Clean/Polish rims and exaust Tips

[Digital Man]

Wondering.....

What is anyone using to clean and polish thier wheels and exaust tips? Not assuming its the same product. I'm having trouble getting that gleam back to the exausts.

[CRUZTAKER]

These discussions may help. ;)

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=2734&highlight=NEVERDULL

http://www.mercurymarauder.net/forums/showthread.php?t=14953&highlight=NEVERDULL

I use 'neverdull' on the tips, and my wheels are powdercoated...so they get MeGuires.

[Rider90]

For the wheels, I use a paint cleaner, polish, and a couple coats of paste wax - pick your brand. DO NOT USE A METAL CLEANER. Anything you would use on your paint can be used on your wheels, I also suggest a clay bar. For the tips, I use Never-dull. Sometimes Sonus glass/chrome polish...

[Breadfan]

Totally different animals - wheels are CLEARCOATED polished aluminum, so don't use aluminum wheel polish or any abrasives. Treat them as a painted surface!

Tailpipes are chromed, a non-abrasive chrome polish and even a coating of carnuba wax afterwards should help keep them shiny. Others can comment on that though - usually a thourough scrubbing cleans mine just fine...even inside I can use a bug/tar sponge (spone with netting around it) to get the carbon residue clean.

[fastblackmerc]

For the tips there is a product called Luster Lace, strips of cloth inpregnated with cleaner, just wrap it around the tips twice and clean away.

Disclaimer: I have no interest in Luster Lace, financial pr otherwise....:D

[Digital Man]

Thanks for the info....

So Never dul on the tips and I found this product at Canadian tire for the wheels.

Mothers® Mag and Aluminum Polish

Sound good?

[Breadfan]

No on the wheel polish. See my above post.

The mothers polish isn't super abrasive but it is a micro abrasive polish. It probably won't hurt the wheels but with each application you will be slowing stripping off clearcoat.

Unless they are very bad off use a standard non-abrasive paint polish such as Zymol.

Again, treat them like paint and you'll be fine. :)

[SergntMac]

I agree with the advice on the wheels, treat them as a painted surface.

I disagree that the tips are chrome plated. They are bare 304 polished stainless steel. I have found some very nasty discoloring from track events over the past three years, and I use a 6" cotton buffing wheel from a bench grinder mounted on a 1/4" electric drill, and Blue Magic to keep them looking new. The Never Dull will leave fine scratches that chrome plating would be immune from, but the Blue Magic wipes it all away. Hope this helps!

[Petrograde]

I use Mother's Mag and Aluminum Polish for both.

[Digital Man]

Well I've already picked up the NeverDull...so I'll be going with that. However, Zymol is not available around here. Can I use just plain ol car wax on the wheels?

[MarauderMark]

I have used Mothers in the red jar and it turned my tips gold.I belive it took about 4 or 5 times to get this effect.

[SergntMac]

I have used Mothers in the red jar and it turned my tips gold. I belive it took about 4 or 5 times to get this effect.Not sure what you mean by gold, but I got a warm chestnut brown ring around the rolled edge of the tip from using a car wax. Guess I should have expected it to bake from the heat. But, it came off with the Blue Magic, no worries.

[MarauderMark]

Not sure what you mean by gold, but I got a warm chestnut brown ring around the rolled edge of the tip from using a car wax. Guess I should have expected it to bake from the heat. But, it came off with the Blue Magic, no worries.

I had posted a thread sometime back about why my tips were turning light gold/brass color(from the middle to the end of the tips)? I had no idea why and someone asked if i use anything to polish then with and i said yes mothers and they said no wonder..i sure wish i knew about the blue magic(thanks) sooner i fixed the problem with new tips from Wes.oh well learn the hard way i quess.:dunno::D

[jgc61sr2002]

I concur never use abrasives on the wheels.
As Mac stated "treat them as painted surfaces".

[Digital Man]

Thus.....

NeverDull on the Tips? Safe? Yes? That's not going to tturn them Gold?

Wax on the wheels? Safe?

[STLR FN]

Thus.....

NeverDull on the Tips? Safe? Yes? That's not going to tturn them Gold?

Wax on the wheels? Safe?I use Never Dull on the tips so far so good.

Wheels, I just use warm water and stuff called El Bow Grease.

[Black 04]

I use Zaino on the car, wheels and Tips.

[SergntMac]

NeverDull on the Tips? Safe? Yes? That's not going to turn them Gold? Wax on the wheels? Safe?Awe Christ...

Yes, apply to your wheels whatever it is you apply to your hood. The MM wheels are clearcoated, just like your hood, trunk, doors...You're not waxing black paint here, dude, you're waxing clearcoat, K? Now, ditto that to the wheels, and you're cool.

The tips can be cleaned by Never Dull, but it will leave some minor flaws. Never Dull will leave behind a petroleum based residue that will streak and stink when the pipes get hot. If you have serious discoloration, or, a lot of chunky stuff, like tire bits and OTR tar crap, skip the Never Dull and use a Brillo pad. After that, the Never Dull will help you clean up more, and the Blue Magic is the final touch.

It's a sloppy paste similar to working with cake frosting, but you won't like using it, or, handling it with your bare hands. Believe it or not, I use a soft horsehair brush that's left over from a cheap shoeshine kit to apply it, rather than a cloth applicator as suggested. Lather it on, butter it around, massage it a bit, then use a powered buffer wheel to cut through it.

I get great results from a 6x1/4" round stitched cotton buff wheel meant for my bench grinder, mounted to a 1/4" electric drill using an inexpensive arbor. Let the drill/buffer sweat for you.

At first, everything turns black as the Blue Magic draws the dirt out of the stainless steel, but keep buffing, it will come clear. You may need two buff wheels when you first try this, the first wheel will get really foul, but the second one cleans it all up nice. Once it does, hand buff to shine, come back and do it again in a month. Your tips will look brand spanking new everyday, and you'll collect less sticky stuff as you drive around.

Got it?

[Blue03]

I was wondering about this a while back. So I sent an email off to the guys that make the Megs tips and was sent a nice reply. For what it's worth, (and it is just another opinion to ponder) here's what I asked followed by the response I received:

"Hi There,
I have a 03 Mercury Marauder that came from the factory with some nice Megs tips on it. They still look good but my car wash stuff does not seem to get them as clean and shiny as I would like. So I was wondering what procedure you recommend to clean and polish them. Should I just go and get some Chrome cleaner and/or tar remover bug cleaner stuff from the auto parts store and go. I worry about using anything abrasive on them, being Stainless Steel and if they came with some sort of clear coat or other protective coating from the factory. I've been using a little Mequiar's NXT polish on them but worry that it might discolor on the tips later as time goes by as well. At any rate your help/comments would be appreciated.
Thanks"

And here's the reply I received:

"Good Morning Bruce
There is a cleaner that I recommend. Eagle One - Chrome and Wire cleaner. It is a wire wheel spray (I purchase our bottles from Kragen), comes in a black bottle.

This stuff works great, but be carefull. It can work too good and etch your tip. Follow the directions and you will be fine. You cannot protect your tips from this, don't use a wax or any type of cleaner - when the oxidation gets too much for you, clean it off again.

Have a great day
XXXX XXXXXXXX (deleted by Blue03)
Cone Engineering Inc."

I haven't tried it yet but it looks like serious stuff. It almost sounds like how industrial cleaning of stainless steel plate is done. I believe they call it passivation.

As far as the application of the Chrome and Wire stuff goes, I think all you do is spray it on, let it sit for about 30 seconds and then water rinse it off. It sounds like the level of work I'm interested in so I'm planning to do it for my next major clean up. Hope this helps!:)

[MENINBLK]

Tailpipes are chromed...

Breadfan,

The Megs tailpipes are polished Stainless Steel.
If they were chrome, you'd have a lot more to worry about
than just cleaning them.
Chrome pipes rust very easy, where Stainless Steel just gets dirty.
Sometimes they will oxidize and show a grey color instead of a nice shine.

Eagle One Never Dull is what I used on my Megs and it does a fantastic job
of getting everything off of them, and brining the shine back to them.

[wchain]

The wheels are clear coated. A nice wax works just fine. THe "Mag Wheel Polish" is going to be too abrasive.

The tips? NevRDull will yellow the stainless since you never get the rest of the polish out of the surface of the stainless steel. Megs recommends using a mild soap and water (like car wash soap) and they recommend Wenol polish on the tips only if needed.

Good luck!

[Rider90]

The wheels are clear coated. A nice wax works just fine. THe "Mag Wheel Polish" is going to be too abrasive.

The tips? NevRDull will yellow the stainless since you never get the rest of the polish out of the surface of the stainless steel. Megs recommends using a mild soap and water (like car wash soap) and they recommend Wenol polish on the tips only if needed.

Good luck!
I don't know about ya'll, but I wipe the never-dull off after. It comes off with elbow grease, leaves a great shine, and I've been using it for 20k+ miles....no problems...

[MENINBLK]

... The tips? NevRDull will yellow the stainless since you never get the rest of the polish out of the surface of the stainless steel....

You been smoking ?

I've been using the Never Dull and polishing them until they shine like new !
I can see Yellow if you polish them with WAX, but Never Dull is NOT wax.
Wax will burn from the heat and turn yello.

Never Dull is a cotton gauze impregnated with cleaners and polishers.
After you rub down the tips with the Never Dull, and get all of the tar and dirt off them,
you take a clean cloth and wipe off all of the polish until there is nothing left but SHINE !!!

Yello ? No Yello on my tips here....

[Blackened300a]

I have used Wax on my Rims and just plain soap and water to wash the tips. After just recieving my New Res-delete tips, My Stock Tips were just as shiny and clean as the new ones. (Except of course where the Tip is covered by the bumper)
Just my .02

[Digital Man]

You been smoking ?

I've been using the Never Dull and polishing them until they shine like new !
I can see Yellow if you polish them with WAX, but Never Dull is NOT wax.
Wax will burn from the heat and turn yello.

Never Dull is a cotton gauze impregnated with cleaners and polishers.
After you rub down the tips with the Never Dull, and get all of the tar and dirt off them,
you take a clean cloth and wipe off all of the polish until there is nothing left but SHINE !!!

Yello ? No Yello on my tips here....

I used the NeverDull on the weekend. A bit of work, but it did the trick. They were sparkling after a good buffing.

[rayjay]

I clean any tar, road grime, etc from the tips with WD40. Wash well and dry. Shine using Flitz non abrasive metal polish. Little more elbow grease, but look good with just a wash for weeks.