Wheel barrels that aren’t worth cleaning?

[Eldorado2k]

Those look like the barrels on my own escalade and in better shape. Probably because they've never been cleaned. lol

They actually left a better impression on me than I thought they would... They do seem to have a layer of paint protection on them. You can see it here, underneath the top coating is what appears to be a chrome finish, which I wasn’t expecting to see.

It’s not bare aluminum, that’s for sure, or it would’ve reacted to the Wheel Brightener. I’m guessing it’s anodized?

 

[MikeC78]

Yep, thats what mine look like. When the wheel weights get removed for balancing the coating/paint (Whatever that is) comes off with them. Then when you scrub them with a brush the rest just peels off, and you're left with bare aluminum.

 

[mk9750]

I think doing mine was worth it. I feel better that I did. But how do you feel?

I can say this - I envy that you were able to do this outside in sunshine! I did mine one at a time with them laying on top of a garbage tote in a garage that even though attached to the house and closed, was @ 48 degrees.

Nice job. Looks great!

 

[Eldorado2k]

Yep, thats what mine look like. When the wheel weights get removed for balancing the coating/paint (Whatever that is) comes off with them. Then when you scrub them with a brush the rest just peels off, and you're left with bare aluminum.

Good ole Cadillac convenience... lol.

Check it out, I’ve got these buttons on the dash that don’t light up...

The only way to fix them? Oh just remove the dashboard, which is quite an elaborate process, and replace the button assemblies as a whole because the bulbs are soldered in and therefore considered non serviceable... That goes for all 3 different sets of buttons/lights that are circled... Wow!

I tried to tackle the front wheel barrel a little while ago... But as I was trying to jack the car up I noticed something wasn’t right.... It’s a good thing I noticed and bailed out before disaster stuck. Turns out there’s an unwritten rule that forbids you from using the factory jack to change the front tires... Very bad things can happen most of the time, everything from the car falling off the jack to the jack literally bending the rocker panel and even the fender! Wth! Needless to say that killed my enthusiasm to clean the rest of the wheel barrels. Geez...

 

[Eldorado2k]

I think doing mine was worth it. I feel better that I did. But how do you feel?

I can say this - I envy that you were able to do this outside in sunshine! I did mine one at a time with them laying on top of a garbage tote in a garage that even though attached to the house and closed, was @ 48 degrees.

Nice job. Looks great!

I feel it was worth it. I really like how it turned out, the change is subtle yet makes a considerable difference in my eyes. I was ready to tackle the front wheel, and the other 2 tomorrow, but now I’ll have to wait till I visit my friend to use his jack.

Thanks!

 

[Setec Astronomy]

Are those actually chrome, Eldo? And not the GM "high polish" clear?

 

[Eldorado2k]

Are those actually chrome, Eldo? And not the GM "high polish" clear?

They’re chrome.

 

[JustJesus]

Good to see the comparison with those two products, and the great before, during, and after pictures.

Thanks for that, Eldo.

 

[MattPersman]

Yeah it’s pretty amazing there Ric about how well the brown royal works. Thanks for showing that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[Setec Astronomy]

They’re chrome.

Ah, the good old days, before the high-polish clear and the glued-on plastic chrome plated hub caps.

 

[Desertnate]

I tried to tackle the front wheel barrel a little while ago... But as I was trying to jack the car up I noticed something wasn’t right.... It’s a good thing I noticed and bailed out before disaster stuck. Turns out there’s an unwritten rule that forbids you from using the factory jack to change the front tires... Very bad things can happen most of the time, everything from the car falling off the jack to the jack literally bending the rocker panel and even the fender! Wth! Needless to say that killed my enthusiasm to clean the rest of the wheel barrels. Geez...

If it's the same, strange "L" shaped lever type jack VW uses, its been nick-named the "widow maker" in some GTI communities and no one uses them unless stranded on the road with no other options. Not only is jack not very stable, but they've been known to bend and collapse while in use.

Since I now swap out my winter and summer tires myself, I went down to a local auto parts store and got a nice little floor jack for around $50. I can now pull wheels with confidence knowing neither myself, my car, nor my garage is in danger.

 

[Eldorado2k]

Yeah it’s pretty amazing there Ric about how well the brown royal works. Thanks for showing that


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I detailed a Honda Accord today... Something about Hondas, they’re usually among the worst as far as baked on wheels, at least the ones I’ve ran into. I brought my bottle of Brown Royal but it was nearly empty. And I think I may have discovered that using WB after BR to clean up the leftovers works better than expected.

Very interesting because I tried WB on 1 wheel 1st and it didn’t do too well, but when I tried it after BR it worked amazing.

Ah, the good old days, before the high-polish clear and the glued-on plastic chrome plated hub caps.

I remember the 1st time I saw a Chevy truck with some of those chrome looking plastic hubs, I couldn’t believe it. They claim they’re supposed to last a long time. I wouldn’t want them on my car.

If it's the same, strange "L" shaped lever type jack VW uses, its been nick-named the "widow maker" in some GTI communities and no one uses them unless stranded on the road with no other options. Not only is jack not very stable, but they've been known to bend and collapse while in use.

Since I now swap out my winter and summer tires myself, I went down to a local auto parts store and got a nice little floor jack for around $50. I can now pull wheels with confidence knowing neither myself, my car, nor my garage is in danger.

It’s this kind. Funny thing is I’ve never had an issue using it until this time. Maybe it’s the 1st time I’ve had to remove the front tire... That thing started bending sideways, I was like what the heck! Retreat! Lol.

 

[spazzz]

Time to buy a HF floor jack, cuz that rotor looks toast.

 

[Eldorado2k]

Time to buy a HF floor jack, cuz that rotor looks toast.

Someone just recommended that same jack to me. It looks like a great deal, I’ll probably get 1.

That car is a dogg. He’s a beast and lives a rough life of tough love. So things like new brakes are usually out of the question. If it runs, it’s good. Lol.

It’s probably the only Cadillac driving around without power steering, because I refused to fix it. Lol.

 

[Eldorado2k]

It still gets premium gas though.

 

[WaxMaster1]

It still gets premium gas though.

Dare I ask how much premium fuel is in LA?

 

[Eldorado2k]

Dare I ask how much premium fuel is in LA?

Right now it’s $3.69 @Unocal 76 where I pump.️+ an extra .6 cents if you use your debit card, which I do. A couple of weeks ago it was $3.99

 

[WaxMaster1]

Right now it’s $3.69 @Unocal 76 where I pump.️+ an extra .6 cents if you use your debit card, which I do. A couple of weeks ago it was $3.99

Oh, that's not as bad as I thought. When I was at racing school in Utah I met a couple of Californians and I thought they said it was near $5/gal

 

[Eldorado2k]

Oh, that's not as bad as I thought. When I was at racing school in Utah I met a couple of Californians and I thought they said it was near $5/gal

I don’t remember it being near that high, but then again I don’t really sweat how much it is, I just fill the tank every Friday. I’m cheap when it comes to certain things, but gas prices have never bothered me. I’ve been pumping nothing but premium in my Cadillacs for the past 20yrs.

 

[Eldorado2k]

I just got done cleaning the rest of the barrels.

I was able to clean them without removing the wheels. I just sprayed the barrels w/BR and let it dwell for 20min. [refreshed it twice to keep it from completely drying] and the baked on brake dust came about 95% clean.

Followed it up with a quik round of Wheel Brightener and it’s a done deal.

Dare I say this car looks near mint now.