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Obviously SeanDub's write up is awesome but it didn't have too many pictures of the sanding process so I thought I'd include a few of my own. I used his DIY to help me do this one.
This is my first DIY so go easy on me please! I have no prior experience in wheel refinishing, I just am familiar with the process of polishing things. Please feel free to chime in.
The clear coat on the lips of my wheels started flaking and it became an eyesore so I took some time to remove the old nasty clear coat on the lips by sanding it with 180 grit. You can also get out some curb rash at this point by sanding it down. It's up to you how deep you want to go, there were only a few little pits that didn't come out in the initial pass and I didn't want to bother with it too much. It will look fine from a foot away as long as you get most of it out.
Here, one can see the areas where the clear coat is still on and the areas where it's gone:
One of the hardest areas to reach was the very outermost edge of the wheel. The best method that I found was to roll up a scrap of sandpaper and wedge it in.
No more low-quality clear!
Then I wet-sanded them with grits from 220-2000.
Here is a wheel at the 600 grit stage.
Next I bought some compound and some polishing wheels for my drill so that I could polish the wheels up.
I'll post pictures of that tomorrow.
This whole process is rather time consuming. I know most people take the tires off and use aircraft stripper to get the clear off which would save time. Sorry but I am too lazy for that and just wanted to work on it when I had time (on the fronts, I didn't ever even take the wheels off the car).
By the way, if you are in the process of buying wheels:
Do not buy wheels from Orange County Wheelwurks!
When I told them that the finish was ruined, they told me that I should take them to a wheel refinishing shop and I could expend to spend about $100 a wheel. I asked them if there was any kind of warranty, they said no.
This is my first DIY so go easy on me please! I have no prior experience in wheel refinishing, I just am familiar with the process of polishing things. Please feel free to chime in.
The clear coat on the lips of my wheels started flaking and it became an eyesore so I took some time to remove the old nasty clear coat on the lips by sanding it with 180 grit. You can also get out some curb rash at this point by sanding it down. It's up to you how deep you want to go, there were only a few little pits that didn't come out in the initial pass and I didn't want to bother with it too much. It will look fine from a foot away as long as you get most of it out.
Here, one can see the areas where the clear coat is still on and the areas where it's gone:
One of the hardest areas to reach was the very outermost edge of the wheel. The best method that I found was to roll up a scrap of sandpaper and wedge it in.
No more low-quality clear!
Then I wet-sanded them with grits from 220-2000.
Here is a wheel at the 600 grit stage.
Next I bought some compound and some polishing wheels for my drill so that I could polish the wheels up.
I'll post pictures of that tomorrow.
This whole process is rather time consuming. I know most people take the tires off and use aircraft stripper to get the clear off which would save time. Sorry but I am too lazy for that and just wanted to work on it when I had time (on the fronts, I didn't ever even take the wheels off the car).
By the way, if you are in the process of buying wheels:
Do not buy wheels from Orange County Wheelwurks!
When I told them that the finish was ruined, they told me that I should take them to a wheel refinishing shop and I could expend to spend about $100 a wheel. I asked them if there was any kind of warranty, they said no.
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