How to make your polished Y2K C5 wheels (or others) shine again

[white gecko]

This works for any wheels with clearcoat on them, which is 90% of wheels out there. Polished wheels tend to look dull after a while. Why? Well they have clear coat just like your paint, but most people never wax or seal them, so the clear oxidizes. And people use a wheel polish (designed for metal) on the wheel`s clear coat. You wouldn`t use wheel polish on your hood would you? Sadly many people do and it severly dulls the finish.



Method:



(Done properly, this should take 1-2 hours)

First clean the wheel with an APC or safe wheel cleaner. After cleaning them, claybar them with an OLD claybar and some detail spray. You can use a new bar, but if you do, never ever use it on your cars paint after this. Now that you`ve prepped the wheel, this is what you`ll need. A rotary buffer (Makita, Hitachi, DeWalt, etc), a 2 7/8" or 3" backing plate, a few 4" Lake Country orange pads, and Meguiars #105. (Add 4" Lake Country white pads and Meguiars #205 if you want even more gloss). Using a small amount of the #105, work it into the wheel face/spokes/lips with even and light pressure. 900-1000 rpm is ideal. Use no more than 1200 rpm. After you`re happy with the gloss, wipe it off and wash it again. Once its freshly cleaned again, seal it or wax it with your favorite wax or sealant. And remember to maintain them by putting a fresh coat on every 1-2 months.







Befores:



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC523.jpg



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC524.jpg



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC525.jpg











AFTER



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC526.jpg



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC527.jpg



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC528.jpg



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC529.jpg











And now another wheel, before...



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC532.jpg





AFTERS



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC537.jpg



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC541.jpg



http://i209.photobucket.com/albums/bb71/immaculate_reflections_showcase/Corrections%202010%20pt2/BonitasC540.jpg







Hope that helps some of you guys!!

[AndyWax]

Very useful info. What a dramatic difference.

[Accumulator]

Be a little careful using that approach on certain GM wheels with that type of finish; I didn`t like the way M205 left things on the Yukon XLD`s "machined finish" wheels, just not a sharp enough look and I figure the abrasives just had a tiny bit too much cut for what I wanted.



Note that I wasn`t dealing with anywhere *near* the sort of marring that gofast908z was correcting...those sure turned out nice :xyxthumbs ...so I had a different end-result goal.