Pc or Powerball on this aluminum wheel?

[Slick71ss]

I want to polish the raised aluminum paddles and outer lip on 4 of these wheels. I plan to tape off the black powder coat and use Mothers Billet polish. Which will work better and faster, the PC or Powerball?



I have a limited pad selection for the PC. Meguiars yellow polishing, tan finishing, or Lake County white polishing pads are my choices.





http://img242.imageshack.us/img242/3958/wheel003640x480.jpg







Also need to do the billet center caps...





http://img153.imageshack.us/img153/7352/caps018640x480op1.jpg

[imported_Luster]

Because the surfaces are so flat, I would think the PC would work well. The center cap would probably be best done by hand.



I don`t know if you have a choice of aluminum polishes, but I have switched exclusively to "Simichrome" polish. It`s available at Harley-Davidson dealerships, and it is, by far, the best aluminum polish I`ve ever used.:xyxthumbs



http://store.royalenfieldusa.com/media/catalog/product/cache/2/image/5e06319eda06f020e43594a9c230972d/A/0/A0800112-Simichrome-polish.jpg

[dublifecrisis]

is this stuff good for clearcoated/painted wheels also?



funny I used my powerball today.

[white gecko 99]

A metal polish should never be used on clearcoated painted wheels. Its designed for metal. Clearcoated wheels should be treated just like the paint on your hood, trunk, etc...

[BigJimZ28]

wish I could be more help but....

both as needed, I would start with the Powerball and go from there

[Slick71ss]

I ended up using the PC with a Meguiars yellow pad it it worked great! Only about 2 mins per wheel is all they needed. :waxing:





Next question. Should I put a coat of wax or sealant on them or is aluminum better left bare?

[maxepr1]

Guy`s I got a dumb question How do you tell if you have clear coated rims? Say GMC or HONDA factory rims?? Thanks

[imported_Luster]

Guy`s I got a dumb question How do you tell if you have clear coated rims? Say GMC or HONDA factory rims?? Thanks



Most car manufacturers started clear-coating aluminum rims in the mid 90`s.



To know for sure, take some aluminum polish and rub it vigorously on a flat surface of the wheel. If it turns the cloth BLACK, then they are not clear coated.



for GMC or HONDA, I`m pretty sure they will be clear-coated if fairly late model.:cool:

[imported_Luster]

Next question. Should I put a coat of wax or sealant on them or is aluminum better left bare?



I always leave mine bare. It seems like whenever I put anything on them they seem to oxidize faster.



Between polishings, I just wipe them down with a little Z6.



Here`s what they look like after polishing...



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/bluster/CLEANWHEEL2.jpg



In case you`re interested, here`s what they looked like when I bought this car... it was in a warehouse building for about 8 years... lots of dirt, oxidation, mildew, etc.



Lots of "Elbow-Grease"!!!! :rofl



http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v333/bluster/dirtywheel.jpg

[aixab]

very nice luster. well done.



slick71ss... so did you stick with mothers billet? can we see some after photos?

[GLuXuRy]

^^^yea where are the after pics

[WhiteStripes]

I used to use the Mothers with a powerball on my old 89 Thunderbird, and that worked quite nicely on the aluminum wheels.



Gluxury, what Bimmer is that in your avatar?

[Slick71ss]

slick71ss... so did you stick with mothers billet? can we see some after photos?



Yeah, just used the Mothers Billet. Sorry, these are the only 2 pics I took. I`ll try to get some better pics tomorrow.





http://img255.imageshack.us/img255/226/wheelpolish010640x480.jpg

http://img14.imageshack.us/img14/7104/wheelpolish013640x480.jpg