Refinishing alum. wheels
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Joined: May 2005
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Refinishing alum. wheels
Has anyone ever refinished aluminum wheels? Mine are startiing to show smoe corrosion. If anyone can link a site or let me know the process to gget my wheels cleaned up please let me know. thanks 
noob alert!
Joined: Feb 2005
Posts: 6
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From: socal
Mother's polish is my favorite aluminum polish.
If you have OEM 'polished' wheels then they probably have a clear coat and can't be polished. The only way to clean up OEM polished wheels like LS Mesh, Fat 5s, ect.. would be to strip that clearcoat off and polish the bare metal.
Paint 'em or sell them to some dumb sucker (like me) if you're too lazy to polish them regularly.
I used paint remover and synthetic steel wool to strip the clearcoat from my LS Mesh wheels. It was a major bitch getting all of that stuff off but I did it.
I carefully removed some curb rash with a fine file, some 400 grit, and 1500 grit sandpaper. Then I polished them up with some Mothers polish and now they look great.
I have to re-polish my wheels every time I wash my car or the aluminum starts to dull and oxidize.
This is a spare wheel I stripped and polished a few months ago. It's been laying around my garage so it's kinda scuffed and finger printed but you'll get the point.
If you have OEM 'polished' wheels then they probably have a clear coat and can't be polished. The only way to clean up OEM polished wheels like LS Mesh, Fat 5s, ect.. would be to strip that clearcoat off and polish the bare metal.
Paint 'em or sell them to some dumb sucker (like me) if you're too lazy to polish them regularly.
I used paint remover and synthetic steel wool to strip the clearcoat from my LS Mesh wheels. It was a major bitch getting all of that stuff off but I did it.
I carefully removed some curb rash with a fine file, some 400 grit, and 1500 grit sandpaper. Then I polished them up with some Mothers polish and now they look great.
I have to re-polish my wheels every time I wash my car or the aluminum starts to dull and oxidize.
This is a spare wheel I stripped and polished a few months ago. It's been laying around my garage so it's kinda scuffed and finger printed but you'll get the point.
