizing on a set of wheels with Armor All QuickSilver a few years ago. Never again. I wound up polishing them out. Good luck.

[89911]

Take his field trip money and force him to buy you new ones! If they are original anodized, the vaseline trick might work. If they are polished, they just need repolished with Mothers, Wenol, or some other bare-metal polish. The Armourall cleaner most likely has an acid in it that is a no no for bare metal.

[Tim Polzin]

Here is a page out of the manual. Note the instructions about the petroleum jelly. Amazing what it will do.



Tim

[Zeke]

Wheel cleaner is nasty stuff. It used to have phosphoric acid in it. What has happened is the anodize has been lightly etched. I would try the petroleum jelly. If that doesn't satisfy you, try some toothpaste. If the cleaner got well into the anodizing, game over.

Hello Al.

[Icemaster]

Thanks guys.

Yes, the cleaner is loaded with oxcalic acid - nasty stuff. I'll give the vaseline a go and see what happens.

Thanks again

[Icemaster]

Get this:

This evening the kid comes over and rings the bell, hands me a 6 pack of Guiness and all the money I paid him yesterday saying that his dad said he should return the money 'cause he messed up my wheels so bad.

I took him down to the garage and showed him the ones I've gone over with vaseline. He smiles, says "cool". I hand him one of the beers and tell him to keep the money.

I think I need to hire this kid.

Edit: He's 18, graduates in a couple days. Go ahead and flame away about the beer.

[Sonic dB]

Armour All is the worst garbage ever created. Just try putting it anywhere near your car and you will have issues.

[Rot 911]

The vaseline method worked for me! Uh, no not what you are thinking. On the wheels you sick individual.

[Icemaster]

I've heard you can use Armor All products not only to shine your dash and tires but works better than Agent Orange to denude virgin tropical rainforests.

What crap.

[Scooter]

Originally posted by Icemaster
I took him down to the garage and showed him the ones I've gone over with vaseline. He smiles, says "cool". I hand him one of the beers and tell him to keep the money.... Edit: He's 18, graduates in a couple days. Go ahead and flame away about the beer.

What, the dad doesn't get a beer?

[doozer]

When they are fixed Zoop them and forget about it

http://zoops.com/home.asp