Wheel Cleaner suggestions??

smlranger · 05-03-2005, 04:19 PM

I've used Mother's alum. polish on my wheels but I'm not entirely satisfied with the results. Maybe that's the best they will be but does anyone have experience with the 'Super Shine' kit I see advertised in the back of FMCA magazine? Looks like a pre-cleaner and a polish.

smlranger · 05-03-2005, 04:19 PM

I've used Mother's alum. polish on my wheels but I'm not entirely satisfied with the results. Maybe that's the best they will be but does anyone have experience with the 'Super Shine' kit I see advertised in the back of FMCA magazine? Looks like a pre-cleaner and a polish.

The Shadow · 05-03-2005, 06:02 PM

We bought "Bartenders Friend" to try and clean our stainless steel microwave (sure isn't stainless). It helpled a bit but my wife has suggested I use it on the wheels. So, that will be a job for this Sunday.

I'll let you know how it performs.

Roadking · 05-03-2005, 06:05 PM

I was at a car show/auto swap meet about 18 months ago and a vendor was selling Wenol metal polish. It is a two part cleaner/polish. A friend that was with me swore by it and bought a tube of each. I think it was $15.00 total.
I don't trust these types of vendors, so after much persuassion from my friend reluctantly I dropped my $15.00.

I did't believe it would be anything special, so after getting back to the rig I immediately tried the stuff and was amazed by the results. One benefit is it takes half the elbow grease and polishing of Mothers. You wipe it on and buff it off. No real scrubbing. I spend about 15 minutes per wheel. The second part is it holds the shine for several months. With mothers I was cleaning the wheels every month. In the past year I have cleaned my wheels twice and have put about 5,000 miles on in between each cleaning in all kinds of weather. It was the best $15.00 I've spent.

Search for "wenol" metal polish on the web to find more info.

BattChief · 05-04-2005, 07:24 AM

I have the Busch Poliser kit, and use it with a drill. Works miracles! Wheels look at least as good as new, possibly better! Had some scratches on the wheels from when the changed the tires. Took some 1500 grit sandpaper with a D/A sander and sanded the wheels, then polished them with the kit. Wheels look wonderful. I don't have the acid wash product, but will get it next time I order. It will remove stains from the wheels, and leave the entire wheel dull, but after the results from sanding a polishing, I don't think the acid wash will be any problem to polish out.

smlranger · 05-04-2005, 08:23 AM

Roadking....the red or the blue Wenol?? Since it's pretty low cost, I'll try that first.

Joe-K · 05-04-2005, 08:24 AM

I think in the first year of ownership of our MH I tried just about every polish on the market. I've still got a cupboard full of bottles I tried once and put away.

After trying so many items, I finally bought some "Magic Mix" cleaner and polish at a FlyingJ store. The stuff comes in two bottles. One is a very mild acid solution you apply to the wheel and then hose or wipe off. The next material is a polish. Between the two steps, polishing the wheels is super fast. You don't have to do all that rubbing and watching the rag turn black.(everyone who's used normal aluminum polish knows what I mean.) You can polish large sections of the wheel at a time much easier. The whole secret is the cleaner as it removes the oxidation, so there is very little work involved in polishing. I imagine the pre-cleaner and polish you see in the magazine is a similar product.

I was camping with Warpath (Bill) last year and convinced him to try my bottles of Magic Mix. I think he polished all his wheels while we were camping in just a few minutes. He liked the stuff so much he called me after our trip and tolw me the rvupgrade store will now carry it. I'm not associated with the product, but I reccommend it highly. Check out Bills review on the stuff. Magic Mix

smlranger · 05-04-2005, 09:14 AM

Joe:

I have an old bottle of Magic Mix (has the rabbit on the front) polish that I got at a truck supply house years ago. I have used it before trying the Mothers and was not satisfied with the shine. I guess the acid wash is the trick. I'll check to see of the local FL parts counter also has the wash.

Rick Buddrus · 05-04-2005, 10:30 AM

Joe is all over this one. I too have tried everything over the years and after reading a suggestion a few months ago on this Forum I took the plunge and ordered the Magic Mix. Note that my wheels were done with Mothers several monmths ago and already looked dull again. Probably should note that I spend a lot of weekends on the beach in Mexico so they really take a beating from the salt. In any case, I got my Magic Mix and while having a few liquid adult refreshments I polished my wheels. It took about an hour to do them and the results were outstanding. Since that weekend I have introduced it to two friends that are equally impressed. Try it, you will definetly like it. And yes, treating with the acid wash is the key to successs. Get the oxidation off and the rest is cake.

No I do not have any interest in the company. It is unusal this day to actually find a product that works as advertised. Magic Mix is such a product.

Tom Williams · 05-04-2005, 11:29 AM

My wheels on the drivers side have a little pitting.
What is the best thing to use to remove the pitting?
Will the Magic Mix acid wash remove the small pits?
Does the Accuride wheels on a 03 Journey have any protective coating you should be careful with?

Thanks,

Thanks

Joe-K · 05-04-2005, 03:30 PM

Tom.

I'm not sure about the pitting, but it wouldn't hurt to give the acid wash a try. It'll remove the oxidation off for sure and the polish will shine them up afterwards. I'm sure it will help the looks. I also have the Accuride wheels on our 2002 and there is no coating.

smlranger · 05-09-2005, 04:43 PM

Well, I got my Magic Mix kit from RVupgrades today. It is simply amazing how much better the wheels look! The acid wash is the trick, for sure. I'm thinking the wheels only looked better the day they left the factory.

Now I'm still trying to decide if this Dri Wash & Guard is as good on the rest of the rig.

The Shadow · 05-10-2005, 03:57 AM

The Bartenders Frind is actually Barkeepers Friend. It did an amazing job on the chrome wheels on my wife's van. Mediocre on the wheels on the Journey unfortunately. Will have to look for the Magic Mix kit.

Sangone · 05-10-2005, 04:36 AM

<BLOCKQUOTE class="ip-ubbcode-quote"><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-title">quote:</div><div class="ip-ubbcode-quote-content"> Now I'm still trying to decide if this Dri Wash & Guard is as good on the rest of the rig. </div></BLOCKQUOTE>
smlranger - just to chime in regarding Dri Wash & Guard, it worked great on my gelcoat fiberglass as well as my friend's full body paint dp. It's very easy to use and you can probably do your entire motorhome in 2 to 3 hours - "wash and wax." You can also do the glass - windshield and the windows.

smlranger · 05-10-2005, 09:00 AM

Sangone:

It is easy to use, for sure. I've done about 2/3 of my coach but I did wash it first (primarily since I needed to wash and wax the roof). I will wait to see if it lasts as long as convential wax/polish. Also, wonder if it will keep the gelcoat from hazing over time, eliminating need for those periodic polishing jobs.