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Chrome Clad Rims....


caperinmuskoka

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What are you members using to clean these rims.....I got Brown spots around every hole from a winter in Canada.......Will Spray Nine harm them?

There are lots of rim spray cleaners out there that will remove the stains without even rubbing them(touchless) but are they harming the Chrome Clad finish if I use them.....Thanks...Caper.......

Edited by caperinmuskoka
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What are you members using to clean these rims.....

Caper;

I used "magic erasers" on my chrome clad wheels and they removed all the stubborn brown "rust" spots on my wheels. They did a great job on my vehicle's wheels.

I have also put a light coat of spray wax on my wheels for some added protection.

Terry

Edited by Windancer
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Well there not "Really" Chrome......There a chrome Clad...Which is chrome on plastic type material.....And it's not Brake dust it is Brown shadding stuck there from the winter....I will try the Magic Erasers. I just bought some Armor All Mag Wheel spray bottle(Foam action) and it didn't take the brown off ...............2012 is only a few months old...I can't even think what the rims will look like after a few years old......Caper...........

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Oh freak, I just realized they were fake plastic chrome hubcaps!!! That's totally lame. Why would the dealer charge an extra $500 for these plastic hubcaps compared to the nice 19" alloy wheels? I totally would've gone for the other wheels if I had known these were fake....

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This is too funny, I've seen the exact same comment on the GM forums.

BTW I agree with you but that's the way manufacturers are going...

Life is too short. My advise is to look at the whole package, the Journey is definitely a head turner SUV.

I'm so happy with mine :-)

Oh freak, I just realized they were fake plastic chrome hubcaps!!! That's totally lame. Why would the dealer charge an extra $500 for these plastic hubcaps compared to the nice 19" alloy wheels? I totally would've gone for the other wheels if I had known these were fake....

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This is too funny, I've seen the exact same comment on the GM forums.

BTW I agree with you but that's the way manufacturers are going...

Life is too short. My advise is to look at the whole package, the Journey is definitely a head turner SUV.

I'm so happy with mine :-)

Oh I definitely don't have regrets...just a shame that they charge more for a fake chrome plastic hubcap than the nice 19" alloy rims! Anybody want to trade :)? I'll do it for free and save you the $500 upgrade!

I was really contimplating having the dealer swap wheels with the 19" alloys too...

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  • 2 months later...
  • 3 months later...

Well I finally had to hand wash the Journey for the first time today, and as others, I was somewhat dismayed to find out I had "Hubcaps." I KNEW I liked the alloy rims more for a reason!

Can't believe I fell for that one.....

Doh!

~(8^(1)

R/T with hubcaps? What size tires do you have? Factory size is 19 inch.

Was it bought new or used?

EDIT: I just took a look at your gallery and that Journey has Chrome rims, not hub caps.

I agree though, I like Alloy rims better than Chrome rims.

Edited by AstralRT
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R/T with hubcaps? What size tires do you have? Factory size is 19 inch.

Was it bought new or used?

EDIT: I just took a look at your gallery and that Journey has Chrome rims, not hub caps.

I agree though, I like Alloy rims better than Chrome rims.

Yep, they're 19." BUT, they sure don't sound like any sort of metal when you "Tap" them with your knuckle... I'm totally confused now (Easily done at my age :shades: ). When & IF it ever stops Pi$$ing down rain, I'll have a real good look.

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Yep, they're 19." BUT, they sure don't sound like any sort of metal when you "Tap" them with your knuckle... I'm totally confused now (Easily done at my age :shades: ). When & IF it ever stops Pi$$ing down rain, I'll have a real good look.

The easy tell (besides removing the hub cap if applicable) is to look and see if you can see a black steal rim behind it. Looking at your pictures, they clearly show the brake calipers and rotors. This is not possible with the standard black steal rims with or without hub caps. No tapping needed.

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  • 3 months later...
The easy tell (besides removing the hub cap if applicable) is to look and see if you can see a black steal rim behind it. Looking at your pictures, they clearly show the brake calipers and rotors. This is not possible with the standard black steal rims with or without hub caps. No tapping needed.

they are a steal rim with chrome clad inserts so to say put over top... the rim is the same pattern as the chrome clad insert put on top so yes you can still see the brake calipers but what you have is a steel rim with fake chrome cladding over top. I have argued with my dealer when i ordered mine RT as they were a FREE upgrade but I dont want them :(

Edited by biohazard
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The clad wheels I had on my '08 Jeep Commander looked showroom new 5 years after being through almost everything you can imagine; I used it for towing my travel trailer and some off-roading, hey, its a "Jeep thing" you know ;-) I never had any regrets in owning them. Even brake dust cleaned right off and that was after it had been baked on by 6 months of traveling around the country.

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Well its not a big issue for me because I always adopt the simplest way to clean my chrome rims. First I wash them with a car shampoo then clean them with simple water and use a chrome wheel cleaner to clean them and then simply wax them I got the super cleaned rims. I don't think its a big issue for me but i needs 2 hours to clean them properly.

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  • 5 months later...

The wheels are indeed aluminum alloy. The cladding is a plastic based cover which has a chrome finish applied to it and then permanently bonded to the alloy wheel itself. The finish is durable if cared for properly. Simple car wash soap and clear water removes the brake dust. I use Ardex Miami Shine on both the car and the wheels and it makes the wheels beautiful and very easy to care for.

My 300M has a true chromed aluminum alloy wheel and I agree that it has a higher quality feel than the plastic cladding. I am told that the chroming process is highly toxic from an environmental standpoint and the switch to cladding was done to combat that issue. Not sure how much of that is rooted in fact - I suspect there is a cost-saving measure involved as well - but it sounded reasonable when explained to me.

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Has anyone ever tried to paint or plastidip the chrome clad wheels? Not a fan of the fake chrome, and I'm wondering how well they would hold paint or plastidip on them.

I've been curious about the same thing .... I want to try plastidipping my chrome clads to a matte black .... after everything Ive researched, Im positive it wont cause damage, infact I believe it will protect them .... my concern is how well the plastidip will hold up ? ... don't want it to start peeling and flaking after a week or two of highway driving too and from work ....

suppose theres only one way to find out eh? ...

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