Got a new set of chrome wheels and they are showing signs of rust after sitting outside just a short time. Whats the best thing for keeping the rust off of chrome that spends most of the time outside? Any tips or tricks? I checked the search first and didnt really find anything usefull.
CHROME is a five letter word that soon turns into a four letter word RUST. Waxing, keeping them clean with frequent wipe offs helps but I have always found it to be a losing deal. Modern plating on wheels is not as good as it used to be, as most is done in some third world sweat shop. I gave up a long time ago and run painted wheels.
They are rusting because the nickel is way too thin for needed durability. Keep them clean and waxed. Lather wax all over them and let it dry and stay there until ready to use them. Imagine they are bare steel (sounds like they are not far from it) and you can get into the mindset of what it takes to keep cheap thin plating from self destructing. It is a real shame, as little as 10-15 minutes more time in the nickel bath could yeild them much better durability.
Thanks for the info guys I love the look of the chrome wheel but didnt realize how quickly they would begin to rust sitting out.
As good as Gibbs brand penetrating oil is for magnesium parts and removing rust I don't see why it couldn't be used to seal chrome wheels?
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