DJ Trava

Posts Tagged ‘chrome rims’

Manufactures of cars and trucks have been cutting down the weight of the vehicles that they are turning out these days, even down to the weight of custom car wheels. Usually the 20 rims had been made from steel, but now many are being constructed with aluminum and chrome.  These are much lighter and tend to have more shine, and are just generally more attractive than those made from steel.

However, these chrome rims are more easily oxidized and should be cleaned regularly in order to prevent damage to them, or to the tires.  When oxidation is allowed to build up, the rims may become disconnected from the wheel of the car.  The rims are very easy to clean, and this should be each time the tire is removed.  There is an inexpensive machine that spins the rim while you polish it with a die grinder.  The oxidation and the grime basically gets sanded off the surface.

It is best to let the disc spin a few times just to ensure that you do not miss a spot.  You should go all around the outer edges of the rim, as well as flipping it over and sanding down the other side before putting them back onto the car tires.  Oxidation causes bubbles to form on the under the surface of the chrome, but with proper maintenance this is easy to avoid.

Chrome will not tarnish however, which is one of the good aspects of choosing to go with rims made of this metal.  Chrome rims may chip over time, and while this can not be avoided, once a chip reaches the depth of the metal underneath the chrome plate, there is not much that can be done to fix it.  However smaller scratches and chips can easily be buffed out using special creams one may find at any auto supply store.