How to fix your polished aluminum wheels..........lots of pics!!

[CHMSC]

Originally Posted by WiSSDiver

I'll add that with the scrapes on the rim to start, you're already through the clear anyway.

I did the exact same fix to my rear rim this weekend and it's much better than just leaving it look like a cheese grater. Great save!

Yes, if you have a good scrape on your wheel it's through the clear coat anyway. You will remove even more clear coat fixing the damage but it will look tons better than a gouged up wheel. You really can't even tell the clear coat isn't there unless you look really close.

That's also why I just took a small brush and went over the spots I fixed with a little clear coat. It's not prefect by all means but 99% of people would never see anything but a great looking wheel. You would have to get up close and personal to really see anything that was fixed.

[Lacpac]

This is a good thread. A similar thing happened on our RS except the curb really scraped up the face of one spline on the rim. My wife was heartbroken. I immediately ordered a remanufactured rim, that I am marginally impressed with. The inside of the rim was polished so it doesn't match the other three as well. I contacted one of my customers that deals in abrasives and he sent me a pack of 4 different grades of abrasive wheels to use on my angle grinder. After 45 minutes of delicate and nervouse application, I am amazed that the scratches and gouging is gone! Now I have a a spare 20" rim waiting for a tire. I wish I would have read your thread a year ago. If anyone would like pics, send me a message. I can always check the abrasive grades at home and post them if it would help someone. the Abrasives were from Suhner.

[CHMSC]

Originally Posted by Lacpac

This is a good thread. A similar thing happened on our RS except the curb really scraped up the face of one spline on the rim. My wife was heartbroken. I immediately ordered a remanufactured rim, that I am marginally impressed with. The inside of the rim was polished so it doesn't match the other three as well. I contacted one of my customers that deals in abrasives and he sent me a pack of 4 different grades of abrasive wheels to use on my angle grinder. After 45 minutes of delicate and nervouse application, I am amazed that the scratches and gouging is gone! Now I have a a spare 20" rim waiting for a tire. I wish I would have read your thread a year ago. If anyone would like pics, send me a message. I can always check the abrasive grades at home and post them if it would help someone. the Abrasives were from Suhner.

Thank you!! I wish there was a thread on this as well hence the reason I started it so others could try this on their own.

Feel free to post your pictures and how you did it. That is why I made this thread so others could share their experiences so we could help others.

[STL20102SS]

Good save! I have a few wheels as well that need this done.

Thanks for sharing!

[CHMSC]

Originally Posted by STL20102SS

Good save! I have a few wheels as well that need this done.

Thanks for sharing!

Glad to help man!!! There will be some fine scratches left but from even a few feet away most won't ever even see them.

May want to try doing a final sand with 3000 grit to make it cleaner.

[Bell040]

Did you actually use the "clear coat in a can"? I cant tell from the pics.

If so, can you tell were the transition is?

[CHMSC]

Originally Posted by Bell040

Did you actually use the "clear coat in a can"? I cant tell from the pics.

If so, can you tell were the transition is?

Ya I used clear coat in a can. I sprayed it into a small container and then brushed it on. You can see the transition only because I brushed it on quickly and left brush marks. You can only tell if you are like 1 foot away. I was going to sand it down a tad so you can't see the brush marks but I ran out of time.

[wadew2lt]

Nice job! What did you use for polishing?

[CHMSC]

Originally Posted by wadew2lt

Nice job! What did you use for polishing?

Any polish for aluminum should work good. I used flitz polish.

[Switchin2Chevy]

here are mine:

[Lacpac]

This is a great post. My wife was heartbroken when she brushed a high curb with polished 20" RS rims. I bought a reconditioned wheel right away, then learned from one of my customers, Suhner Industrial Power Tools, how to use a 4 step process and an angle grinder to bring the scuffed rim back to new. Now I have a spare rim that will hold a spare tire once the OEM's wear out. This post may save someone from spending hundreds on a reconditioned rim.

[CHMSC]

Originally Posted by Switchin2Chevy

here are mine:

Responded to your pm. If you need any further help let me know.

[CHMSC]

Originally Posted by Lacpac

This is a great post. My wife was heartbroken when she brushed a high curb with polished 20" RS rims. I bought a reconditioned wheel right away, then learned from one of my customers, Suhner Industrial Power Tools, how to use a 4 step process and an angle grinder to bring the scuffed rim back to new. Now I have a spare rim that will hold a spare tire once the OEM's wear out. This post may save someone from spending hundreds on a reconditioned rim.

Thanks it saved me a good bit of money.

[Rainbow1616]

Pot Hole got Me. How bad do you think this is?