Looking to keep these my newly painted/polished AMG wheels tip top. Opinions needed

[Matador]

Hi Guys,

So I've had these wheels lip repolished because when I had originally brought it to the painter, he had the lip machined and the faces painted to stock color, and cleared it all. The clear started to peel....so I got pretty pissed as this cost me a pretty penny. He was an acquaintance so I worked with him, but after doing research people said there's no clear that should stick to a 'polished' surface like he said should have happened and when the clear started peeling off the lip since it was bare/unpainted he didn't know what to do except giving me two options--clear it again and see if it sticks or just take off all clear and hand polish it but leave it bare.

I just said screw it and leave it bare but polished. He did just that and they look AMAZING. The only issue is the Aluminum is bare and the wheels on the inside and out need a deep cleaning.

I also noticed some paint drip on one of the wheels so he repainted that one, but the other 3 have had this paint on them for months now.

My question is, how long do I have to wait until I can put a coat of sealant and later PBL Wheel coating on the freshly painted wheel? I've read on here about a month, but my painter said like 10ish-11 days. To be safe I am going to wait it out for at least a month.

Here's pics of the wheels.

I was going to repolish them too, before applying the PBL coating. I have a GG3 that I was thinking of using on the lip/spokes to polish. Right now I have Chemical guys heavy metal polish. I was probably going to use that or purchase their light polish.

Could I use that little guy to polish the lips? Or am I better off getting one of those 'balls' to polish? Any thoughts would be MUCH appreciated! I am a newb when it comes to dealing wtih bare, unpolished aluminum lips.

Edit: @Mike@dedicatedperfection is who sold me on this coating. Product Review: PBL Wheel Coating w/ 6month update

[Matador]

So I see no one else replied to this thread before lol.

I was contemplating starting a new one..but said what the hell and respond to this one.

So I got to cleaning the other 3 wheels that Don't have fresh paint. My question is, how do I clean the grease/gunk or whatever?? I tried my wheel cleaner, I then went at the wheels with TRIX which got rid of a lot of it...but it's really stuck in there (the black stuff). I tried taking it out with a towel..but that took FOREVER and barely got me anywhere. This wheel alone took me three hours.

I also had a bucket of Chemical guys Citrus wash with my wheel woolies, a rough scrub brush I use for tires, a softer mothers brush I use normally to scrub wheels, and a bigger mothers brush I use for wheel wells.

NONE could do much. I even got desperate and took my 'carpet' stiffer brush head and put it on my GG3 and went at it. Did good work..but not enough.

Is there something I am not doing right here?



After:



Up close pic of embedded gunk.





Is this just how it is? What am I not doing right that's not breaking up the 'gunk' in the crevices?

HELP!!

[swanicyouth]

I know you'll get a bunch of responses telling you to try this chemical or that product - but I'm going to tell you - that's pretty much how it is.

That is years of baked on brake dust, rotor iron, and dirt. It has fused with the finish after years of heating and cooling cycles. This is a slow chemical reaction that has been catalyzed by temperature changes over time...

The only thing that will remove it that is likely available to the DIY'er is sanding - which will compromise the finish.

It's not on the wheel face - so I wouldn't worry about it. If you really can't live with it, it will cost you a grand to have the wheels refinished correctly. Just clean 'em the best you can.


****please support trans-species humans.

[Matador]

Thanks! Bummed.

Well, will go at it again today. See if I get even more of that muck out.

[Setec Astronomy]

Well, that kind of looks like black paint, but Swanic is probably right that it's just baked on brake residue. The problem with the iron-eating wheel cleaners is there is some portion of brake dust that isn't iron...and that needs something else to break it down. Most acid wheel cleaners are HF or ABF based which I don't recommend using. I have a wheel cleaner that uses a different type of acid (which I found out you can only get in 5 gallon pails now, so I probably won't be getting any of that any more), which will work on that baked on stuff, but you still have to let it dwell for a long time and scrub it and do it again...and again. And then you want to make sure it hasn't run into any crevices that you haven't neutralized it in and have it sit there...because that won't be good.

Anyway, I know how frustrating this can be, but you might just have to live with it as Swanic suggested. Some people have suggested that caustic wheel cleaners (opposite of acid) are good for that kind of residue...but either caustic or acid you need to be careful you don't stain your unpainted lip on the front from cleaner dripping through while you do the back.

[Matador]

Thanks. bummed. I was hoping on getting these amazingly clean and applying the PBL wheel coating to both barrel and face/lip. I guess that's not the case anymore then. May just have to do only the face of of the wheel and lip.

I also noticed the lip is starting to oxidize. Anyone have experience polishing aluminum lips with a GG3 and pads?

[Setec Astronomy]

I've had wheels repainted (as Swanic suggested) because I couldn't get the backs to my satisfaction, but they were wheels that weren't painted in the back...at least you have paint so there is a good chance you can get that black stuff off, it depends if you want to take the time and there is the risk you'll break the paint in the process.

As far as the lip it doesn't look to me like the GG 3" is really going to help with that, I'm thinking you're going to have to do it by hand.

Where are you located?

[Matador]

Dang. What polish do you recommend? I actually think I have it figured out how to get the gunk off. I used a scrub pad that worked wonders. I just used it with water today because of friends suggestion. I don't care about the possible damage it may cause back there cause it's already worn and screwed. I just want to make it clean to accept the PBL coating.


I'm in northern Virginia.

[Setec Astronomy]

If the lip is unpainted, there are several good metal polishes available here at Autogeek, or that you may be able to find locally. Mothers is mentioned frequently.