Anyone have any ideas on how to remove the green corrosion from chrome wheels without damaging the the finish? The tires are mounted, so I can't dunk them. I've tried CLR and chrome cleaner. Vinegar is next. Any suggestions are welcome.
Bartenders friend may have a grit to it, I can't believe the CLR didn't work, is this like a tarnish or is there a way that the metal under the chrome is reacting?
I had an old rim with a similar issue- I ended up using Coca-Cola. Kind of like using on corrosion on your battery. Mine was from a used set I had gotten cheap for a friend's dad. Coke actually eats through ALOT if you just leave it I have found out.
This is for my wifes Jeep Grand Cherokee Limited. This particular wheel was the spare that I rotated in. These wheels are very nice and I don't want to scratch them up with abrasives. I think the corrosion is caused from saltwater. Anyway, I tried straight CLR and it didn't do anything. I'll try some of the suggested products.
I have used baking soda and water mixed together and scrubbed on with an old toothbrush to get the corrosion off battery terminals-might work for this too! If the rims are kind of weathered anyway you can use an SOS pad with water.That will take minor rust off but may leave minor scratches in the chrome.
acetone..... been using it for years...It will remove paint!!! Keeps the 15 year old chrome steelies lookin presentable..
on my trim I tried some chrome polish first to removed the green stuff, nothing. I tried the C.L.R. and it removed the oxidation everywhere except where I used the polish. I washed off the polish residue then used C.L.R. again and it worked great. hope it works for ya.
the green corrosion is coming from the copper plating under the chrome, it will just come back with out having enough plating over the copper. it could also come out from under a seam, like on a wheel..the mating surfaces of the joint or seam didnt get plating, so the copper is oxidizing in the unprotected area. not sure what would work , but i would try something that would polish copper or dilute, or retard the oxidation of the copper and than try to seal it. but its probably like any other type of corrosion...it never sleeps
X2 I couldn't have said it better myself. Unfortunately, many soultions that dilute copper also attack chromium, so avoid any strong acids like Muriatic, Sulfuric, Hydrochloric. The chrome plating is extremely thin, so any attack will most likely cut right through it to the underlying nickel. Since the copper has corroded to the surface, there are already holes in the nickle/chrome and it needs to be sealed with something reguarly to keep it looking nice.
You can get steel wool in 4 aught (0000) it's like 2500 grit, shouldn't mark up your chrome,use a bit of dish soap with it, you can locate it at a wood workers supply, its used to put a high French polish on hard wood laquer jobs. I think the salt may have gotten into the copper under that chrome, what the heck else would cause greening. The only other thing I can think of to kill a copper stain would be oxcyllic acid, its sold commercially as iron out, a lot of deck cleaners contain it. I'd be real careful if I tried it and watch your lungs too. Do a test out, it may etch your chrome, careful.
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