Easy way to restore black rims?

H

HTX

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So, I don't have a micro polisher, and most that I've seen are expensive... $300-$600. If anyone knows of a more affordable personal-use option, please let me know.

Anyway, I used a bit of meguire's ultimate compound and polish to sample a small area of my wife's 2-year old rims using a hand application. Problem is, it took me 2 passes of compound and 2 passes of polish to obtain "meh" results on a tiny area. Color restored to 90%, scratches restored maybe 50%. Rather exhausting...

I tried Wolfgang products as well, but believe it or not, meguire's had more impact. My guess is that Wolfgang isnt intended for use without a DA.

My question is, are bland results the best that I could hope for with hand application? Or are there superior products that work well without a polisher?

Thanks in advance for any input you may offer!
 
Save your brain and your brawn, and get the wheels powder coated …you can do each wheel for about 100-150 bucks and they look outstanding when you’re done. And you’re done forever.
 
Any pictures of the wheels? What is your goal for them? To remove swirls/scratches or were they glossy and now look matte from neglect?
 
First photo shows rim in current condition
View attachment 73553
Second photo shows sample area of hand polish
View attachment 73554

To answer your questions, my goal is to get them looking better, not perfect but at least better. They were glossy and now appear hazed with lots of scratches.
 
You’re not giving yourself enough credit. The hand polished are is much better. But a machine would help speed things along. If you’re not going to buy a machine, then carry on with the hand polishing because it is helping!
 
fly07sti said:
You’re not giving yourself enough credit. The hand polished are is much better. But a machine would help speed things along. If you’re not going to buy a machine, then carry on with the hand polishing because it is helping!
Click to expand...

What he said.
 
I bought a cheap drill kit with pads that I use on my black wheels with excellent results. I use meguiars ultra polishing wax and it does great but they also were not neglected.
a0ae0a0d3533bfbeb5fa50dc9e5e685b.jpg


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Seems like you got good results by hand. A machine will net you better results but as stated don't sell yourself short on the job you did by hand. There are other tools that are cheaper. The other option is the mothers powerball/cone and a drill. In most cases it works well but in the rare occasion it can leave some marring.

Black wheels are a pain to keep looking good.
 
Thanks everyone for the feedback.

As for the neglect, I should have been applying some sort of paint protection... I kept holding off thinking that if replace the wheels, but by time my wife decided to keep these, it was too late. And now I'm paying the price. LoL
 
Meg's power cone or like for a drill. Go slow, use it to do most but not all of the work as they do tend to leave some micro marring on some finishes. Finish by hand as the efforts there won't be much. Work on one wheel at a time and refine them to your liking. You did great so far.

Then apply GYEON Q2 Rim and be done with it. Wash by hand with a microfiber not a brush
 
•Of course, as you have found out, through
due diligence: you can eventually improve
the wheels’ aesthetics.
-{But afterwards: how long will this very
tedious and time-consuming task actually
last before it needs to be done all over again?}


•However, you asked for the easy way to
obtain wheel restoration; and, IMO, AGO
forum member glen e gave the definitive
answer, found in his below posting:
glen e said:
Save your brain and your brawn, and
get the wheels powder coated…

And you’re done forever.
Click to expand...


^^^ :iagree:


Bob
 
For anyone interested in a follow-up, I tried the Mother's Powerball. Results are comparable to hand polishing, but this was far less taxing on elbow grease. As for powder coating, I will most likely go that route in 6 months or so... seeing as though it would be a less expensive option than paying a professional detailer to try and restore these, or buying a $400 micro polisher that would still require a full-day of work.

Before
View attachment 73558
After
View attachment 73559

Thanks again for everyone's input.
 
glen e said:
Save your brain and your brawn, and get the wheels powder coated …you can do each wheel for about 100-150 bucks and they look outstanding when you’re done. And you’re done forever.
Click to expand...

FUNX650 said:
•However, you asked for the easy way to
obtain wheel restoration; and, IMO, AGO
forum member glen e gave the definitive
answer, found in his below posting:



^^^ :iagree:


Bob
Click to expand...



Although powdercoating to fix and have easier maintenance is a sound idea...... it would be the same price or more....... was looking for a less expensive fix...

HTX said:
So, I don't have a micro polisher, and most that I've seen are expensive... $300-$600. If anyone knows of a more affordable personal-use option, please let me know.

My question is, are bland results the best that I could hope for with hand application? Or are there superior products that work well without a polisher?

Thanks in advance for any input you may offer!
Click to expand...



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
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