Staining on ceramic coated aluminum wheels

[Hindsight]

These wheels are raw, polished aluminum and brand new, which I then had ceramic coated before installing.

The tire installer sprayed some simple green on them right after installing the tires to check for leaks. I wiped the cleaner off with a rag but didn't use water to really rinse them, thinking that the ceramic coat would act as a barrier between the simple green and the aluminum of the wheel.

I noticed the other day that just ONE of the wheels has this ugly staining on it. I'm going to have the guy who coated my wheels polish the aluminum back to shiny, then put another layer of ceramic coating over it, but I'm curious if you guys know what might have caused this staining. I'm not positive it was the simple green - I just mentioned that because I can't think of what else it might have been. I did use meguires wheel cleaner on them just once, but rinsed it off quickly. And it's odd that all four wheels have been subjected to the same things yet only one has stained.

Thanks in advance!

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[Rsurfer]

Simple Green and polished aluminum wheels don't mix.

 

[The Guz]

More than likely the simple green that was used. You could always polish them yourself and protect them as well. Ceramics don't last that long on uncoated metal.

 

[Klasse Act]

Those are probably non-clearcoated rims, especially the lip. That said, easy fix...Never Dull, wipe it in, turn black, buff with a mf towel and to finish it off, a spray of glass cleaner and another wipe and your good to go. Not sure why the glass cleaner trick works but it does. I had a set of polished American Racing Torque Thrust II's back in the mid 90's and this was how I maintained my wheels and also when ever there was a stain from ANYTHING

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[Hindsight]

Thanks for the replies everyone. I had no idea ceramic coating didn't last long on unpolished wheels. These wheels only have like 20 miles on them though so they are new (and ceramic coating was installed on them when new). Also, yes these wheels are not clear-coated, which is why I wanted the ceramic coating.

Only thing I can think of is that maybe the simple green ate through the ceramic coat?

Anyway, I will have it polished out and then ensure I keep chemicals off of them. Thanks for the tip on Never dull and glass cleaner!

 

[Mike PhillipsMike Phillips is verified member.]

The tire installer sprayed some simple green on them right after installing the tires to check for leaks.

I've worked as a Tire Installer a couple of times in my life and I would never choose an All-purpose cleaner for a leak detecter. We always used soapy water in a spray bottle. Soapy water naturally creates BUBBLES, which would be the visual indicator of an air leak.

I don't use Simple Green but I also don't have anything against it. I did a quick Skynet search to see if it was either acid or alkali and Simple Green provides this graphic to show where their product is on the pH scale. Kind of an interesting graphic so I took the time to screenshot, crop out the fluff, resize it and then upload it to the gallery. (everyone always saying it's hard to put pictures on a forum)

Could be they are just using a Simple Green bottle with "something" in it but for OPTICS sake, they should get a normal spray bottle and buy ANY normal car wash soap, dilute some and use normal soapy water to check for leaks.

Duh. :dunno:

I wiped the cleaner off with a rag but didn't use water to really rinse them, thinking that the ceramic coat would act as a barrier between the simple green and the aluminum of the wheel.

Moving forward, never assume a coating will be an invisible force field - treat whatever is coated like it's NOT coated and you'll probably be happier with future results and longevity.

 

[Hindsight]

Thanks again guys. I used a microfiber towel by hand with chemical guys heavy metal polish and it took care of the staining spots. I assume it went all the way through the ceramic coating because the white polish turned black which is usually what happens as it reacts with the metal and removes it. It came out looking really nice, even though it appears somewhat hazy in this photo due to lighting. View attachment 71141