[Richard]

I have a 2010 LT2 - it came with Chrome Aluminum Wheels. Already, the brake dust got on the inner portion of the wheel and it's dulling the Chrome. I guess washing it will get it off, but I had to go over it a couple of times to get it off. Anything in particular that will get this off without damaging or scratching the chrome.

The Owner's Manual states do not use chrome polish on the chrome wheels. I used regular car wax on them. Seems to have done a good job.

 

[Silver LTZ]

I have a 2010 LT2 - it came with Chrome Aluminum Wheels. Already, the brake dust got on the inner portion of the wheel and it's dulling the Chrome. I guess washing it will get it off, but I had to go over it a couple of times to get it off. Anything in particular that will get this off without damaging or scratching the chrome.

The Owner's Manual states do not use chrome polish on the chrome wheels. I used regular car wax on them. Seems to have done a good job.

It says not to use chrome polish because they are not real chrome. But any polish is fine, but remember to use wax as well to protect it.

 

[jeepgrady]

I must say that brake dust on my Malibu is all but non-existant. Got about 3000 miles and compared to other vehicles, the dust is very minor.

 

[Richard]

I must say that brake dust on my Malibu is all but non-existant. Got about 3000 miles and compared to other vehicles, the dust is very minor.

The wheels on the LTZ don't have the gaps that the LT2 has. There's a lot of space between each spoke on the LT2, so the brake dust can easily get on the inner part of the chrome. Also, it's more noticeable on chrome wheels, because they're shiny. Even a little brake dust dulls the finish.

I had wire wheels on one of my cars. They made a special spray for them that contained a mild acid. They came out sparkling clean and shiny with no effort at all. You simply saturated the wire wheel with the spray, let it sit for about a minute, and hosed it off.

I wonder if they make a similar product for chrome wheels.

 

[Boodah]

Several companies make chrome wheel cleaner spray. Here's a link to Meguiar's version:

http://www.meguiarsdirect.com/product_detail.asp?T1=MEG+G14024

I believe these sprays are all midly acidic so you're best off using them as sparringly as possible and always follow the directions as far as how much time to leave it on before hosing off. A far better solution is to actually wax the wheels with a synthetic wax. Synthetic last far longer than a natural wax but gives you the same slick surface properties so it's far harder for the brake dust and dirt to accumulate on the wheels. One of the things you'll discover if you wax your wheels is you end up not usually having to use any of the special wheel sprays to clean your wheels, the brake dust and dirt usually come off with a spray of water and a quick wipe (sometimes you don't even need the wipe).

 

[ChicagoMalibu2009]

Since there are crhomed plastic, be as careful as possible with them and steer clear of Acidic cleaners. I would treat the Chrometec as "unknown" material, or painted, and wouldn't use chrome wheel cleaner for fear of etching or worse.

One product that I would recommend for painted wheels is Amazing Roll Off, diluted for either 32:1 or 16:1. If you spray the wheel with water, then spray the Amazing Roll Off on, and then agitate with a wheel brush (mothers ones are a great buy on amazon if you use that site) and rinse off you will get great results.

Dilution can be stepped up if needed to about 2:1 (thats my wheel well max and I rinse it off right away.

Having the surface wet first is important, and then rinsing off after (as with any wheel cleaner) for safety is also good.
Another nice thing about it is that it leaves a thin waxy layer to prevent buildup if you don't have time to do the full wax on your wheels at that time, or if you already have.