polishing/buffing front wheels

[azSkier]

I have had several trips to the tire shop and have observed truck shop tire changing in action.

1. Lay the tire on the mostly gnarly, rocky ground available and deflate.
2. When nearly empty use hammers and other heavy objects to break the tire free from the rim.
3. If that does not work, get the 300lb trainee to jump up and down until the tire moves.

This works fine for the rear tires, but my front tire have a nice shiny surface. That surface is now heavily scratched.

I would love to hear how others have restored the shine to those front wheels.

[LJowdy]

When I've had tires changed, I take along a piece of carpet so they can lay the tire on that instead of the pavement. Lately, most have had carpet.

Use Mother's aluminum polish and a small buffing ball on a die grinder. Works wonders.
If you don't have a die grinder you can buy either an air operated or electric from Harbor Freight at a reasonable price.

The wheels on my new coach have a coating that makes it much easier than previous rig's I've owned. Just wash and dry and no polish.

[LJowdy]

Forgot to mention, once you have the wheels cleaned up and they start to look dirty, wash them with soap and water then dry them. I wear rubber gloves then slip an old white sock over my gloved hand and polish the wheels with Mother's aluminum polish. (When polishing aluminum, the residue turns your hands black thus wearing the rubber glove keeps your hands clean)

Use a clean towel or another sock and buff off the residue. Then coat the wheels with auto wax and that will help to keep them clean and bright.