Rep Power: 314

I just need to vent and see if anyone else is having the same problem. The rims are corroding from the center cap out like crazy!!! OXIDIZATION CITY and it's driving me insane. I can't even stand to look at the rims and it's getting noticeable worse every few months!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I mean, I know I don't keep my car spotless all the time but I also wash the car way more than some people I know with alloys and their rims are in great shape. I do show care when I was the rims as well to get all the crap out!! YARRRGH.... Venting. Done

 
Rep Power: 306

do you have some aggressive brake pads? not washing your rims every so often with higher performing pads can cause rim damage.

 
Rep Power: 314

I use ceramic pads from Napa... they are OE replacement just ceramic nothing performance about them. I do wash my rims once every week, sometimes i stretch it to two weeks. The problem might be the winter here in Canada, they over-salt the roads so bad...

 
Rep Power: 0

The rims on my parents Accord are doing the same thing... the Honda symbol plastic thing on the center caps were completely gone by the time the car was about 2 years old.

 
Rep Power: 314

Sounds like maybe some crappy alloy??? hmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm.

 
Rep Power: 813

if you have salt on them, you need to be cleaning it off every day or two. one week cleaning is for normal sunny weather for brake dust buildup.

 
Rep Power: 257

use rim polish then put wax on top of that but you really should use your steelies in the winter or buy winter rims.

 
Rep Power: 314

Don't have steelies, I'm talking about OEM alloys. but thanks... never thought id have to clean the rims every couple of days... ! thanks.

 
Rep Power: 257

clen them then wax them for extra protection something synthetic like tech wax.

 
Rep Power: 0

its the salt, im originally from Mich. they put so much salt on the roads it will corrode anything, just after you drive try to at least spray them off with a hose or something and that should help

 
Rep Power: 306

try this stuff:

http://www.wheelwax.com/

I have 2 containers of this. i've only tried it once, and it did help keep the rims cleaner in between washes, but i use racing/track pads on my car, so it wont help my situation. if you're using OEM or equilvalent pads, this should be good for you.

i'll sell the 2 containers i have of it if you're interested since i dont use it (only applied once on my rims). PM me if interested.

 
Rep Power: 257

its wheel polish and wax all in one just get aluminium polish and wax like i said you probably already have one.

 
Rep Power: 314

I think it's already way too late for me to be waxing them. The corrosion i getting pretty bad. I guess in a year or so I'm going to just get myself some 16s and use my sweet honda alloys as winters

 
Rep Power: 0

I have the same problem. My stock aluminum rims look like absolute garbage.
i found this link on how to solve/clean it. i have yet to try it but im looking at trying it soon.
if you try it let me know how well it works
good luck

http://www.zhome.com/Classic/HowTo/RefnAlWh.htm

 
Rep Power: 0

correct me if i'm wrong but i thought alluminum alloy rims don't rust? i've run some backup 18" alloys for 1 winter just to see what kind of damage would occur and to my surprise it wasn't much. i had a little clear coat damage on the lip of one rim but overall there was almost no damage. no rust, no oxidation, no nothing and i went through some really snowy/slushy days (winter '08-'09). i eventually sold the rims at near mint condition.

note: i washed my car at least once a week during the entire winter and sprayed the rims with warm water at the pressure car wash place.

 
Rep Power: 0

If the rims are treated badly for a few years the clear coat comes off and, especially in canada, the salt gets in and corrodes them.

I just bought my car in November and the previous owner obviously didnt treat them well.

I also found this product. I heard it does an extremely good job at cleaning up aluminum rims. I'm going to try to sand them down and clean them up next week.

http://www.canadiantire.ca/AST/brows...252BPolish.jsp

 
Rep Power: 0

is this what your getting? i was told it was from salt

 
Rep Power: 314

^ Yep, thats exactly my problem. Mine is a little bit worse though

 
Rep Power: 0

We just purchased (for our soon-to-be 16-year-old son) a high-mileage 2005 EX SE with awful corrosion on the rims. The original owner lived near West Palm Beach, FL, so I don't think the damage came from salt on the roads from ice, but maybe salt from being near the ocean or just from lack of cleaning. I read the link about using sand paper and Brasso. Has anyone tried this? Did it work?

 
Rep Power: 0

I had the same problem with my old '03 EX wheels although it wasn't as bad. I chalked it up to the clear coat chipping off. They salt the roads here as well but I just assumed it was normal wear and tear.

Perhaps the dark spots are just where the brake dust and dirt has built up and stuck onto the area where the clear coat is no longer there. I don't think alloys rust like steel would.

I would think that if you use something as abrasive as sandpaper you would need to replace the coating you removed. Isn't brasso just a polish of sorts?

 
Rep Power: 0

Ours doesn't have dark spots, but a buildup of something hard and white. I picked at it with my fingernail yesterday and a small white flake came off. I am hesitant to start scrubbing or applying anything abrasive or corrosive because I don't want to do further damage. A normal wash didn't remove it.

 
Rep Power: 314

A normal wash won't do it because it's the actual rim coating that's flaking off. The solution for this is either to rinse your rims with soap and water daily in the winter. Or use winter tires. There is no other fix for it unfortunately. Once it has started the only fix for it is to completely remove the clear coating and even a layer of alloy and re clear coat. If you carefully look at our rims however there are small ridges in them right where the corrosion is so it's almost impossible to get a brand new look again. Besides, they are only fat 5s with little value so just let er rip.