Can these polished wheels be brought back 100%?

[purplenurple]

Im thinking of picking up these used CCW 19s for my GTO, but they have some scratches it seems and also looks like some "micro-marring" from improper washing/polishing I presume.
Heres the pics:

I know that the pics suck, but I cant help that...

Also, anyone with polished wheels - how often do you polish them and can paint sealant be used on them?
Thanks

 

[budman3]

It'll take some work but there is hope. I'd want to remove scratches vs. staining on aluminum, I believe. Heat is key when working with polished aluminum wheels. I have an assortment of cotton 'bobs' and adaptors to use with a rotary polisher along with a Mother's Powerball. The powerball is nice for maitenance but won't do a whole lot for the bad stuff. I am currently using Mother's Mag polish along with a product from Bush. Meguiar's NXT metal polish has had many good reviews as well. Tell the owner that you don't care for the wheels much because of the damage, hopefully he'll lower the price, take them home and shine them up . I use Poorboy's wheel sealant on polished aluminum... I'm sure a sealant will work but I figured it'd be a good idea to use the Wheel sealant on wheels .

 

[mixxer]

lol those are the worst pics i ve ever seen cant see a thing?

 

[purplenurple]

Tell the owner that you don't care for the wheels much because of the damage, hopefully he'll lower the price, take them home and shine them up . .

Well these $2,600+ wheels and hes selling for 2k with front and worn rear tires. Im trying to work him down, but if they cant be recovered I dunno if I want them. Note the scratch in the 2nd to last pic...

 

[conan777]

Offer him $1600 at the most, maybe even less. He obviously did not take good care of those wheels

 

[budman3]

It's really hard to tell from the pictures. Is that curb rash in the 2nd to last pic? If so, I'm not sure that can be fixed. If its just normal scratches, nothing too deep then it's no big deal, but just like paint, if its too deep then you are kind of out of luck... I personally have never delt with curb rash on aluminum wheels but it can't be a good thing. You may be able to sand it down to lessen the damage but I'm fairly certain it won't be perfect.

 

[purplenurple]

Offer him $1600 at the most, maybe even less. He obviously did not take good care of those wheels

He says that he has polished the wheels every other wash and that he enjoys polishing them or w/e, and he uses "master forumula polish "

Just sounds like bad technique, but I dont wanna sound harsh and say Ill give you 3/4 of your asking price because the wheels are in bad shape and show bad maintenance.

 

[ScottB]

having high polish uncoated Iforged Wheels for past three years, they are a bear and need to be coated/polished monthly. That said, they do correct fairly easily. I think they are a nice choice for your goat. You can always send them back to CCW to be chrome dipped.

 

[purplenurple]

having high polish uncoated Iforged Wheels for past three years, they are a bear and need to be coated/polished monthly. That said, they do correct fairly easily. I think they are a nice choice for your goat. You can always send them back to CCW to be chrome dipped.

How much work do you think will be needed with these particular wheels? Also, what do you use to seal the wheels? Ill be going away to college next year, so I dont know if Ill be able to polish + seal monthly.

 

[mobiledr.detail313]

this just my opinion on how i treat poorly keep rims, i use a 30/70 water/stainless steel acid cleaner first with a soft bristle brush, then rinse with warm water then rewash with your favorite car wash shampoo, then i use flitz alluminum wheel polish with the flitz powerball and then last step i use a high quailty chrome wheel wax with plenty of micrfibers and u should be fine. heres an example (pics may not be all that clear but you'll see the difference)

 

[ScottB]

How much work do you think will be needed with these particular wheels? Also, what do you use to seal the wheels? Ill be going away to college next year, so I dont know if Ill be able to polish + seal monthly.

They are going to be a bear at first, but you have a very open wheel pattern so you can use a high speed drill and some mushroom heads. The Wolfgang Metalwerks offerings would work nice too.

Once they are brought up to spec a quick final wipe with something like DP Wheel Glaze, Poorboys Wheel Protectant, or Zaino CS will help. Most of the time you can clean with just soap/water. Best part of these products, you can do them in any parking lot (without need for water) in less than 15 minutes.