Polished aluminum wheels

uranium-238 · 10-09-2008, 08:17 PM

Ok, I've run out of tricks on this one. Hopefully all Skies are like this and I'm not the only one. Anyway, my polished aluminum wheels are really more like brushed aluminum. Look closely, and you can see uniform brushmarks in a couple directions on all wheels.

Now when I ordered my car, all the Skies they had on the lot had chrome wheels. I ordered the polished aluminum wheels sight unseen, figuring that they would indeed be polished aluminum. Like, mirror finish or darn close to it. Well, it's nowhere near what I expected. You can see a reflection in them, but not clearly.

Why didn't I buy chrome? Because this was cheaper, polished aluminum still has a mirror finish, and I've always thought that it looked better than chrome, it has a whiter color, rather than blueish with chrome.

Long story short, my usual polishing devices aren't doing the job. Never-Dull is my all-time favorite, but that's more for keeping the polish up, not putting it on. Bought some meguair's mag/aluminum polish, no luck. I'm going to need something stronger.

Any ideas?

ThunderSky · 10-09-2008, 08:42 PM

I agree 100%,
So I'm probably gonna keep my stock polished wheels 1 more summer just to wear out the rubber, then trade up to aftermarket chromes, likely 19s or 20s

uranium-238 · 10-09-2008, 08:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ThunderSky

I agree 100%,
So I'm probably gonna keep my stock polished wheels 1 more summer just to wear out the rubber, then trade up to aftermarket chromes, likely 19s or 20s

I plan on upgrading my wheels sometime next year as well, however I'll be keeping the stock wheels for racing tires, either for autocross or drag racing. So, I need to find a fix.

Oh, and I thought about steel wool, it'd be too aggressive. Finding sandpaper fine enough to do the job would be quite difficult as well.

bobarry · 10-13-2008, 11:01 PM

I read somewhere that they may be 'clear-coated', and only non-abrasive polish was the ONLY way to 'shine' them further.
My buddy mentioned using something called a Mother's 'ball' on a drill.
Mom doesn't have one, but AutoZone is supposed to have them.

BoBarry

Jason@Adams · 10-13-2008, 11:40 PM

A vast majority of aluminum wheels from the factory are clear coated meaning automotive polishes and waxes are the only way to clean and protect them.
-Jason

uranium-238 · 10-14-2008, 07:13 AM

So what's the test to see it it's clearcoated or not?

Jason@Adams · 10-14-2008, 09:40 AM

You should be able to tell by look and feel. If the metal feels smooth and for lack of a better term "not metal like" and has a glossy appearance they are most likely clear coated. What you can do is if you have some metal polish that normally turns black after use on aluminum try a very small spot. If it does not turn black, clear coat! You can also contact a local Saturn dealership and see what they say.

uranium-238 · 10-15-2008, 07:03 PM

Yep, they're clear coated for sure.

As much as I hate to not having real polished aluminum wheels, I'm not going to mess with them. Hoping to by some aftermarket wheels with next years tax return, removing the clear coat and polishing them won't be worth the trouble if I keep them for racing wheels.

Jason@Adams · 10-15-2008, 07:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by uranium-238

Yep, they're clear coated for sure.

As much as I hate to not having real polished aluminum wheels, I'm not going to mess with them. Hoping to by some aftermarket wheels with next years tax return, removing the clear coat and polishing them won't be worth the trouble if I keep them for racing wheels.

Well if you ever decide to polish them up you can use automotive polish and wax!

Our Revive Polish and Buttery Wax would be very easy to use, follow up with some Brilliant Spray Glaze and they'll look great!
-Jason

LordRahl007 · 05-18-2010, 05:19 PM

Okay, so to bring a long-dead thread back to life...

I gather here that our aluminum wheels are clear-coated, so automotive polish is the way to go. Can you still use the Mother's ball with this (I have neither the patience nor the arm strength & endurance to do them by hand!)? And would it make a noticeable difference? I'm really not a fan of doing a lot of work with little noticeable result.

**lllfly** · 05-18-2010, 07:10 PM

I used the ball kept junping all over the rim. I didn't like it. For me a t- shirt and rubbing by hand the only way.
I give it away.
LLLFLY

Rob the Elder · 05-19-2010, 12:52 AM

I have used the ball on the wife's Sky chrome wells with great success. To control the ball better, I find that using less pressure and letting the ball do the work is best for me

Dylan@Adams · 05-19-2010, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by LordRahl007

Okay, so to bring a long-dead thread back to life...

I gather here that our aluminum wheels are clear-coated, so automotive polish is the way to go. Can you still use the Mother's ball with this (I have neither the patience nor the arm strength & endurance to do them by hand!)? And would it make a noticeable difference? I'm really not a fan of doing a lot of work with little noticeable result.

I would avoid the use of the powerball as its intended to polish metal, not paint (clear coat) It is an effective tool on aluminum for using metal polish, heck, I wish their patent wasn't so good so we could make our own version, but using that thing on the clear coat is going to do more harm than good.

Treat your wheels in much the same way you would the rest of the car.

CLAY > POLISH > WAX/SEALANT

I generally retire my older well used clay to wheel duty for a few uses before discarding. Don't ever use the same bar you've used on wheels on your paint.

Once decontaminated I've had excellent results with our Revive hand polish treating wheels. If you need something with a little more bite to fix some more stubborn issues give our Swirl & Haze Remover a shot.

Follow the whole thing up with a sealant like our Machine Superwax. A durable synthetic sealant will go a long ways to protecting the wheels as well as make cleaning them easier the next time around as dirt, grime, and brake dust will be less apt to stick.