Ideas on refurbishing mirror polished/chrome alloy lips

[slizza786]

Hi All,

My alloys over time have deteriorated in terms of shine. They were originally mirror polished without lacquer and now the shine has gone with cloudy patches all over the lip. I've tried mothers and autosol polish but doesnt make much difference. A wheel restoration company quoted me £140 per wheel which I'm not prepared to spend on. is there anything I can do myself to restore the shine?

I've attached an image of the current state.

 

[Sayam]

Autosol?

 

[slizza786]

Autosol?

Amazon product

 

[Sayam]

Amazon product

Yes that stuff. I've only ever used it on exhaust tips but no reason why it wouldn't work on the wheels.

 

[slizza786]

The oxidation on my rims are really tough, I'm thinking something more than polishing is needed

 

[Sayam]

The oxidation on my rims are really tough, I'm thinking something more than polishing is needed

What about some cutting compound like they use at body shops and then the autosol to polish up the shine after?

 

[slizza786]

What about some cutting compound like they use at body shops and then the autosol to polish up the shine after?

Any cutting compound comes to mind?

 

[Sayam]

Any cutting compound comes to mind?

Farcela G3 is what lots of people use. Comes in yellow tube or tin depending on how much you want.

Along with a cutting pad as well

Just thinking you could cut the oxidation away, polish the lip and then laquer it if you wanted to.

 

[Orange225]

A bit of 2000 grit wet and dry sandpaper to get rid if the stubborn bits, the autosol the hell out of it (orbital polisher)

 

[slizza786]

A bit of 2000 grit wet and dry sandpaper to get rid if the stubborn bits, the autosol the hell out of it (orbital polisher)

Iv got some 2k grit at home so maybe worth a try to do that first on a small patch. What's an orbital polisher? Iv got a cone polishing sponge attachment for a drill.

 

[Orange225]

Just like a mini car polisher, saves getting rsi from doing it by hand, the sponge on a drill should work, just be careful not to slip and scratch the rim again. Wet Brillo pads are also really good for getting out oxidised bits before re polishing them

 

[slizza786]

Just like a mini car polisher, saves getting rsi from doing it by hand, the sponge on a drill should work, just be careful not to slip and scratch the rim again. Wet Brillo pads are also really good for getting out oxidised bits before re polishing them

Won't Brillo pads leave deep scratches?

 

[Orange225]

It will leave scratches, they'll be far easier to remove than oxidisation, go over them with higher and higher grade wet and dry to get a mirror finish

 

[slizza786]

It will leave scratches, they'll be far easier to remove than oxidisation, go over them with higher and higher grade wet and dry to get a mirror finish

Looks like my next weekend job. Thanks

 

[Orange225]

No problem and good luck, it'll take absolutely ages, another tip.... If it's the wheels in your profile, stick masking tape over the spokes to prevent scratching them

 

[slizza786]

Update: so tested an area of the lip by wet sanding 800, 1200, 2000, 2500, and 3000 grit respectively. Then applied some cutting paste with a final buff of mothers polish. The results looked like this:

They turned out shiny and better than the current condition but they won't look as good chrome, but more like a shiny satin look. So looks like I'll have to get them done professionally.

 

[Orange225]

If you keep going, they will come up with a mirror finish

 

[slizza786]

Your right, just read this: http://www.vwt4forum.co.uk/showthread.php?t=214739

So I'm definitely going to continue but shall I wait when the winter is over, is it worth it doing them now?

 

[Orange225]

If your gonna keep on top of them (quick going over with autosol once a week) then it doesn't really make much difference when you do it, the autosol leaves a waxy layer to protect the metal

 

[slizza786]

If your gonna keep on top of them (quick going over with autosol once a week) then it doesn't really make much difference when you do it, the autosol leaves a waxy layer to protect the metal

What about a sealant like poorboys?

 

[Orange225]

Honestly no ideas on sealants. I did it to my bike which I rode every day in every weather for a year, I just gave it a tickle every week or so

 

[enc]

can be done ... just takes time .... I polished these cranks by hand and dremel.

before...







During ...







After... not perfect but a dam sight better ...

 

[Orange225]

Try doing a full bike. Right ball ache, cranks looked a damn site better after the clean up

 

[slizza786]

This is what I love to see! After being told by two guys who I saw at halfords this morning saying they need to be done professionally I wasted the whole day. Next weekend I'll be taking the wheels off to do a proper job. Only issue will be doing it around the bolts

 

[enc]

Try doing a full bike. Right ball ache, cranks looked a damn site better after the clean up

Just started one mate ... 1995 orange P7 in nickel plate ... she aint pretty ... at the moment

 

[Orange225]

Careful with the nickel playing, if any peels off then you can't fix it, proper nightmare those ones

 

[Orange225]

If they're actual split rims, just remove the centres, might be a pain but it'll save a lot of time and headache trying to get it clean around the bolts without damaging the centres

 

[slizza786]

I'll give it a try but can't garauntee a mirror shine around the bolts. As long as I can get it for the lip I'll be happy

 

[Orange225]

Maybe paint the inner lip gloss black and just polish the outer lip

 

[slizza786]

Brilliant idea

 

[Orange225]

Can you tell I'm a painter. Full of ideas