Aluminum Wheel Discoloration

[bigred715]

I have a 01 Montana 2880RL with aluminum wheels. I put the wheel covers on for the winter to protect wheels and tires and following spring took them off. My rims were white spotted and could not get them to shine up anymore. Les Schwab said this was unavoidable and was more important to protect tire and not worry about rim. Have any of you used the vinyl wheel protectors and had wheel discoloration? What do you use to keep the clearcoat on your wheels from doing this.I just recently cut the centers out of the covers to let them get air and not trap the moisture during the winter.

[ols1932]

I quit using those wheel covers since I didn't feel like they were helpful. But I never had a wheel spotting like you describe.

Orv

[LonnieB]

The white spotting on the wheels was caused by moisture on the wheels, most likely due the the high humidity on the northwest coast. That is probably something you already know. With the wheels having a clear coat it will be impossible to polish them, but you may try Eagle One Wheel and Tire cleaner. Spray it on, scrob with a soft bristle brush, and hose it off. I buy it at Walmart and use it all the time, but I can't tell you if it will remove the white spots.
On Edit - With the wheels spotting, it makes me wonder if they are in fact clear coated. If you haven't already done so, try some Mothers aluminum polish and alot of elbow grease.

[ols1932]

Good response, Lonnie. You're probably correct.

Orv

[bigred715]

Thanks for the replies. I'll get some of the Mothers polish since I've heard that it is good stuff. I've got one new rim because of a crack in the valve stem area which doesn't have splotchng and 3 rims that do. Hope that will work. I like the looks of the aluminum wheels.