Are these Aluminum wheels too far gone?

[imported_MBenz]

I am doing a 2000 suburban for a friend and one of his priorities is polishing up the wheels. I have been buffing like crazy with the powerball and the flitz thing and the results are not that great, I took me a good 15 minutes just to get a spoke polished up to a cloudy reflection. My guess it that i would take about an hour per wheel.



Are these wheels worth the time to at get them 1/2 way decent, or should i just recomend that the owner get the wheels professionally done?

[YoMike]

You might get better results with a wool ball.

[Autogeek]

Ouch - are you sure those wheels weren`t subjected to a harsh cleaner??

[imported_MBenz]

The damage is most-likely from deicer on the roads. they are really coroded and pitted. I honestly don`t think there is anything i can really do for them. I am just a weekend detailer, not a professional machine shop.

[qwertydude]

Only thing to do at that point is just sandblast and repaint. You could buff it but all the pitting and corrosion will just be shiny pitting and corrosion. Heck even a quick paint job with wheel spray paint would look better than shining those up.

[VroomVroom]

Yeah, if he really loves the wheels, I`d recommend media blasting, polishing, and then a clear powdercoat. If he just wants `em to be 10-footers, my guess is you could make a significant improvement if you don`t mind spending the time and exerting the elbow grease. Good luck...

[charlesaferg]

Throw them in the trash and do him a favor, those wheels are terrible.



He would be wasting money by repairing them.



Have him save the money to put towards a new set, and a small amount on the side for you, so you can apply rejex every few months to save the new wheels from future damage... ;D

[RANDAL]

Send them to me and ll get it a try. Try some PBs spray and wipe, and buff buff buff with a push MF towel. Then try some chemical polish and see what that does. Finally some wheel sealant. RANDAL

[wfedwar]

They`re very far gone. Even if you painted them, I`d think you`d need some kind of filler for the pitting. If you decide to repaint them yourself, get automotive grade PPG or DuPont clear. The normal spray can stuff will yellow in no time. I`ve found this out myself. Wurth and Griots aren`t any better.

[Bobarell]

He could always have them powder coated. That might actually be the cheapest way to go.

[imported_advs1]

Send them to me and ll get it a try. Try some PBs spray and wipe, and buff buff buff with a push MF towel. Then try some chemical polish and see what that does. Finally some wheel sealant. RANDAL

sorry, you`re not going to get far with elbow grease. those wheels need to be acid washed, stripped and polished back up. but they need to be taken off the tires and professional done. might be better off getting new rims and cheaper.

[Scotie]

First you need the acid wash them. Then polish. It will be ten times easier.

[silkstone]

Ouch - are you sure those wheels weren`t subjected to a harsh cleaner??

Either that, or salt damage.....

[imported_MBenz]

It wouldn`t surprise me if it is salt damage. They take the suburban skiing a lot and i-70 is always covered in deicer. I talked with the owner and he is going to get new wheels, probably not polished aluminum this time. This is good because after all the work i put into the paint, there is no way i was going to spend countless more hours on just the wheels. Detailing a really beat up suv with black paint is such a drain! Thank You all so much for your advice. I will be posting a write up of the suburban on click and brag soon.

[VroomVroom]

I can`t wait to see the C&B! Good call on the wheels....it is such a thankless and painful task working on bare aluminum wheels.