Protecting polished aluminum wheels?

[my72vette454]

Whats something good to put on newly polished aluminum wheels to keep them shiny?

[MonzaRacer]

big bubble chamber, climate controlled with massive UV barriers?

[TonyBolton]

I had good luck with powder coating them clear. I was insanely fed up with killing my my fingers/hands on some AR TT II's and swore i'd never buy another polished wheel again. Fast forward a year and I found an insane deal on a set of polished wheels.

Determined to never "polish" again, I figured I could have an automotive shop clear coat them. After talking with them, they said powder coating would be a more durable option. Glad I did. Soap and water and they were brand new again.

They don't have that "chrome" look which is what I wanted. It looks more of a raw aluminum look which doesn't over take the look from the actual car.

Pic's after PC'ing:

[JayR]

Like Tony pointed out, powdercoat or a more expensive ceramic clear which is more translucent are the only real way to make your polished aluminum wheels maintenance free but a good coat of wax applied regularly the same way you would to a paint job will help along with keeping them clean and dry and not driving in the rain.

If you're really anal about washing and detailing, use a separate bucket and micro-fiber mitt for the wheels when washing the car and launder or thoroughly rinse the mitt after every washing to keep it from getting contaminated with crap that will break down your polish job. My favorite place for the OCD car detailer is www.griotsgarage.com They have all kind of brilliant products for making every part of your car sparkle.

Another option is ZoopSeal which I've never tried but have heard it works if you follow the somewhat tedious directions.

A company called Master Gloss that usually has a carnival barker type salesman at a lot of shows has a 2-stage product that polishes and then the second product is said to seal the polish but at the end of the day, it's aluminum so unless you seal them, you're going to polish them again eventually and a handful of products and care regimes can extend that time period.

[TonyBolton]

The problem I had with the wheels was the 4 or 5" lip. When it would rain or i'd get caught in the rain, i'd have these little white triangles all around the lip from where i'd park it and the water/debris would sit there.

It was really frustrating having such a nice wheel but having to care for them more than the whole care.