I have a white car, with white factory alloys. The rims have been properly refinished, and are beautiful - when clean.
Q #1)How do you guys wash your rims, and what (cleaner/tools) do you use?
I have an extra set of the same rims, in black. They are far from perfect, but I may redo them myself in the budget vein.
Q #2)Would you use black bed liner, or black wrinkle finish? Both are similar in price, application, are very tough, and I think both would look kind of funky on rims. I'm partial to the wrinkle finish.
I think a textured finish would tend to hold the dirt.
Dan
Bedliner is a bitch to get clean.
Bedliner is also heavier. Rotating, unsprung mass is bad.
If you have the patience to wash and then wax the rims they'll come clean easier down the road.
There used to be a product that you rubbed into the wheels and allowed to cure. I think it was a polymer of some sort. I used it 25+ years ago on an old set of slotted mags. I still have both the truck and the wheels. You hit the wheels with soap and water, rinse and the crud fell off and the water beaded up and rolled right off. They are still that way.
Unfortunately I dont remember what it was called so I am absolutly worthless on this and am aparently just post whoring. 
I use Meguire's Hot Wheel cleaner (or something like that) purple stuff in spray bottle available at every FLAPS that I've ever been in. Cuts through neglected brake dust pretty well. My love for Ferodo DS2500's does have that price.
That said I'd consider the wrinkle finish in black. The two sets of regular flat black wheels I've had look almost no different before and after cleaning.
+1 on Meguire's purple stuff. My BMW tends to get a lot of brake dust and that takes it right off.
porksboy wrote:
There used to be a product that you rubbed into the wheels and allowed to cure. I think it was a polymer of some sort.
Unfortunately I dont remember what it was called so I am absolutly worthless on this and am aparently just post whoring.
I can't remember the name either, but check with an automotive paint store and see if there's a modern spray-on equivalent.
As an aside, you do realize you'll have to start with clean as possible wheels? And possibly some sort of acid etch surface prep?
That brings up a thought...How 'bout checking at a truck stop to see what the truckers are using to clean/prep/maintain their truck's wheels? I'd be willing to bet there's something they use to maintain the shiny wheels.
http://www.armorall.com/products/view_product.php?product_id=33&main_group=3&category_index=wheel
I bought the Meguiars stuff this afternoon. The rims will be filthy in a few days, so we'll see how it works.
Looks like I'll go with the wrinkle paint. The finish is tough, and the has a nice matte sheen to it. The bedliner is OK (painted the mx bike frame with it), but it doesn't have the right matte look.
Thsi is the stuff I used on my valve covers, and it looks really good.
