I goofed up.

Bought myself a '14 Tundra. Super excited. Decided to wash the truck and used a wheel cleaner (similar to purple power) that I've used on all of my previous vehicles and managed to do this.... Any ideas on how to get it off?

 

You might have actually removed what was on there?

 

Yikes!

 

It appears to be a residue. If I take my fingernail to it, it begins to come off. I used Comet Cleaner on it and that kinda works but will take me about 10 hours to do all 4 wheels

 

Maybe some hot water would loosen that up and make it easier....

 

Might try simple green and warm water.

 

I've done that on aluminum wheels looks like you removed the clear coat.

 

sounds like you are going to make a bad thing worse by doing this. Comet is abrasive which will scratch the finish. Try using a non marking scotch brite pad and some car wash soap. The pad should scrub off the residue without causing further damage. Follow up that with an application of spray detailer.

Unless you have some majorly neglected wheels, you should only be using car wash soap and soft brushes on those wheels.

 

Just be careful when you try different things that you don't use anything abrasive that will do more damage. I don't think Comet is abrasive, but some similar products are; hence their super cleaning properties, but not good for paint or clear coat.
Engine degreaser should take just about anything off, but I am not sure that I would try it on an alloy wheel. How about regular wheel cleaners - try a known brand like Mother's or Meguiars and see what that does.

 

Comet contains calcium carbonate which is a very mild abrasive. On aluminum wheels, only use either standard car wash soap or cleaners specifically designed for aluminum alloy wheels. Personally, I've been using the inexpensive Armor All wheel and tire cleaner and have had no issues. Meguiar's makes a good one called Hot Rims Aluminum Wheel Cleaner that I've used in the past with really good results.

I don't invest nearly as much as some of the others here but I would recommend using the proper tools for the job at hand. It doesn't have to require a life savings, either. I'm thinking the same as some of the other posts, that the clear coat has been severely damaged. You're probably going to have to find some temporary wheels (unless you can do without your truck for a while) and have those either repainted or powder coated.

--Matt

 

This!

I have the same wheel, first set of black wheesl. Could have easily made the same mistake. Luckily have only cleaned with car wash soap. Actually applied some Lucas spray wax to help protect.

It looks possibly bad, but would try a wheel sealant or wax to help revive.

Good luck.

 

Have same wheels.
Did something similar in year one with the Meguiars wheel cleaner (the pink or purple stuff)...either way, don't use it.
The best cleaner I've found for these wheels is the West Coast Customs, Wheel/Tire cleaner....get it at Wal-Mart.

You may need to get a cone buffer and repolish the wheels. Don't worry...I did the same thing and was able to get the factory look back.
Then use a less abrasive cleaner in the future.

 

I’ve done that before as well when washing the truck on a hot day. Didn’t wash it off soon enough. I just used car wash soap and one of those sponges with the netting type stuff wrapped around it to remove bugs/ debris. Gave it a good scrub and hit it with the pressure washer. Then add your choice of tire shine etc and you should be good to go.