Horrible wheels...Please suggest a solution

[golfdude]

Hello everyone. I am in the process of detailing another autopian nightmare...this time a Lotus Elise and need some help. The wheels were supposedly powdercoated, but from talking to others the wheels may have been done very poorly, or simply sprayed with a spray can. The wheels look like they have never been cleaned in ages, and there is surface rust that creates a very gritty surface. I have yet to try anything on them except for a water shot without much help. The pictures do a better job at describing the severity of the wheels. Any suggestions to remove the rust without a refinishing would be much appreciated. :thx

The last two pictures have a spot that I wiped off with a wet finger. Notice how dull the bottom picture looks.

 

[miahman98]

To me it doesn’t look like those wheels were powdercoated at all. It look like someone stripped them down then maybe prepped very poorly before using a rattle can to spray. The last picture seems to have paint flaking off. If this is the case then the only thing to do is to have them properly powdercoated. I hope I’m wrong and it can be fixed without going through that but it really doesn’t look like it.



Good luck and keep us posted. Hopefully you can tell me I was way off.

 

[JasonS]

I would use an EZ Detail Brush and a wheel cleaner gel to remove anything loose on the surface, then rinse and dry thorough so that you can better inspect the wheels. Try using a good metal polish in a small area after you clean the wheels to see if the rest of the rust can be removed.

 

[Eisen Hulk]

Were they stored at a rock quarry? I agree with Jason...Clean them up as much as possible to see what you're really working with. Keep us posted. Good luck.

 

[golfdude]

Thanks for the replies. I'll certainly keep everyone posted. This will probably be another one of my "disaster" threads. The interior has motor oil that sat on the aluminum floor, staining it. The paint is very dry, and I won't be getting to the wheels until tomorrow evening when a friend and I will be jacking the car to remove all 4, plus interior seat removal and possible center console repaint.

 

[qwertydude]

It does look like powder coat to me but it looks like poor prep work like they didn't strip it completely or bake it properly.

 

[golfdude]

Today the wheels were completely removed and cleaned without much success. First two applications had Meg's all wheel cleaner sit for a little bit. Then, Meg's wheel brighter was left to dwell for a bit. Both products were power hosed off using a 2600 psi washer using a proper angle attachment without success. Since we knew the wheels were completely gone and the only thing we could of done was refinish them, we did a last resort...parts cleaner. My buddy who helped me with this (he owns a bike shop) took a copper brush and parts cleaner and the stuff came off without damaging the finish. But, it took waaaayyyy too long for the stuff to come off in one section, so, we stopped. We knew that we weren't going to get paid for the amount of time to get it done. The refinishing costs less than what we would need do to it and so we just left it as-is. For all 4 wheels we simply sprayed Meg's all wheel cleaner and then power washed to call it a day with the wheels. Check-out the pro before/after of this vehicle within the next few days. I can't wait for it to end.