Help With Polished/Chrome Rims

[vtec92civic]

I have these rims on by truck:

Weld Racing Cheyenne 6
20"x12 rims. I have been having a debate with myself on if they are polished or chrome.

I have been super busy with detailing so i have had very little time to pay close attention to my own truck since we have 2 that we use for our detailing.

The wheel has some light water spots and has some scratches that i would consider to be like marring/swirls on a painted surface. I have some polish that i have been using for a while that works ok, but i see some people rolling around with rims like mine that look new, and even this one guy i talked to who details his cars very often has rims similar to me and they look like they came off the show room floor and he has had them for years.

I just want to polish them up real good, and get rid of the scratches.

What polish/pad combo could i use for this? Would it be safe to us my PC or Makita with a certain pad?

Any help would be greatly appreciated. I guess i would also need to establish if they are chrome or polished.

When i run polish on them such as wicked metal polish the MicroFiber turns black if that helps. Pics up soon.

Thanks

[vtec92civic]

http://img82.imageshack.us/img82/857/rim1me5.jpg

http://img526.imageshack.us/img526/4196/rim6qp8.jpg

http://img524.imageshack.us/img524/8489/rim5qr7.jpg

http://img523.imageshack.us/img523/4504/rim4scratcheski2.jpg

http://img521.imageshack.us/img521/8625/rim3scratcheszv0.jpg

http://img520.imageshack.us/img520/9222/rim2sf5.jpg

There are some pics as you can see the scratches that i would refer to as micro marring/swirls.

Any help?

[pricha00]

I would say those are polished aluminum for sure. Chrome way to hard to have those swirls and brighter shine on chrome too. Why not try one of those polishing balls and one of the many wheel polishes available OTC.

Pat.

[vtec92civic]

I would say those are polished aluminum for sure. Chrome way to hard to have those swirls and brighter shine on chrome too. Why not try one of those polishing balls and one of the many wheel polishes available OTC.

Pat.

That was something that i did want to try. How strong of a drill do you need? Not sure if i want to try to get a better drill then the one i have.

Any wheel polishes you recommend that might help?

[wagonproject]

How To: Polish Aluminum Wheels - S-10 Forum (http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f74/how-to-polish-aluminum-wheels-192087/)

I've done it many times. And damn I want the Cheyenne's. I just couldn't justify the price for them. Damn weld and their high prices, but damn their nice rims. Ill keep my black rockstars for now!

[vtec92civic]

I did a read through on that and hopefully it works on clear coated rims or so i think mine have a clear coat. Never thought that using a latex glove would help, but i'll try it hopefully this week.


How To: Polish Aluminum Wheels - S-10 Forum (http://www.s10forum.com/forum/f74/how-to-polish-aluminum-wheels-192087/)

I've done it many times. And damn I want the Cheyenne's. I just couldn't justify the price for them. Damn weld and their high prices, but damn their nice rims. Ill keep my black rockstars for now!

[ScottB]

If yours are clearcoated the scratches would likely not be as prevalent. You would then treat them as paint. Those pics suggest aluminum uncoated wheels. You can test a small area with a metal polish and if you see black tarnish on towel, they are not coated.

Using a mushroom polishing head, a good drill, and various metal polishes can help tremendously. Unfortunately uncoated wheels are always in a state of tarnish and never found much to protect long term and look nice. Most of these brush on products make them look milky versus shiny.

[vtec92civic]

If yours are clearcoated the scratches would likely not be as prevalent. You would then treat them as paint. Those pics suggest aluminum uncoated wheels. You can test a small area with a metal polish and if you see black tarnish on towel, they are not coated.

Using a mushroom polishing head, a good drill, and various metal polishes can help tremendously. Unfortunately uncoated wheels are always in a state of tarnish and never found much to protect long term and look nice. Most of these brush on products make them look milky versus shiny.

I have polished them before. Using a metal polish and the polish and the microfiber do turn black. There is one guy who lives near my girlfriend who has similar rims though i don't see him much anymore. He polishes his rims all the rime and uses wax after to protect them, but i just want to get rid of the scratches . . . most marks like water spots and stuff come of when i polish them . . . . where can i get a mushroom polishing head or a buff wheel type pad for my makita?

I'm trying to save them before they get really bad.

[ScottB]

Lake Country Wool Ball Polishing Balls polish metals, plastics, fiberglass, and more just like a wool pad. Polish wheels, polish metal, wool polish (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-wool-ball-polishing-tool.html)

I use to get smaller ones from Eastwood. You use your drill. P21S Polishing Soap is nice to remove the tarnish, but needs to be followed up with a metal polish, here what I do.

1. Wash with P21S Wheel Cleaner
2. Rewash with P21S Polishing Soap
3. Dry
4. Polish with metal polishing and mushroom bob's
5. Seal with Poorboys Wheel Sealant

[vtec92civic]

Lake Country Wool Ball Polishing Balls polish metals, plastics, fiberglass, and more just like a wool pad. Polish wheels, polish metal, wool polish (http://www.autogeek.net/lake-country-wool-ball-polishing-tool.html)

I use to get smaller ones from Eastwood. You use your drill. P21S Polishing Soap is nice to remove the tarnish, but needs to be followed up with a metal polish, here what I do.

1. Wash with P21S Wheel Cleaner
2. Rewash with P21S Polishing Soap
3. Dry
4. Polish with metal polishing and mushroom bob's
5. Seal with Poorboys Wheel Sealant

That wool polishing ball won't scratch up the rim or anything? Got any hots of your rims and how long you have had them? I'm hoping that stuff works . . . willing to give it a shot.

[ScottB]

My Iforged have been on car since new, about 3 years. Most would suggest they still look new ...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/PICT0042.JPG

[vtec92civic]

My Iforged have been on car since new, about 3 years. Most would suggest they still look new ...

http://www.autogeekonline.net/gallery/data/500/medium/PICT0042.JPG

Holly crap . . . that's what im talking about. Have your rims ever got as bad of shape as mine though? That is really crazy that they still look like that. Are they chrome or polished? clear or non clear coated? I need to get that stuff you recommended and give it a shot.

[Pyrocite]

Looks like you have some scratches on those rims, i would use 2000 grit sandpaper on them. It doesn't sound like they have any clear coat on them since its turning your rag black.
I used 2000-3000grit sandpaper combo on my rims (although they only have a metal/chrome lip) with some elbow grease they look much better.
Also had some other metal parts clear powder coated but that didnt really help and cleaning that is a pain, so i learned my lesson not to clear coat bare polished metal (metal sealant is ok :)).

Take the rim off and experiment on the back of it for best results. :D

[vtec92civic]

Looks like you have some scratches on those rims, i would use 2000 grit sandpaper on them. It doesn't sound like they have any clear coat on them since its turning your rag black.
I used 2000-3000grit sandpaper combo on my rims (although they only have a metal/chrome lip) with some elbow grease they look much better.
Also had some other metal parts clear powder coated but that didnt really help and cleaning that is a pain, so i learned my lesson not to clear coat bare polished metal (metal sealant is ok :)).

Take the rim off and experiment on the back of it for best results. :D

taking sand paper to these rims scares me a little bit only because they were so expensive. I'll give thst some thought though . . . thanks for the input.

[ScottB]

Holly crap . . . that's what im talking about. Have your rims ever got as bad of shape as mine though? That is really crazy that they still look like that. Are they chrome or polished? clear or non clear coated? I need to get that stuff you recommended and give it a shot.

these wheels are uncoated high polished aluminum and a bear to clean. I will go back to chrome in future for easier maintenance. They never have gotten real bad, but problem with all aluminum wheels is they are always in a state of tarnish or degrade.