I've had these brown stains on my rims since I got my car and I've tried a few different cleaners to get it off with no luck. They are aluminum so I have to be careful which cleaners I use. Any ideas on how to get these stains off without ruining my rims?

 

Thanks for the tip, Ken. I've looked at Mother's line of products in the store before but I wasn't sure how well it was going to work. I did check to make sure that it wasn't an issue with the clear coat and either it had some on it at one point in time and now it's gone, or they just never had any on them. What brand clear coat do you recommend using after I get them look new again?

 

If it gets dull over a period of time it is bare aluminum because aluminum oxidizes. If you rub Mothers on a tiny not so visible spot and a white cloth goes black it's bare aluminum. If the cloth stays white, the rim has been coated.

A few years ago, I ran out of Mothers and my wife suggested I try Bar Keeper's Friend. You will never go back, I promise you. It costs less, work faster with absolutely no elbow grease. But it will only work on bare aluminum, nothing else.

 

Dragons Breath. It will break down the iron deposits.

 

Yup. Works great though. Another close second is Surf City Code Red. That stuff is also very good.