Aluminium wheels..protection for the elements on the cheap

[Hfan]

Recently got a new used Camry that had been garage kept. It has aluminum wheels..any thoughts on cost effective protection from road salt, the elements etc..no more garages in the future for this one. My old Sequoia's wheel look like shite..trying to prevent a re-occurance. Thanks

[ARM OF HAMER]

                                                           Your going to think I'm nuts but I knew of a guy that used "Marvel Mystery" Oil on the wheels of his car...............he gave them all a light coat with either a brush or a rag and his wheels did look great with no peeling or corrosion. Most wheels of the type your speaking about have some sort of seal coat on them to protect them but this would not hurt anything and it is cheap enough for many reapplications. Just a thought.

[tbonesullivan]

Are the wheels bare aluminum, or are they finished?

I also have heard good things about marvel mystery oil.

[Jeff R]

I have no clue if this is applicable, but I've heard Nascar crews use a shitload of Pam no-stick cooking spray to keep brake dust from accumulating on wheels and brakes and stuff. It's basically an aerosol can of oil, right?

[hamerhead]

If you're spraying oil, be sure to cover the rotors and pads. There's that whole friction thing that's needed to stop.

[Hfan]

52 minutes ago, hamerhead said:

If you're spraying oil, be sure to cover the rotors and pads. There's that whole friction thing that's needed to stop.

I knew that!

No actually, knowing my own distracted self, it would have occurred to me after that uh oh moment ha ha. I had actually considered some sort of grease or oil..I imagine it would attract dirt and dust etc. I think they may have a finish too in places..my wife has the car...I was wondering about just using some Turtle wax which I have in the garage anyway. I don't see doing anything til the spring anyway..I have lots of various silicon, teflon, WD 40 types of lube around already...I ain't buying any fancy wheel treatment stuff from auto zone..determined to cheap out..Marvel Mystery oil may be cool though..I could use it for other stuff..a little on a rag should keep my brakes in the friction positive range. Thanks.

[gtone]

I recall reading about that Marvel Mystery Oil somewhere, hmm...maybe a comic book? 

 

Ironically, my wife's Solara/Camry has the only aluminum alloy wheels on any car we've owned that have corroded.  Maybe that Marvel Mystery Oil or Pam cooking spray would do some good - if only it wasn't such a mystery... 

[Armitage]

If you oil your brakes... they'll never squeak... so there's that...

[Hfan]

16 hours ago, gtone said:

I recall reading about that Marvel Mystery Oil somewhere, hmm...maybe a comic book? 

 

Ironically, my wife's Solara/Camry has the only aluminum alloy wheels on any car we've owned that have corroded.  Maybe that Marvel Mystery Oil or Pam cooking spray would do some good - if only it wasn't such a mystery... 

My 2003 Sequoia's wheels as well..maybe a Toyota thing. Actually they had some big recalls for frame corrosion they replace my entire frame a year ago under a recall. Even gave me a rental for a week..not bad for a 10 year old vehicle. Mine wasn't too badly corroded, a few pin holes through the frame. Others more into the rust belt where supposedly toast. They were buying back Tacomas a few years back too.

[JES1680]

Might be more invasive than you want but a lot of guys are plasti-diping thier wheels for winter. 

https://plastidip.com/

[aknapp]

A tangent....

Old Porsche wheels (the Fuchs variety) were partially anodized.  The factory-recommended protection for the anodized portion?  Vaseline!

Back to the original topic...

A polymer "wax" with anti-static properties is a good start.

I've used Simple Green to remove brake dust, the main culprit that corrodes the finish on wheels.  Wet the wheel, spray on Simple Green, wait 30-60 seconds, wipe off, apply wax.  If the finish hasn't already started to corrode, 2-4 times a year should be all you need.

 

[sixesandsevens]

On 12/26/2016 at 5:57 PM, aknapp said:

A tangent....

Old Porsche wheels (the Fuchs variety) were partially anodized.  The factory-recommended protection for the anodized portion?  Vaseline!

Back to the original topic...

A polymer "wax" with anti-static properties is a good start.

I've used Simple Green to remove brake dust, the main culprit that corrodes the finish on wheels.  Wet the wheel, spray on Simple Green, wait 30-60 seconds, wipe off, apply wax.  If the finish hasn't already started to corrode, 2-4 times a year should be all you need.

 

I've never owned a Porsche, but when I first saw this thread I thought "Vasoline, duh!" despite (a) never having used it and (b) never having known anyone who did.

 

I have no clue where I picked up that tidbit, but I'm glad to see I wasn't crazy.