Wheel repair

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xxpappas13xx

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Hello all, fairly new to detailing. I was cleaning up these wheels to put on my car with mothers wheel cleaner specific for alloy finish wheels. I put it on and was fine for most, but appears to have some finish coming off and some scratches in the clear coat that were previously there. Is there any products that could restore finish, or what would be the best way to go about this and which products? Thanks (also sorry mods if i posted in the wrong section)


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Those look like fairly normal symptoms of neglect. The finish on wheels is actually less tough than on body panels, yet is in many ways subjected to much harsher conditions. Brake dust can contain fairly high concentrations of iron and chemically harsh compounds, and if left on the wheels' finish it just destroys it after a while.

Best solution if you really like and and want to keep the rims is to get them professionally refinished. Every town should have at least one good wheel refinisher, one upon which all the luxury car dealerships rely. I recently paid about $125 a rim for a full machining and refinishing, and had one wheel straightened and trued for an extra $30. They honestly didn't look this good when they were new. I immediately coated them with CQuartz UK.
 
While you're at it, wheels with such an open design really show off what's behind them. Grab a wire brush and go at the rust on your brake rotor hats, then paint them with POR-15.
 
Remove the wheels, get them media blasted and then powder coated. Once done coat them and call it good. You won't need much more than regular car soap or a rinseless wash to clean them going forward.
 
I figured it wouldn't be a simple repair but was worth asking. Couldn't I sand them with low grit sandpaper and work my way up to higher grit and polish when the finish is all gone as well?
 
xxpappas13xx said:
I figured it wouldn't be a simple repair but was worth asking. Couldn't I sand them with low grit sandpaper and work my way up to higher grit and polish when the finish is all gone as well?
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A bare metal wheel will be a maintaince nightmare.

Based on the price of Sport Edition wheels it might be worth just buying a new one. TireRack offers them at very reasonable prices
 
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