White spots on my aluminum wheels?

[DaveG]

I went to the car wash today and when I came out to dry and inspect my car i noticed some white spots on the rims. I tried to rub them off and even tried the old fingernail scratch, but it seems like its stained into the metal or something. Anyone know what this is and what i can do about it? I have no idea how long theyve been there. I dont remember seeing them before, but i havent washed the car in a couple weeks and it was covered in road salt/dirt so I may just not have noticed it. Heres a pic too, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks.

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[JetBlack09VibeGT]

Almost looks like a concentrated magnesium chloride stain that could be caused by the salt on the roads that just happen to splash up on the vehicle and cake in spots. If it feels like its on the surface of the wheel and not pitted or burned in I'm sure the old hot water and rag trick will work, otherwise head to the auto store and look for alloy wheel polish and see if you can safely buff it off.

[star_deceiver]

+2 on the chemical oxidation! A little polish and some elbow grease will do the trick!

[TONY TAT2]

If the wheels are "clear coated" ya got problems.

[vibolista]

Like all said above... get that off ASAP. A good wheel cleaner could help. Don't let salt stay on your alloys for long periods of time. You have to wash'em off every week or two... so the salt doesn't get a chance to etch into the wheel finish. It'll try to do the same thing to the clear coat on your car's paint if you leave it on there long enough, too. Not the white spots like on the wheels, but you'll eventually notice some etching on the clear coat.A good pressure washer at a car was will usually get most of it off in Winter. Alloys are prone to salt damage. Get yourself a cheap set of steelies and hubcaps for winter. Keep your expensive alloys for the nicer weather.

[DaveG]

how would i know if they are clear coated?

[DaveG]

Well I tried to get it off with some Never Dull Wheel polish, but had no luck. I basicaly just rubbed the spots with good amount of pressure for a min or so but it doesnt appear to be helping. Could they be clear coated? It does almost seem like the white is underneath something. Are the stock wheels on an 09 GT clear coated? And does this mean Ill have these spots forever?????

[vibolista]

I imagine that your alloys would have a clear coat. You might want to "google" cleaning oxidation off alloy wheels. It could be that a small rock may have chiped the clear coat, allowing salt to get to the aluminum. Probably going to take some work to get that off. If you do, make sure you seal the aluminum to keep it from happening again.The only other thing I can think to do, if the oxidation can't be controlled... strip and then paint or powdercoat. Painted wheels tend to hold up better than polished aluminum wheels if you have to use them in winter salt. Winter salts are extremely corrosive.

[Sublimewind]

Quote, originally posted by DaveG »Well I tried to get it off with some Never Dull Wheel polish, but had no luck. I basicaly just rubbed the spots with good amount of pressure for a min or so but it doesnt appear to be helping. Could they be clear coated? It does almost seem like the white is underneath something. Are the stock wheels on an 09 GT clear coated? And does this mean Ill have these spots forever?????If you tried Never Dull and it didn't get it off, it's likely not coming off... Never Dull is amazing for all things wheels... If the white is under the clear coat (Most aluminum wheels that aren't polished are clear coated) the clear has been compromised (scratch, chip, pinhole, thin clear) and the corrosion of the aluminum will spread... be warned..

[Sublimewind]

Just looked at the pic and that's definitely chemical, The patterning is very strange, like the wheel was off the car, laying down and something almost dripped... I don't know, but that's pretty bad... But it doesn't look like the typical corrosion you'd see UNDER clearcoat.. ??

[TONY TAT2]

Never Dull on a uncoated aluminum rim will imediately put a black coating on the rim & the rag with just a few cleaning motions of your choice/round cleaning or back & forth methods.If the rag & rim don't turn black the rim is clear coated.

[DaveG]

its clear coated then...so am i just screwed then? I have like 2 spots roughly the same size as the ones in the pic on 3 of my rims...i cant afford an all new set of wheels and tires for winter right now as i just spent most of my cash on the down payment for the car. Is there anything i can do to prevent it from getting worse? Point out the obvious for me too, i know zero about wheels. And thanks!

[TONY TAT2]

For now you can put a few coats of clear nail polish over the bad spots,that should stop leaching between the rim & the clear coat.In the future you can strip all the clear off & do hand polishingor get a price on a profesional strip/polish/clear coator striped & powder coated.