How to Polish Aluminum Truck Rims
The pieces de resistance on a clean shiny truck are cleaned and sparkling aluminum truck rims. Whether driving down the highway reflecting the rays of the sun or momentarily stopped at a red light, shiny truck rims are a sight to behold. The trick to achieving shiny aluminum truck rims is to clean and polish them correctly.
- Difficulty:
- Moderate
Instructions
Things You'll Need
- Micro fiber towel
- Aluminum rim cleaner
- De-greaser
- Electric drill and polishing attachment (optional)
- Several soft cloths
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1
Pull the rims off of the truck. If you truly want to have cleaned and polished rims, take the time to do it correctly. Be sure to remove the valve stem covers and center caps. Removing all of the excess pieces prevents the polish from collecting in small hard to access areas.
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2
Carefully wash the rims. Before you can polish your truck rims, you have to make sure that the rims are clean and free of dirt, brake dust and road debris. Take care when washing the rims because you don’t want to scrub too hard to cause hard dirt particles to scratch the rims.
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3
Thoroughly dry the rims with the micro-fiber cloth.
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4
Use a grease and wax remover to remove the hard to clean grease that has remained after the normal washing. Using a soft cloth, apply the grease and wax remover to the stubborn grease, tar and dirty areas. Be sure to read the manufacturer's instructions on how to properly use the grease remover prior to application. Be sure to get to the difficult to reach areas such as the lug nuts, cap holes and recesses.
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5
Wash the aluminum rims again. Now that all of the grease, tar and hard to remove dirt is removed, re-wash and thoroughly dry you rims.
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6
Apply a thin layer of the aluminum rim polish using a soft cloth.
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7
Polish your rims. You can use either hand power or a polishing attachment to your electric drill. Whichever method you choose, make sure to use moderate pressure and apply it evenly. You want to make sure that you have an even shine.
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1
Tips & Warnings
Wipe off any excess aluminum polish with a 100 percent cotton cloth. Any excess polish left on the aluminum rim will turn black and detract from your newly polished truck rims.
