Scratches on chrome wheels

[jb1]

Hey guys,

I need your help. I looked at the factory chrome wheels tonight on my vette and with my halogen lights, I noticed tons of scratches. Is it possible to polish out the scratches to make them look new or not? I tried Blue Magic on a part of one of the spokes - I just made more swirl/round scratches. :grrr



Please suggest a product and procedure as I don`t want to screw it up any more.

Thanks!

[lostdaytomorrow]

What year vette? Pics of rims?

[89gt-stanger]

Hey guys,

I need your help. I looked at the factory chrome wheels tonight on my vette and with my halogen lights, I noticed tons of scratches. Is it possible to polish out the scratches to make them look new or not? I tried Blue Magic on a part of one of the spokes - I just made more swirl/round scratches. :grrr



Please suggest a product and procedure as I don`t want to screw it up any more.

Thanks!



Hmm... if it is real chrome, not polished aluminum, than the scratches can not be polished out. As far as I know, if chrome gets scratched, your screwed... Correct me if I`m wrong.

[89gt-stanger]

What year vette? Pics of rims?



I`m guessing a C6. And I am sorry he owns one of them :(

[jb1]

Yep, C6. That`s it in my avatar. They`re the chrome ones, not the polished ones. Sorry, no pics right now. I can take some maybe tomorrow if you guys need to see them.

[lostdaytomorrow]

Yep, C6. That`s it in my avatar. They`re the chrome ones, not the polished ones. Sorry, no pics right now. I can take some maybe tomorrow if you guys need to see them.

Sorry about that, I have avatars and signatures turned off.



Check out Car Care Discussion - Corvette Forum (http://forums.corvetteforum.com/car-care-discussion-10/) for info. to help ya out.

[eyezack87]

My chromes are clearcoated but my car is a Lexus so it could be different for you. I did take M105 to it once and it did improve it though....

[Accumulator]

Hmm... if it is real chrome, not polished aluminum, than the scratches can not be polished out. As far as I know, if chrome gets scratched, your screwed...



Correct. Chromium is *VERY* hard and I`ve worn through chrome plating and still had scratches visible at the edges of the worn-through areas.



But yeah, *some* chrome wheels are cleared and on those polishing will help. No idea about C6 wheels though :nixweiss Wonder what the `vette forums will have to say.

[jb1]

So what I`m hearing you guys say is "I think you`ll need to buy a new set of wheels" if you want some without scratches. :getdown

[soccerjunky]

calchrome website says it best...call them they may be able to help and can rechrome your wheels for a fraction of replacement cost,,,there used to be a shop in dallas "dirty joe`s chrome" that did great work but they closed down



Chrome wheels must be washed with plenty of fresh, flowing water. Contaminants such as brake dust or dirt may scratch the wheel if they are wiped from the wheel without the presence of fresh water.



After cleaning, a coat of protective wax that is "Clear Coat Safe" will help to preserve the finish. If minor scratches do occur, they may be removed by using a high quality fine polish, or scratch remover that is "Clear Coat Safe".



NEVER use chrome polish or any aluminum polishes that have abrasives.

NEVER spray cold water on hot or warm wheels, this can result in damaging the appearance permanently.



http://gallery.viperclub.org/data/500/osborn_viper_02.jpg

[Accumulator]

jb1- Rechromed or replaced, IMO chrome wheels on drivers area gonna be pretty hard to keep perfect.



I *would* suggest cleaning them with a good wheel cleaner (some manufacturers offer cleaners made specifically for chrome wheels) and soft BHBs, but to reach the back of the spokes and the inside of the barrels (without taking the wheels off every time to clean `em ;) ) you`ll still need to use some kind of mitt/etc. and sooner or later some spec of abrasive [stuff] will get pressed against the plating and then moved, causing a scratch.

[jb1]

jb1- Rechromed or replaced, IMO chrome wheels on drivers area gonna be pretty hard to keep perfect.



I *would* suggest cleaning them with a good wheel cleaner (some manufacturers offer cleaners made specifically for chrome wheels) and soft BHBs, but to reach the back of the spokes and the inside of the barrels (without taking the wheels off every time to clean `em ;) ) you`ll still need to use some kind of mitt/etc. and sooner or later some spec of abrasive [stuff] will get pressed against the plating and then moved, causing a scratch.



Bummer. I like the new chrome spider design on the new Z06s. Based on your experience, then is chrome more difficult to keep "perfect" than say a painted or polished wheel?



From several feet away, the average person would think they look great. Now since I`m trying to become an autopian purist, they just won`t cut it for me. So now I`m kind of at a crossroads with these wheels. It`s time like these that make me wish I had different standards and could be content (like most people) to run my vehicles through the local swirl-o-matics. Unfortunately, that isn`t going to happen in my lifetime. :wall

[jb1]

calchrome website says it best...call them they may be able to help and can rechrome your wheels for a fraction of replacement cost,,,there used to be a shop in dallas "dirty joe`s chrome" that did great work but they closed down



Chrome wheels must be washed with plenty of fresh, flowing water. Contaminants such as brake dust or dirt may scratch the wheel if they are wiped from the wheel without the presence of fresh water.



After cleaning, a coat of protective wax that is "Clear Coat Safe" will help to preserve the finish. If minor scratches do occur, they may be removed by using a high quality fine polish, or scratch remover that is "Clear Coat Safe".



NEVER use chrome polish or any aluminum polishes that have abrasives.

NEVER spray cold water on hot or warm wheels, this can result in damaging the appearance permanently.



http://gallery.viperclub.org/data/500/osborn_viper_02.jpg



soccerjunky,

The finish on your wheels is what I`m aiming for. Those look incredible. :bow

[soccerjunky]

YOU can keep them perfect and here is what i do , and remember my rear rims get hit with a lot of crap from the side exhaust



First , put on a sealant , i use FK1 2180 ultra poly (anti static), great stuff



Second , clean the surface of the rim with a damp mcirofiber towel and FK1 425 ultra slick poly wipe spray detailer..very light touch



Third clean the inner barrel of the rim with just a wet towel/clean rag to keep the whole rim clean..



It also helps to use ceramic pads (assuming you don`t track the car)...also helps to not drive in the rain particularly salty areas if your fortunate to have a separate bad weather beater car



The rims below are 11 months old, 8k miles and still like new



http://gallery.viperclub.org/data/500/c131.JPG

[Accumulator]

Bummer. I like the new chrome spider design on the new Z06s. Based on your experience, then is chrome more difficult to keep "perfect" than say a painted or polished wheel?



Yeah, if only because you can`t do any correction if/when marring *does* happen.




From several feet away, the average person would think they look great. Now since I`m trying to become an autopian purist, they just won`t cut it for me.



More of my Autopian Heresy: don`t be a perfectionist about a vehicle that gets used as a driver, save that for garage-queens/showcars. Or don`t even get all OCD about *those*....these things are *vehicles*. As I said, Heresy :o




YOU can keep them perfect and here is what i do...



No question your wheels look like-new :xyxthumbs



And yeah, a few layers of a good sealant can go a long way towards keeping them nice. I`m currently trying layered FK1000P instead of my usual layered KSG. Isn`t FK425 great for wheels?!? I also use FK146 to clean off the film of rust that can get on wheels after a wash (from the flash-rusting on the rotors getting knocked off when the vehicle is first driven).



But the method you`re using is no more gentle that what I do on *all* my wheels and *IME* with enough time and (ab)use some flaws are gonna eventually show up if the vehicle is subjected to a lot of use between cleanups.



I somehow suspect that your Viper and its wheels never get *REALLY* filthy, and that can make a big difference. Get enough abrasive [stuff] caked on them and they simply won`t end up staying perfect any more than any other surface that can`t be corrected. Even with ceramic pads, which I have on several vehicles, wheels can still get really nasty, especially after a series of track days. And if you have to do on-the-spot brake maintenance without cleaning really diry wheels first....well, sometimes the results aren`t pretty.



(NOTE: If your Viper never gets that bad I commend you on your diligence. Even my most pampered garage-queens sometimes get *FILTHY* when they get used hard and that might color my opinion.)