It's me again, Mr. Anal...this time the wheels
 

hello everyone, the SS is nice & shinny, just did the tires with the improved Stoner formula, looks good so far. Before I picked up the SS last week, I specified to the dealer not to polish or wax the SS, either by hand or machine, which he obliged with no problem at all. All they did was wash it.
As I mentioned before there are no swirls or marks in the paint as a result of this request.
But after applying the tire shine, I notice fine, very fine surface scratches on the chrome wheels, as if someone used a light brush, etc. Not having had chrome wheels in ages, is there any polish you can recommend to eliminate the marks? Tried some polishes and the Fusion, did not do it, are there any chrome polishes out there that will do what I want?
Of course, you wouldn't see the slight imperfections unless you are almost on top of the wheel, when cleaning.
thanks for any advice and once again, thanks for listening to Mr. Anal:D

I haven't had chrome in years either. I recall that Flitz metal polish worked wonders on just about all metal.

Thanks Doc, will have to do a search on that, don't recall seeing that name before.......

Do not use any metal polishes on the factory SS wheels. They are not chrome. They are polished aluminum with a clear coat. You won't like the outcome. If you use anything, make sure it is clearcoat safe.

Since the factory wheels are clear coated, I'd use a little Zaino ZPC Fusion and a small orange pad if you have a Porter Cable polisher. You may still have to apply some of it by hand in the nooks and crannies of the wheels. Follow that up with some Zaino Z5 and they should look great.

Poor boys wheel sealant is probably the best product that i've ever seen for the wheels. But you can always just treat them the same as you would the rest of your paint.

A light paint polish and wax is best for the O.E. wheels...Ask me why mine are black, hahaha... Very small hair line style scratches are normal wear and tear as well. When I worked at the dealer, I used to hear service writers tell customers that all the time anyways.....

I was a moron and and washed my wheels with a softer bristle brush the first day i had mine. the wheels had all kinds of swirl marks on them and i just put a coat of meguiers cleaner wax on them and the swirls went away. i have put about 3 coats on them since just to keep the brake dust at a minimum and i have never had a problem with them since. normally the Chevy factory rims have a clearcoat on them to protect against that kinda thing and i used to scrub my Stock S10 wheels with a brush regularly and they didn't have this problem ever. apparently they forgot that step on the HHRs... Good luck!

did not realize that they are not chrome and are polished aluminun, thanks

did try the Fusion, will have to try again, that product did remove the waterspots on the roof by hand.

don't know if sealant is what I am looking for, thanks for the tip though

did take a look at your pics, nice ride, I like the Black wheels.

will have to try that out.....thanks