Scratches on alloy wheels

R

Rowani

New member
Hello all. This is my first post on this excellent forum. I just bought a set of used alloys for my GS300 which I plan on using for snow tires. Overall, they're in good shape except for 2 scuff marks on the edges, one of which is fairly significant in appearance. Is there anything that I can do to repair/minimize these (sand, polish etc. ?) BTW, the alloys are clear coated. Thanks for the help.
 
treat it just like body paint... if it's chipped off or too scratched up, touch it up with some clear coat paint, or polish it off...



then apply some sealant on it to minimize snow from sleeping in between the gaps... :)
 
There are many places that re-finish wheels. How deep is the scratch? If is merely cosmetic, you might be able to perform some minor surgery. I would start off with a good old cleaning.



Use a good MF mitt (for the wheels only), and put some elbow grease into your cleaning. Get all the grime off. I would use Dawn for this, as it will cut right through the brake dust. From there, I would go right to a "wheel" polish. Eagle makes a great wheel polish. I have found that the wheel polish has a bit of "grit" to it, which is slightly different than putting Blitz or Klasse on your wheels.



Remember, your first priority is to get rid of the scratches! If the scratch is deep, you should consider getting the edge or lip refinished. Not expensive to get done. There are so many places that do that (especially with the size and shine increasing with wheels), and at a reasonable cost.



Ok, now that you have cleaned the wheel, you can pick your direction. If you want super shine, and longevity, I would go with Klasse. If you are looking for something that you would have to put on from time to time, I would stick to a wax. Wheel polish and wax will do the job nicely here.



Make sure to buff all of your wax, Klasse, or any other product off. If you don't get it all off, you can cake it onto the wheel, and then you will really be upset (and we don't want that :) ).



I have 17" wheels on my GTI, and they are pretty easy to clean, but they are also very easy to scratch. The key with my wheels is to stay away from curbs. I avoid them like the plague. I have not had a chance to Klasse them yet, but I have put a few coats of wax on them, which keeps the brake dust down, along with making them look great.



Hope that this helps.



Best regards.
 
Maryland VW,



Thanks for the great advice. On two of the wheels, there are pretty nasty scrapes on the edges. They go down to the metal past the clear coat. I suspect that they should be tackled by a professional (I wasn't aware that you could get wheels reconditioned). To find someone, I suppose that I'll call some body shops and ask who does this in my area. BTW, I cleaned as you suggested and then Klassed (3 coats of sealant) followed by one coat of Blitz wax and they otherwise look great. Thanks again.
 
I am glad to hear that you were able to get the results you were looking for. I normally go with AIOx3, and SGx3, with a Blitz top coat. They look great for most of the season (with the occasional re-waxing). That is the beauty of Klasse.



I would call your local auto shop. Most know of wheel reconditioning shops. I have heard that it normally costs about $40-$60 per wheel. That is a drop in the bucket when you compare that to the cost of a new wheel $300+.



Let me know how it goes. By the way, if you have some, use the EF Black Opal. Man, that stuff is fantastic. I have used Eagle One, McGuires, and other products on the wheels and had good results. Then I used the EF Black Opal, and I was shocked. They look so good, and the shine lasts forever. I put some Black Opal on a few weeks ago, and they are still shining. Post some pics if you can. By the way, where is Bucks County? Are you upper PA, or down by us in MD?



Best regards.
 
Buck's county is 30 minutes north of Philadelphia near Trenton. I'm going to make some calls this weekend and I'll share my experience with the forum. Again, thanks for all of the help :)

Rick
 
Kind of a no brainer, but get a quote before you have anything done. I had 4 polished aluminum wheels in good shape, no dings, looked good. To machine polish them, required by the reconditioning shop doing it, and apply clear coat was $100 per wheel. Another no brainer, I put the $400 towards a new set of wheels.



Charles
 
Since they are just winter wheels, why not sand out the scratches yourself and get them powder coated? It is probably not worth it to spend too much time or money on wheels which are going to be exposed to salt, sand, and all that winter crap.
 
Powdercoating is stronger than paint and can be used for coating parts that are going to be abused. It is very low maintanence and holds up well against salt, or any abraisives. It is available in many colors although it is difficult to get it to exactly match your paint.
 
Nagchampa,



I know very little about the pluses/minuses of clear coat vs powder coat. For example, if I sanded them myself and then applied a powdercoat finish, would the area match the rest of the alloy or would I have to completely refinish the entire surface (and all 4 wheels). Also, what's involved in applying a powdercoat finish? Thanks.



Rick
 
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