i have the stock 2000 se rims dipped in chrome...is there anyway i could prevent anything from happinin to them from the salt ? or should i just buy a cheap set for the winter

 

You might want to consider a sealant glaze like Meguiar's #20, Klasse, or Blackfire to protect the rims. I treated my '02's rims with Klasse Sealant Glaze and they were much easier to clean even after driving them on the salt ridden streets and highways of Chicago.

 

do i just apply this one time ?

 

I applied it once and it worked well. If you want more protection, you can "layer" (add more coats (typically, 2 or 3)) the sealant glaze.

 

I do the sealant, then top it off with a nice paste wax whenever I travel up north (when its snowing up there, that is)