How to polish out wheel scratches

[ChunkyBaby5150]

Omg I scratched my 22inch wheels and I'm gone try to do what u said. I pray I do it right

[FunkyStickman]

Just a quick heads-up, no comments on here attacking people, even if they are misinformed and don't know what they're talking about. We're simply returning rims to OEM appearance, and so-called "bare metal" laws wouldn't apply to wheels anyway.

Carry on. Thanks for all the positive comments!

[dodge69874]

I had a Polished Alloy wheel get scratched up on the inside by the gooseneck hitch in the bed of my truck. It looks like it's just the clearcoat that got messed up. I'm trying to sell them and really have nothing to lose. Do you think this will work? Thanks.

[FunkyStickman]

@dodge69874 It should work, even if there's a little scratch in the actual aluminum. However, you're going to want to re-clearcoat them, otherwise it'll look funny.

[mrdintino]

thanks! You should open your own shop.

[Jigsjigz]

ok i got a few questions... what sand paper did u start with step by step please? like i have a set of audi TT comps 17" and i want to take the lacquer off as its pealing and looking off. and then want to give them the polished look. help would be appreciated.

[FunkyStickman]

@Jigsjigz It's just 3M wet/dry sandpaper, nothing fancy. I started off with about 400 grit to get the clearcoat off, and worked up to 2000 grit until it was shiny. Then you polish it with mag polish and a buffer wheel.

[thamanjp590]

will this work with chrome rims??

[FunkyStickman]

@thamanjp590 No, chrome plating is not the same... this process is for polished raw aluminum (with clear paint over it). If your wheels are OEM, chances are it's actually polished aluminum, not real chrome plating, which is expensive.

[thamanjp590]

@FunkyStickman ok well i sand papered my rims today...i got them down to the raw aluminum..the lips are chrome and i just did them..any advice on how to get the aluminum shiny?

[FunkyStickman]

@thamanjp590 Did you watch the video? You have to polish the aluminum until it's shiny... it's a lot of work, it takes time. Get a couple packs of 3M wet/dry sandpaper, and sand it until it's almost shiny, down to 1000 grit or better, then hit it with Mother's mag polish.

[thamanjp590]

@FunkyStickman They ended up looking Great!!! Thanks So much for this video!!

[123lipglosslover]

what was the sand paper that u used for the first time u used it ???

[FunkyStickman]

@123lipglosslover It's 3M wet/dry sandpaper, I started off with 400 grit (I think) and worked up to 2000 grit a little at a time.

[DesecratedReaper]

when i bought my rims, my dad helped me install them because we had to adjust the suspension in order to fit them on without rubbing against each other. Any who my dumb ass dad was getting careless with them when we were installing them and let them fall face flat on the pavement and even sat on one while i was away face flat. Two got dinged up and the idiot blamed it on those cheap ass Taiwanese, even though they were made in china. I may have to do this once the paint starts chipping off.

[012Wallace]

Try malik acid i think it's called. Apply it on the wheel and the clear coar protective coating will bubble off and you can wipe it right off within minutes. way easier.

[FunkyStickman]

@uunit08 Yes, but it would take a long time! It's just painted aluminum too.

[MsVue09]

what did he spray on the rim/

what was that white stuff?

[FunkyStickman]

@MsVue09

I just used water to wet sand the rim. The white stuff is Mother's Billet Polish.

[Skroggn]

Thanks for the tips!

[EarthQuaKeAudio]

good video, i gonna try it on some wheels that came on my car.

[hm008vaj]

Great video, very informative! all others vids are done by people that do this for business, therefore, the steps are not explained or vaguely explained.

[07SuperchargedSS]

hey i got salt deposits on the chrome lips of my rims. nothing i do gets it off. ive polished and wiped and powerballed but nothing gets it off. any ideas?

[FunkyStickman]

The salt probably ate away the clearcoat on the rims. If they're aftermarket and are actually chrome plated, there's nothing you can do but get them re-chromed (or use a DIY touch-up kit from someone like Caswell Plating) but if they're the stock SS/SC rims, they're polished and clearcoated. You'll have to do what I did, sand the clear off, and re-polish the whole thing.

[luxeinternational]

@07SuperchargedSS You can probably find powder coating on craigslist cheaper than chroming, then you don't gotta worry about this again..

[G215CAJ]

great video mate, i've just spent ages searching for a good tutorial & yours is the best i've found so far, i've just refurbed & repainted a set of rims in a dark mettalic grey & was wanting to mirror polish the lip on them

[FunkyStickman]

@MsBixy Basically, yes. Unless you have arms like Popeye, a mouse sander will make this so much easier on the rougher grit sandpaper. You still need to hand-sand the 800+ grit stuff, or it will leave swirl marks.

[TripleHomicide]

Thank god for people like you. I just spent 45 minutes looking for a video to refinish my old scratched up alloy rims, and all I could find was assholes with cameras showing how much of a poser they are by putting before and after pictures of rims in a video with obnoxious music. Great video man.

[FunkyStickman]

@TripleHomicide Thank you man, I appreciate that. Someday I will get around to doing a proper video with a better camera. Thanks again.

[indoguju]

Your the teacher from Charlie brown.

[qwertyqaz110]

what if you literally scratched the rim??

[FunkyStickman]

@qwertyqaz110 The process is the same, you just have to sand it down more. If the rim is so gouged that you can't sand the scratch out, then you could use something like metal filler to just make it even, and then go form there. It might have a slight color where the filler is, but when the car's rolling, you probably couldn't tell.

[samr0ss]

I don't know why you put "This Film sucked" at the end, you put a bit of effort into the video and im sure it has helped a lot of people.

Great Video.

[FunkyStickman]

Thanks, I guess because it's not my best production. However, the info is really useful, so I'm glad you liked it. Thanks!

[FunkyStickman]

Thanks for all the positive comments, people! Glad I can help.

[shally2186]

Def helped me on refinishing my lips on my wheels! Thanks

[AquariusEddie]

Brilliant. Thx for advice...

[andyb1969]

Great vid stickman, Dont know if it will work on my alloys but ill give it a try..

[epale9999]

Thanks mate!

[xtremeranger95]

Damn, i want my Comp Pack wheels to look like that!

[josef4334]

thanks man.. great job.. now im gonna do it.. keep you posted

[pierreti]

my question is that since you removed the clearcoat, shouldn't you replace it?

[FunkyStickman]

You can if you want, I didn't have any clear paint handy, so I just keep it clean and polish it occasionally.

[jayarscintilla]

stickman, what's a dremel?

[FunkyStickman]

It's a popular brand of small high-speed rotary tools.

[jayarscintilla]

thanks

[vouyroy]

yo this guy is good shit is easy if u listen to him. i tryed it worked great... thx to whoever posted this ....

[FunkyStickman]

No problem, man. Glad you liked it.

[keebordcowboy]

beautiful man..

great job.

marvellous.

[FunkyStickman]

Thanks. I really need to get around to doing the last two rims. :)

[sushiman4201]

lmaof. porky pig...oxi oxi oxi corrosion  thats all folks

[FunkyStickman]

LOL I know... was having a bad video day!

[sushiman4201]

matrix is win!!!! lol

[TheNemesis6hotmail]

Pretty good vid, but you could also mention that more often green rouge is better for aluminum, Red rouge is often referred to as jewellers rouge because is is designed for precious metals. It does work though, you'll just use more compound

[FunkyStickman]

Good point, it's just what I had handy. The second wheel I didn't even use rouge, just got it close with sandpaper and went straight to the billet polish, and that worked out pretty well.

[brian8793]

Is the clear coat like a Universal thing? Can you buy it in a spray can at Pep Boys?

[FunkyStickman]

Yup, just plain clear gloss paint.

[radiustwo]

nice vid a great help thank you.

[supraman121]

Or you could just stop running over curbs

[FunkyStickman]

LOL People always assume the worst. For your information, I bought the car used, was previously owned by a girl (found hairpins all in the trunk) and all 4 wheels had curb rash...I haven't hit a curb with it yet in 2 years.

[Dec24th]

nice vid

[JUSTJACK987]

thanks alot m8 :)

[audacioushunk]

how would you repair a chrome rim? i have a rl with the chrome rims and was looking for a good way to fix them up.

[FunkyStickman]

Well, by "repair" I'm guessing you mean taking the scratches out? This is how you do it... it's the same wheel. It's not actually chromed, it's polished with a clear coat of paint. Real chrome electroplating is expensive, most car makers just polish and clearcoat 'em.

I've also seen guys mimic the comp package wheels with Duplicolor wheel paint. I'm not much of a chrome guy, so I'd recommend that if you like the look. You'd still need to polish out the scratches in the lip, though.

[audacioushunk]

ok, thanks for the help.

[Ashleynewyear]

I think you need to have it re-dipped in chrome.

[FunkyStickman]

The lip isn't chromed, it's polished aluminum with a clearcoat over it.