Clear coat, cleaning alumimun rims?

May 05, 2006 3 Replies

Hello experts,



I have bought a used set of aluminum rims. Good to very good condition. I want to do a few things before mounting them.


In a few places, I notice that there are black scuff marks. What is the right cleaner to clean these? I was thinking of swirl remover that you might use on the body to remove scratches.


Also, the clear coat is broken in a few places. About the size of half of my pinky's fingernail.



What can I use to touch this up? I'm thinking of a brush on application for this small area. Would polyurethane for wood work?



Thanks a lot



You could try using a laquer thinner to clean as it will not hurt the clear coat. And then some scratch remover or haze remover.

Here is an EXCELLENT article on wheel refinishing. I followed it all the way to the end of the process and my wheels look Chrome! It takes a LOT of Elbow Grease for this effect; you can stop anywhere in the process for the kind of finish you like.

Good Luck!

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Oh, I forgot to mention, and I don't know if the article mentions it; I took mine to a local Auto Parts place that has a machine shop and had them sandblast them first.

They were almost good enough to use after blasting! What a difference.

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