Cleaning the Wheels

[PBFlash]

I have Motegi Racing MR8's on my car. I left them on all winter and now there are salt stains on the wheels. I know I should have put the stock wheels on for the winter but I was stupid. This is the first car I had with aftermarket wheels. I have tried a few spray cleaners and it will not get rid of the stains. I know 'Mothers' makes a good cleaner but it shouldn't be used on clear coated wheels. I emailed Motegi Racing to see if my wheels were clear coated and received no reply. Does anyone know if my rims are clear coated? Anyone have any suggestions to clean them? Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Stang2Vibe]

How to remove the stains is going to depend on what kind of finish the surface is. If they are clearcoated, I would suggest rubbing them with a polishing compound (not rubbing compound--big difference). If they are chrome, you will probably need to get a chrome cleaner/polish. If they are polished aluminum, you will need an aluminum cleaner/polish. Cleaning these metals requires being particular about which product to use. If you use a product that was ment for a different kind of metal than what you have, you could permanently stain or discolor your wheels. Also, most cleaners meant for metals contain acids that will ruin clearcoat finishes, so you really need to know what the finish of the wheel is before you can buy a product to clean it.