cleaning pitted aluminum rims

[tobaccogrower]

just put my summer tires on for my vacation down in florida. i noticed they are getting pitted up even though they have never seen salt!



what is the best way to remove the pitting without scratching up the coating? i tried using mothers billitt metal cleaner and it didnt touch it. what do you guys recommend?

 

[Beach]

If they're not clear coated it's going to take alot of work! On my old wheel's, I used an SOS pad, with the soap in it and scrubbed until they were smooth! That dulled them but removed the pit's. Then I used a good aluminum polish with a very light abrasive in it and spent about an hour on each wheel. Turned out pretty good. Obviously, not as good as new, but better than being pitted. You could also have them cut and polished. I had a guy who does big truck wheel's do my new wheel's this time after I ran them all winter in salt. Not a good idea! Good luck!

 

[Adventure Bob]

Most metal "polish" is meant for pretty rims and is usually not very abrasive. I use a polish wheel and the actaul bar polish you can get at hardware stores. Start with black. Look HereAluminum Wheel Polishing

Basically it's a lot of elbow grease and buffing compounds.