Nice. Thread saved. Most of these wheels were 7-8 years old or so at the time. I don't think my original wheels were ever cleaned either (13 years). Maybe one day I'll give em a good cleaning now that I see how they look afterward.
Current wheels are washed with the same soapy water that's left over from washing the truck (front & back while reaching through the spokes) and no issues so far. Moral of the story, "if you keep em clean, they'll stay clean" ;)