Problem with polishing iForged rims,any suggestions?

W

woptang22

New member
I recently put a set of polished iForged rims with black centers on my M3. They looked nice for about two weeks and now they look like crap. I went out and bought mothers billet polish for them because I heard it was the best. Well today I decided to polish them back to a nice shine and its not working so good. They look cloudy and not very shinny like they did a few weeks ago. So I ended up trying normal mothers mag and aluminum polish. That didnt work at all. They look like they have cloudy stains in them but I dont know why, and why it wont shine up. Also it looks like the polish and rag combo I am using leaves little hairline scratches throughout the polished wheel. Does anyone know why this could be happening? Am I using the wrong towel. I use a blue microfiber towel. Is there any better applicator for aluminum polish to use? Any help would be greatly appreciated. thanks John
 
John,

Not familar with those rims. Are they polished aluminum, stainless steel, clear-coated or what?
 
Boss_429 said:
Well, if that's the case, I have two product recommendations. Up until a little while ago, my favorite metal polishes were found here:

http://www.heavymetalpolish.com/Products/Polishes/

The light and medium HMP are still GREAT polishes. However, I recently had the chance to try some samples of these products:

http://www.englishcustompolishing.com/usca/automotive.html

The Showman's Polish in particular is AWESOME! :bigups
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Thanks for the sites. Yes the rims I have are like HRE rims. They have a big 4 inch polished lip in the rear and a 2 1/2 inch lip in the front. I bought the mothers billet assuming it was the best from what I heard. I just dont understand the results. The wheels are coming up cloudy witha few stains here and there. Also fine scratches are being left behind. Maybe Im not using the proper microfiber to appy with? But what I am doing is applying the billet with one cloth, and taking it off with a clean cloth. Is that correct. A few of my buddies told me to use the same rag and keep rubbing in the polish until it totally disappears to a nice shine. I dont know how to do it.
 
The problem is that you are trying to polished clearcoated wheels with an abrasive metal polish. The iForged rims are all clearcoated and while the lips may be "polished" they are cleared over which makes them easy to work with.

Move to a product such as Meguiar's Scratch-X (for an OTC product) and work it in with a terry applicator, then remove with an MF towel.
 
GSRstilez said:
The problem is that you are trying to polished clearcoated wheels with an abrasive metal polish. The iForged rims are all clearcoated and while the lips may be "polished" they are cleared over which makes them easy to work with.

Move to a product such as Meguiar's Scratch-X (for an OTC product) and work it in with a terry applicator, then remove with an MF towel.
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The lips of my iForges rims are not clear coated. I noticed that myself because when I polish with mothers the black residue shows up. I also double checked by contacting Vince from iForged which is the guy I bought them from and he told me that the lips of the rims are NOT clear coated. I was thinking they may have a had a clear on them when I first bought the polish but he assured me they werent cleared. So that cant be the problem.
 
matthiasj said:
the clear coat cant be polished, but the lip can, with Mothers, and a strong arm.
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Yes thats what I have been trying. I think some people are thinking that I am trying to polish the black painted centers, but Im not. I am trying to polish the lips of the rims which are polished aluminum with no clear coat. But it doesnt seem to be coming up very shinny. Its very cloudy looking. And I have no idea why?
 
i dont understand, i doubt its the towel your using. I use Mother's Mag and Alumn. on my tail pipes, and it works great. Maybe you should work it in more.
 
matthiasj said:
i dont understand, i doubt its the towel your using. I use Mother's Mag and Alumn. on my tail pipes, and it works great. Maybe you should work it in more.
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Ya maybe I need to work it in better. Maybe I am doing too much of the rim at one time and letting it dry, because it says not to let it dry. Maybe I am trying to cover to much area at once? I will have to give it another try after I wash the car again. I also order some poorboys wheel sealant so I want to put that on to protect after I get them shinning nice.
 
to polish non clear coated wheels, I use a small cotton buffing wheel which attaches to my drill. Smear some polish (Wenol, Mothers, Simichrome) on approx. 1/2 of the rim and work the buffing wheel until the mirror finish comes out. Wipe off any residue (or excess polish black streaks) with an old mf and continue on to the next portion.

The buffing wheels can be purchased at most hardware stores and some come in a kit for with the shank.

1007NXT_TechPolish_InsidePlusOutside-med.jpg
 
Totoland Mach said:
to polish non clear coated wheels, I use a small cotton buffing wheel which attaches to my drill. Smear some polish (Wenol, Mothers, Simichrome) on approx. 1/2 of the rim and work the buffing wheel until the mirror finish comes out. Wipe off any residue (or excess polish black streaks) with an old mf and continue on to the next portion.

The buffing wheels can be purchased at most hardware stores and some come in a kit for with the shank.

1007NXT_TechPolish_InsidePlusOutside-med.jpg
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Wow see your wheels look great. Mine havent come out like that yet. I have to try to get the drill bit to do this with. Using a drill sounds like it will work much better then hand. I have to find a place in my area that sells those types of attachments.
 
woptang22: here is a supplier in N.Y. that I use for my buffing wheels. He carries a large selection and the service is good.

http://www.hobbytool.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=14

I have also used the Mother's Power Ball (works well on the inner rim, but is pretty big for just doing the outside portion). Some of the national part houses (Auto Zone, Advance, etc) have started to stock this item, but the price is a little high for a product like this.

Good Luck

Totoland Mach
 
Totoland Mach said:
woptang22: here is a supplier in N.Y. that I use for my buffing wheels. He carries a large selection and the service is good.

http://www.hobbytool.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=14

I have also used the Mother's Power Ball (works well on the inner rim, but is pretty big for just doing the outside portion). Some of the national part houses (Auto Zone, Advance, etc) have started to stock this item, but the price is a little high for a product like this.

Good Luck

Totoland Mach
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I just talked to my local sears hardware and a home depot and they both have them. the one from sears is a 3 inch wheel. Does that sound ok to you? and the one from home depot they didnt specify the size so I have to go check them out. thanks for all your info it has been very helpful.
 
Totoland Mach said:
woptang22: here is a supplier in N.Y. that I use for my buffing wheels. He carries a large selection and the service is good.

http://www.hobbytool.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=14

I have also used the Mother's Power Ball (works well on the inner rim, but is pretty big for just doing the outside portion). Some of the national part houses (Auto Zone, Advance, etc) have started to stock this item, but the price is a little high for a product like this.

Good Luck

Totoland Mach
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Hey thanks again. What size buffing wheel do you use? I went to my local sears hardware and bought one, its like a 3 inch wheel. The others I believe were 4 inch wheels, but they werent as thick as the one I got so I think this one will do the job faster. But who knows. We will have to see.
 
3 Inch diameter works great for me too. There are 2 types of cotton wheels available: Spiral sewn and loose buff. The spiral sewn is good for "grunt" work when you first start polishing. I save the loose buff for last (usually with a smear of Mother's Billet Cream). The loose buff also will have a lot of cotton dust flying off the wheel.

Holler if I can give you any more tips.
 
Totoland Mach said:
3 Inch diameter works great for me too. There are 2 types of cotton wheels available: Spiral sewn and loose buff. The spiral sewn is good for "grunt" work when you first start polishing. I save the loose buff for last (usually with a smear of Mother's Billet Cream). The loose buff also will have a lot of cotton dust flying off the wheel.

Holler if I can give you any more tips.
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I also saw one on that site you gave me called a cylinder buff, that looks like it will do a good job also. It seems to be a lot wider then the other ones covering more area at a time. But as far as the cotton buffs go, any of them should make my rims look a lot shinnier whether it be a spiral sewn or loose buff correct?
 
you should polish them up and get them clear coated so u dont have to polish them all the time. a body shop shouldnt charge u that much to do it, and its worth not having the hassle all the time of polishing the hell out of them
 
CreativeDesignz said:
you should polish them up and get them clear coated so u dont have to polish them all the time. a body shop shouldnt charge u that much to do it, and its worth not having the hassle all the time of polishing the hell out of them
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When I first was looking for rims I was looking into gettin them clearcoated. But Im so glad I didnt. I have had such a hard time finding a shop in my area to even mount the tires on the rims. So if I would have had a clear coat on them, Im sure it would have been peeling off already. I went o reputible wheel dealers and shops in my area and no one wanted to mount the tires, finally I found a shop that did it and did a good job. Im just afraid with a clear coat they would have somehow scratched them.
 
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