School me on Alum- clearcoated rim cleaning

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PDoyle

New member
Got a set of 15 year old 170k miles Toyota OEM aluminum clearcoat 16" truck rims.

I want to clean them up "a little". I don't want to remove whats left of the clearcoat.

They actually don't look too bad really. They could use a polish though.

What can I use and how do I apply it?

I see Mothers pops up on a search as well as Blackfire stuff but that (I think ) would be taking it to the next level. They would be off the vehicle and the tires would be removed as well. Just wan't to polish and wax.

any help would be great.
 
Here are a couple of products in line with what I'm thinking to do.

I would be using a Griots 6".

Also, can someone recommend a polisher to get the inside slot of rims?



3M Marine Aluminum Restorer and Polish.





Meguiars Brilliant Solutions Wheel Polishing Kit.



Meguiars Hot Rims Chrome Polish OR Meguiars Hot Rims All Metal Polish.
 
I bet you'd get a better response if you posted some pics. You should be able to give them a light polish with the Meg's kit without removing any significant amount of clear. A dremel or similar tool with a polisher attachment should be good for getting in the slots, but I can't see what the slots look like without a pic.
 
rim4.jpg






rim2.jpg




rim3.jpg




rim6.jpg
 
If you want something you can pick up at a local store, I'd say go with the Mother's Powerball for paint kit (since those are clear coated and not bare aluminum), and maybe a mini powerball to get in the tight spots.
 
Thanks Rich. I have had a power \ball for a while. I've always had trouble keeping it tight in the chuck so it didn't spin on me.Is there anything else like a cone shaped pad type thing that may do a better job?
 
There's a few different ones out there. You could try getting the Meg's wheel kit, which is cone shaped and use that one with a different polish like Meg's Ultimate Polish. And then keep the metal polish for use on metal.
 
I'd put some Collinite 845 on them. Those polishing attachments are meant for bare aluminum and other metals and to be used with different grades of metal polish, I would not use them on painted wheels.
 
I personally like the Mother's Powercone. I find the cone great at getting into the tight spaces in wheels.



I usually use M105 or M205 depending on the severity of the defects.
 
I'm rethinking the path I want to take to polish these rims. The holes/slots in the rims were cleaned sanded and painted about 3-4 years ago. The paint looks better then the pitted aluminum under it.

So I'm thinking I would rather polish the flat/front part of the rim with a flat pad,then wax them and be done.

I mean they have miles on them and the next step would probably be powder coating them. I really don't have any interest in that. The northeast weather will eat the powder coating off quicker then when new. IMO.
 
I've had pretty good luck with the Mothers Mini. Use your favorite compound and polish on them, as they are just a hard clear. Don't get too aggressive on the scatches, you will get strike through pretty easily and then the area will dull without constant polishing.
 
I've dabbled in powder coating and when the surface is properly prepped and the coating properly applied, it's much tougher and resilient than clear coat. It can be pricey though to have them done by someone else, as there is alot of prep involved. They would need to be media blasted and then any pits leveled unless you aren't worried about them showing through the coating.



Or you could have them blasted, or strip the clear off and get an aluminum polishing kit and polish them to a high shine and them coat them with something like SharkHide that Eastwood sells. Polishing is alot of work and you can expect to spend alot of time on each wheel.



It just depends on how nice you want them to look, how much work you are willing to put into them and how much you want to spend.
 
I found a shop to powder coat them. Think it was around $250. for all 4. The guy is supposed to be the best in my area.

So, with all that is involved, jack stands, trailer wheels, tires off, rims to shop, 2 weeks later, trailer to shop new tires, trailer wheels to truck... exhausting!

Guess it's all in how you want them to look.
 
$250 is an excellent price, I was charging at least $100 per wheel when I had my little powder coating side business. But I had to farm out my media blasting so that added to the price. The options for colors, textures, etc for powder coat these days is huge, so many to choose from. Post up some pics if you get them done. Exhausting, but worth it!
 
Let me ask...

Ever have a problem with adding the weights to the rim after powder coating?

Is there something I can do to not chip the rims with the tire install?
 
Ask them to use the stick on weights on the inside barrel of the wheel. If they say they can't or won't for some reason, take them somewhere else. The tire install itself should be fine, normally the only time they would have an issue is with very low profile tires as they are difficult to install onto the wheel. Also tell them if they chip the powder coat you will be making sure they pay for a recoat.
 
Powder coat is very resilient to chipping, but it can happen. What's cool about it is if you were to take a piece of tin foil and powder coat it (I have done this), you can actually take the foil and fold it in half and take your fingernails and make a very tight crease in the foil and the coating will not crack or peel at all, whereas paint would crack and peel right off. It's awesome stuff.
 
The stick on weights are a great idea till they fall off IMO.

I have trust issues. Ya can't find a good tire shop. I gotta think on this a little more. I was all over polishing them up for the next 5 years.
 
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