How to Clean Oxidation on Chrome Rims

Vehicle manufacturers have started trimming down the gross weight of the cars they make and one area is the tire rims. Although chrome and aluminum rims are much lighter and more attractive that steel rimes, they are much more susceptible to oxidation buildup. Oxidation continues to build up on these light metal surfaces and can even begin to separate the bead of the tire from the rim, causing it to leak. Cleaning the rims is easy and should be done every time the tire is removed from the rim.

Difficulty: Moderate

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

• Safety glasses
• Angled pneumatic die grinder
• 2-inch course Scotch Brite Roloc surface conditioning discs
• Tire machine
• Small flathead screwdriver or pick

1. Break the tire down from the rim using the tire machine. When you're through, place the rim of the tire onto the turntable of the tire machine.

2. Put on the safety glasses and plug the die grinder into an air hose.

3. Screw on a course surface conditioning disc to the die grinder and press the handle to activate it. Sand the oxidation around the circumference of the inside bead of the chrome rim until it smooth. This may take a few discs depending on how bad the oxidation is and how many rims you have to clean.

4. Use the turntable of the tire machine to move the rim so that you don't have to keep picking it up and turning it while sanding the rim with the die grinder. Go all around the bottom bead of the rim, then flip the rim over and sand the bead on the other side of the rim. Oxidation creates bubbles in chrome that continue to form, so be sure the surface of the bead of the rim is smooth where the bead of the tire will seat against it.

5. Clean the area of the rim on both sides where the valve stem is located as well. If the valve stem seats into an inverted hole that the surface cannot be reached with the die grinder and disc, scrape it out with a flathead screwdriver or pick as good as you can. Clean each rim in this fashion until you're complete.

Tips & Warnings

• It is not recommended to use bead seal on the bead of the rims. Oxidation will continue to form even beneath bead seal and all you'd be doing is making it harder to clean the rims of oxidation in the future. In most cases, the reconditioning discs work very well, but if you happen to have some stubborn pockmarked or bubbled chrome caused by the oxidation, you can upgrade to a light to medium grade sanding disc for the die grinder.

Resources

• #M 2 Inch Course Scotch Brite Roloc Surface Conditioning Discs