Spatt Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Hi guys, here's a picture of my wheels looking all shiny and great. They cost me a @*!# load of money and i promised myself i'd look after them! I took this image at the start of last year. I had spent hours and hours (it felt like days) polishing these by hand and coated them with some wax for protection after i was done and they looked great all summer but my god they are a paint in the arse to clean up!! water sits in all the little gaps and unless they are fully dry it flicks out all over the rim and up the car and its filthy!! <-- anyway i guess this is just an issue i'll have to get over. So onto 2016, I just moved out and didn't have time to give them the same attention when i swapped them over so i gave them a quick wash and wax and put them on the car but i think i did it too soon as they now look like this!! I'm pretty sure i could get rid of most of the pitting but near where the spoke sits on the rim i cant really get in. Its going to take me hours to get these looking good again so i wanted an opinion on options. Option 1 : Get the drill out and spend some time with the polishing mops and some good aluminium abrasive polish to get them clean as i can. Wax them, clean them more often and keep telling myself its a car to be driven and its not going to be in show condition forever Option 2 : Send them to be refurbished, If anyone can recommend a place in the north west that would do this sort of work that would be great. Option 3 : Have a go myself, i'm confident that once they are split i can polish the rims on a lathe, once this is done do i get them lacquered? I'll need to buy replacement bolts from what i understand but the process of removing them, removing tyres, splitting, getting to a lathe and then getting them all put back together is making me feel ill haha thanks for any advice you can give me Matt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 It will indeed take hours , I would vote for option 2 , much easier to live Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ekona Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Sod that, I'd just send them for refub once a year too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Is that outer rim deffo not lacquered? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
-Bradders- Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Is that outer rim deffo not lacquered? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Looks a bit like laquer peel to me! like its corroded. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 For me I'd be having a refurb done and then a ceramic coating put on. Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Will just be polished. Take em off, drop the centres out and take the barrel to a metal polishers, the only way to get that much corrosion out. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richf Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Will just be polished. Take em off, drop the centres out and take the barrel to a metal polishers, the only way to get that much corrosion out. and then chrome them or powercoat them a colour like blue to match the car Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 Is that outer rim deffo not lacquered? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk I dont think so, it seems to go like this over night but someone else might know different? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zebedy Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 i rim waxed mine the day I put em on. Great stuff and protects against the elements to no end. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 taking the centres out a big job? for me to get the wheels off, tyres removed and split is quite a big job, i'll need to hire a van or something they wont fit in my car or the mrs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SHEZZA Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 I spent a day last year just polishing the centre caps of my LMGT4's so I'd dread to think how long this will take mate ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 (edited) No buddy, just undo the bolts, if your handy with a spanner its easy Three piece are a pain as you have to split the barrels but two piece simples. Edited April 7, 2016 by Jetpilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BobbyZ Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Not sure I could be bothered with that style of rim unless it was a show car (and I'm pretty sure I'd never have a car just to put on a stand). It's hard enough just keeping the car in general looking decent! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 yeh the wheel design is a right pain, when it comes to cleaning them i have to reach inside the wheel and dab it down with a cloth to mop up the water that sits there... otherwise it all flicks out and ruins all my work. they are not ideal for this climate thats for sure. maybe i should start a for sale thread and get something else Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 I love a polished lip, but just lost the will too live with keeping many sets clean over the years, hence i went black on my Weds, the problem is, let them go just that little too much and a machine polish is the only way to get them back, but as Ekona says, £100 or thereabouts once a year is no biggy imho, but a set of winter rims is advisable. You could always get them lacquered (std wet spray) once polished or even clear anodised, that will protect them but take the edge of the bright finish, or if your feeling brave, get them polished and then powdercoated in a translucent colour, such as: http://wheelsperformancecom.stores.yahoo.net/pocooulip.html Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 oh WOW! some one said to me i should get them blue anodised. would it really only cost me 100 quid a rim to get them all sorted? who refurbs these types of wheels? If i'm paying to have it done i want them splitting and doing properly Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jetpilot Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 (edited) Thats not anodised, thats a translucent powder, anodising will just come up dull, trust me i have tried. £100 for the set will get them polished, probably £200 to get them powder coated, but its finding someone to do the translucent finish. Edited April 7, 2016 by Jetpilot Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Whatever you do, when they are cleaned/refurbed, ditch the wax and get some sort of hardcore coating/sealant from the likes of Gtechniq. I bet ilogikal1 will be along shortly to advise! Edit: http://www.gtechniq.com/products/auto/exo-and-c1-crystal-lacquer http://gtechniq.com/products/auto/perfect/exterior/paint/c5-wheel-armour 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted April 7, 2016 Author Share Posted April 7, 2016 Hi Stu, yeh ive looked at the Gtechniq stuff its great. I would be happy to get these puppies polished up by a professional if someone can point me in the right direction. It'll save me having to spend the weekend with a polishing mop The colour stuff looks great but i'm not sure its my thing, I would be happy to get them refurbished to a nice shiny surface Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ricey Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 Hi Stu, yeh ive looked at the Gtechniq stuff its great. I would be happy to get these puppies polished up by a professional if someone can point me in the right direction. It'll save me having to spend the weekend with a polishing mop The colour stuff looks great but i'm not sure its my thing, I would be happy to get them refurbished to a nice shiny surface Wouldn't wazzo mopedmark do them? Sent from my SM-G900F using Tapatalk Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stutopia Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 As above, but failing that I used a place in Blackpool for my refurb but it wasn't cheap. Closer to you I heard these are good, but I've never used them https://www.thewheelspecialist.co.uk/alloy-wheel-refurbishment-customisation/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ilogikal1 Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 I bet ilogikal1 will be along shortly to advise! You rang? As Stu said, get some proper protection on them when they're tidy again. Or, send them to me, I'll polish and protect them. I'll even take the wheels as payment for this service. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AP350GT Posted April 7, 2016 Share Posted April 7, 2016 I was in the same boat as you not so long ago, not quite as bad but I didn't want to fork out loads getting them refurbed again so I removed the faces as I didn't want to remove the tyres, re-using the bolts is ok they're not one use only stretch bolts just be sure to clean the threads up and use thread sealant. I sorted the dishes out going through stages of wet and dry from 1200 up to 6000 grit, then autosol on a cloth wheel in a drill, then mothers mag and alloy on the meg's cone on the drill, then meg's next gen polysh on a lint free cloth by hand, then buffed by hand with microfibres. They were protected with gtechniq c5 then about 6 coats of wax on top for extra protection before putting the faces back in. It took a few days from start to finish but the satisfaction of having done it myself was good. Here's before and after. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spatt Posted April 8, 2016 Author Share Posted April 8, 2016 wow they look really good! excellent results. Yeh i figured i could probably get a pretty good finish myself with a cloth polishing mop, the pitting you can see on mine is surprisingly quick to remove even by hand but its the hard to reach areas that i just cant get a nice even finish on. I might just have a go while they're on the car over the weekend and see how they come up, failing that I think i might head over to the wheel specialist in Manchester and see if they can split them down and polish them up for me. ilogikal - where are you based? IT might be worth my while paying a visit to the detailing guru to get some advice if i get them refurbished? unfortunately though i'll need my wheels to get home so i cant offer you one Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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