Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

ok, i have 15" eagle alloy 028 polished aluminum wheels on my car, they are about 6 months old, car is washed weekly, yet i have these spots that look like water spots?? I've tried washing the wheels w/ eagle one aluminum wheel/tire cleaner, wash car, then dry wheels, use some wheel wax liquid, let it haze then wipe off, and nothing... Spots are still there! Here are a few pics, very small because of my camera phone....




any cleaner would get these off? And it might be brake dust considering i only have disc in front and most of the spots are in the front

Tmic87TPI

iTrader: (3)

links aren't working for me.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

sorry, ill save them and photbucket em

Tmic87TPI

iTrader: (3)

for some reason the links work now lol, are your rims chrome? because then you may be able to take some steel wool with water, and lightly go over the bumps, and they'll sand off.

EDIT: I see you say their polished aluminum in the first post, so I dont know if this method will work without hurting the rims.

89RsPower!

are they clear coated? have you tried buffing them?

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

i would assume they are, what do you mean by buffing?

heres a link http://store.summitracing.com/partde...5&autoview=sku

but doesnt really say much...

maybee a stronger cleaner? But i dont want to ruin the finish either...damn

86IROCKET-Z

Did you try and aluminum polish like Mothers? Probably just oxidation...


Those are almost the same as the wheels on my dad's truck.. I'm guessing they aren't clear coated.. Try Mother's and i bet it will take them right off.. and bring back the shine...

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

havent tried that yet, ill look into that, thanks!

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

https://store.mothers.com/product_in...products_id=48
this?

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

I used nano-polish for aluminum/chrome and nothing came out....This really Pisses me off... I've taken care of the wheels, wash them every week and i get these spots! This is ridiculous, for a product to fail not even 6 months into use... Ive sent them an email but i dont see much happening...

89importeater

ditto on the polish, i bought a used set of weld prostars that looked like that. i bought a powerball and some merguiers (sp?) aluminum polish and they look like new.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

the powerball makes that much of a difference? Im pretty much broke now so i hope your right, ill get some more pics tomorow.

Duratys

Its gonna take some elbow grease to get them lookin good again. Rub in an area untill the rag is black.....flip rag over and wipe clean. It might take a few times before they are shiney again. Welcome to the world of cheap polished rims.................

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

ill get at it again tomorow...

86IROCKET-Z

Yeah, it's definitely not just a "wax on wax off" type of treatment. Those are the exact same wheels as on my dad's truck, so they should definitely come out.. I polished them up this summer and they are 6 years old now.. So your new wheels should shine as good as new!

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

what did you use? i was hoping to get a positive answer like this! haha
thanks!

Duratys

I use Eagle One but the stuff you had will work too ya just gotta get after it. coat the wheels with jetseal when your done and it will help next time you clean them. Them powerball minis and stuff like that arent any good for what you need.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

ya they didnt seem powerful enough, ive used eagle one, once i have more time and it warms up ill try it again

KYLE87

iTrader: (5)

I also have eagle alloys, not that style, but ive always used the eagle one for spots like that, i had a powerball but i dont recommend it

slow_90firebird

I have tried the powerball when I was helping my buddy detail his truck. We used some Boyd Coddington aluminum polish, and the mini powerball.

However, his wheels werent spotted like yours. They just totally oxidized white. And the powerball works great if you have those old outlaw II type wheels with like 10 holes through them.

KYLE87

iTrader: (5)

the outlaw II's are similar to mine, basically the same different brand and I had little luck with the powerball

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

ya i used to have wheels like that, i liked them but i got some cleaner on them and it kind of discolored them...that and i needed new tires.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

well i took the wheels off and start to try to polish a center cap...with about 5 min i could notice a slight difference but not enough...the cloth also started to turn black i think thats good? but im going to need a buffer...not an expensive one but mid grade, any suggestions?

Duratys

What part of my previous post didnt you get?

tak0064

it's definitely time consuming, but a powerball will cut that time in half. my draglites get horrible waterspots, but with a powerball and the powermetal stuff that they recommend for it, they come out perfect every time.

ssean92

iTrader: (10)

I have been reading this post and so many opinions. I am going to try that power ball on my rims. I have been wanting to try it but hearing that it does work, I will have to try it

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

im hesitant on the powerball because it just doesnt look very powerful and someone else said it didnt work...ill on it some more tonight.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

bringing this thread back... just spent $16 for some aluminum polish, 8oz, green....doesnt work...i wish ive never bought these wheels...the eagle alloy doesnt even have a phone number or email on their site...ridiculous......

slow_90firebird

What brand is the new polish you got?? Maybe some day when I am free I could come over and help.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

ive used the eagle one spray/polish, bunch of other cleaners

this stuff i just used...
https://www.deepfinish.com/cgi-bin/c...on&key=DPA022r
a company from glastonbury...

slow_90firebird

So did you ever try the powerball? If you want I can ask my buddy if I can borrow his. It is all black from being used, but works pretty good just the same.

Also, have you ever thought of getting the wheels powdercoated? I have another buddy that does great powdercoating in hartford. I am pretty sure he can do a powdercoat - clearcoat. It would probably end up looking more like a facotry wheel than anything, not shiny like chrome tho.

I used to have these wheels on my last car and if you washed them with soap on the sponge they would look new every time because they were clearcoated on the machined lip.

KYLE87

iTrader: (5)

man that is crazy, ive never seen someone have so much trouble getting something like that off. Maybe you should take it to a detail shop and see if they can do it.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

never really thought of powdercoating them, i'd still like them shiny tho...and another factor is the $$ isnt it pretty expensive? im hoping i can get them looking good, then get them cleared?

I havent tried the powerball, but i dont really see it working doesnt seem strong enough

I know, my dads buddy paints for a dealership so he's going to see if he can find anything...i dont get it tho, i washed the car every week...we;ll see what happens

slow_90firebird

Just curious, have you tried lacquer thinner on a rag? There might be something else that is stuck on the wheels, not just oxidation.

Also, IIRC like 2 years ago he was charging about $60 a wheel, but it might be more now that they got a bigger shop and more customers. I can find out if you are really interested. However, you will have to get the tires dis-mounted and drive around on the stockers for a few days at least.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

ya that could be a last resort option, if i can get them clean, can he just clear them? would it be cheaper for clear? haven't tried lacquer thinner its worth a try, i just don't get how they got oxidized i wasn't near the coast or anything...

but ya the car is parked for the winter and sitting on some old wheels/snow tires that wouldnt be a prob

slow_90firebird

Next time I see him I will ask. I am not even sure if they offer the clear powdercoat any more. It was just an idea I had that might be worth a try.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

ok thanks, i was thinking of bringing to a detail shop but cant seem to find any in the hartford area...

WOODY

I used a sewn buffing wheel (3" Dia) with white compound on a drill and was able to get those lines out of a customers wheels. I initially used Mothers aluminum wheel cleaner and Wenol with no luck.........

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

where can i get this wheel and compound?

RFCMJ

Another option, depending on what all you want to do, is consider a professional service. In our little town we have a business called Midwest Wheel Polishers. They have specialty machines which are set based on the wheels and automatically clean inside and out of the rim (tires have to be removed). The basic website is www.midwestwheelpolishers.com . Initially, they catered to semi-trucks- but they recently did our drag slicks and the results are nothing short of shocking and incredible. Now, our son plans to take the lace rims off the GTA for them to shine the chrome lip up (yes, they can set exactly what piece/depth to polish so not to get the lace). Shipping would be a booger if you are far from central IL, but it doesn't take long at all if one were close enough to schedule an appt to have this done. I think they are very reasonably priced for the results. Just a thought.....

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

ya i googled it couldnt find much, but theres got to be a shop in or around hartford...but lesson learned you get what you pay for...

WOODY

Eastwood.com sells everything you need.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

i found this for $30
http://www.eastwoodco.com/jump.jsp?i...emType=PRODUCT

they have a kit for $50 but i dont want to spend more money for it not to work...

ill see if i can pick up a wheel at HD?

slow_90firebird

Those polishing wheels look like they might work in my die grinder too. That would tear those spots off the wheels, if only I had a compressor that would keep up.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

my dads painter friend said he found a compound that took 90% of the spots off the center cap but he said he was gonna talk to a detailing guy about it...

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

well the guy at the gm dealer (the detailer) had nothing to take the spots out.... i cant even contact Eagle Alloy...im getting pissed **** them...its like 75/ wheel to get them refinished or whatever, i dont have the money when i spent like 450 on the wheels, and new tires......god damn it

KYLE87

iTrader: (5)

I seriously doubt the detailer couldnt get it off, probally just didnt want to, unless it is like burn marks I dont see why its not comming off. you said youve tried the eagle one cleaner in the silver can?

slow_90firebird

I def wouldnt pay to have them refinished. Just for it to happen again.

It is not going to be impossible to get the spots out. It is just a matter of how much work you want to do. Look at the threads of people that polish cast alum TPI runners to a mirror shine. If they can do that, you can get those wheels to shine again too.

However, there is nothing to say that it won't happen again like a week after you got them shiny. Thats the thing about polished wheels.

Celticsfan

iTrader: (1)

the guy works with my dads friend, he wouldn't have half-assed it
ya there not burn marks, ive tried the eagle one cleaner as well as many other brands and polishes and what not

your right but im thinking it would take tons of hours to get clean, and for what to go bad in 6 months? i don't think its worth it but i dunno, i would like powder coat but then again i could get new wheels for the price of it...so i dunno

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Just get some sandpaper man. That's all it takes. How much is your time worth to you? If guys like me can strip and polish factory wheels into a chrome-like shine, then you can sand those down enough to get some fresh aluminum on top. When I polished my factory wheels I started with 120 grit and worked my way up to 600. You may or may not have to go that low, and I didnt go higher because I dont like super blinging chrome wheels. I thought they looked good as is. Unfortunately it was hard to keep fingerprints off of them lol, thats what all the smudges are.






Against stock clearcoated rims on my car that were just washed. Brake dust gets embedded into the clear and stains it apparently.

Aluminum is aluminum, you CAN make it shine.


There are guys here that have gone MUCH farther. As far as I'm concerned, you're halfway there and you dont even have to worry about stripping clearcoat.

I would get a sanding block and start with like 500 or so grit, 800 grit, 1000 grit, then metal polish. Wet sand to keep the dust down if you want. Those wheels look fiarly flat and simple, I doubt you'd have much trouble with it.

There is NO reason you wouldn't be able to fix it yourself unless you just dont want to put the elbow grease into it. To maintain them just go out and polish em with that polish every one or two weeks and they'll stay looking fresh.

Also, make sure you use aluminum or aluminum/mag polish. There are wheel cleaners that are MEANT FOR CLEARCOATED WHEELS. I know becauseI have some. Dont use those clearcoat cleaners on the raw aluminum, intead, just clean them normally, then polish 'em. To use the polish you just put some of it on a cloth and rub it in. That's it. Not a big deal.



Oh, and those wheels have been sitting outside for a few months now and I dont see any change in them at all. Perhaps they react to water? Either way, taking that aluminum wheel polish to them regularly will keep the oxidation in control.