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polishing clear coated wheels

13K views 15 replies 7 participants last post by  TheSilverOne 
#1 ·
Got 2 wheels from a salvage yard and in the process of getting them ready.
Went to a wand car wash, soaped them up, high pressure washed them, wiped them with a drying towel, and rinsed them off-- did the front and back.
Looking on the net I saw where if your wheels are clear coated you should NOT use mag cleaner as it is too abrasive to the clear coat.

Both wheels have some scuff marks ( you can feel)on the outer edge, and one has some dark marks on the spokes ( you can't feel them).
The better looking one I used some car clear coat cleaner on it and while it brought out some shine it has some scratches (from throwing around at the salvage yard).
Shown is pic of one that was washed and dried---- and then of one the washed, dried and car cleaner applied and buffed with a diaper towel.
I know the deeper scratches that you can feel would need to be professionally refurbished by a wheel specialist. But the ones that are on the polished wheel look bad. Any suggestions on how to polish out these scratches on the clear coating??
 

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#3 ·
I'll offer this but I have no experience on which to base it.

Clear-coated wheels are the same as a painted car. Shine them the same way and you should be good.

But I could also be mistaken . . .
 
#5 ·
This... but the clear coat used in wheels is usually harder than the clear used on paint so be prepared. A PC with some 4" pads would be your best friend for this job. Start with least aggressive polish and work your way up until you get results. Last resort would be wet sanding.
 
#4 ·
On the wheel I used car cleaner for clear coat on, I used Blue Magic aluminum wheel polish,lightly applied and buffed out, then a plastic polish afterwards.

The difference between the unpolished and polished wheels.

Took a photo of the polished wheel, one without camera flash, one with flash.

Much shinier than just washed and car cleaner waxed --and I can live with the curb rash along the edge of the wheel, but those scratches on the spokes:(:(
 

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#10 ·
It is pretty thick. I used the Blue Majic and a cordless 18volt power drill at medium speed. it did take out some of the light scratches, hid some of the road rash scuffs along the rim edge and polished it up real nice. I then took some plastic polish and buffed it out to shine it up a little more. Still had the deep scratches in the wheels.............the only thing left it to strip clear coat, resand and repaint.

For this old man:eek:--too hot and time consuming...LOL
 
#9 ·
I searched online for recycled wheels and found one in town, about 15 miles from me. :)They have a good assortment of already refurbished alloy wheels for all makes and models, and I emailed to see if they had replacements. They have the exact alloy wheels like the Chevy HHR wheels I got from the junk yard. If I have them redo the ones I have, it costs about $125 each. If I buy the ones they already finished they are $175 each, and will credit me between $30-$50 each(depending on condition) on the wheels I bring in to trade.

I checked with a Chevy dealership and they are asking over $500 each for these type wheels. The ones I found at the junk yard cost me less than $50 each. Buying the already refurbished wheels,I wouldn't have to strip the clearcoat off my junkyard wheels, sand with 600 grit, then 1000 grit then 2000 grit sand paper--polish them then repolish and wax--very time consuming, and hot in my un-airconditioned garage in Houston's summer heat.:( ( I'm not a youngster anymore :p) LOL
 
#12 ·
The wheels on the car are Nissan Altima wheels (5X114). They have been drilled out to fit the Malibu bolt pattern.(5X110)and they have a Chevy Emblem decal over the Nissan named center caps.

I would like Chevy type wheels on a Chevy car. (guess I'm just particular...):rolleyes::rolleyes:
The rest of the car is in EXCELLENT condition..inside and out (35,000 miles on a 2006 car).
 
#13 · (Edited)
Got 2 refurbished wheels ( 2006-2007 Chevy HHR) to replace the incorrect Nissan wheels that were on my car when I bought it last year.Waiting for the wheel place to get 2 more on Monday.
They were refinished but not as shiney as I wanted them to be.
I used some plastic polish --let dry to a haze,and a cordless power drill at medium speed with a Mothers Powerball, to buff the polish off. Then I put more polish on and let it dry to a haze again and used a fast speed to buff it off. I did the exact same way with 2 coats of Mequiars clear coat car wax.
Made a HUGE difference in the brightness and shine of the factory look--refinished wheel.
 

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