Reply With QuoteAnything you can feel with your fingernail on the rim is going to be very hard to get out by hand polishing.Originally Posted by mitch_f1
You may just have to get them refinished.
So i went and got an aluminium specific polish, I got the Mothers one. But it isn't bringing up the black residue as it is supposed to. So what do I do now? Does this mean that it has a clear coat? Is it possible to get scratches/pocks out of clear coat??
Anything you can feel with your fingernail on the rim is going to be very hard to get out by hand polishing.
You may just have to get them refinished.
very helpful thread, thanks heaps. i just had my rear bar re painted as it had severe sun damage. i knew when i got it back the colour would be a bit darker due to newer paint and it was. its a long shot but is there anything i can do? its definitely the right paint code, so mayb i should leave it out in the sun for a few months lol.
cheers
Are the aluminium parts you are trying to polish on your wheels or in the engine bay?
As Kavehman mentioned. If you can feel the scratch then polishing wont do much for it.
Cheers tomtom92.
What you will find that even though it is the correct paint code, how perfect the colour matches depends on how old the paint is on the rest of the panel.
Also, the front/rear bars are usually plastic where as the guards/doors/bonnet are metal. In most cases different panel materials will change the tone of the colour slightly.
In this case there is not much you can do polishing wise to match the colour more.
THey are on my wheels, and I realise that with the deeper ones, but there are surface scratches which are very very shallow, looking like this: http://i659.photobucket.com/albums/u..._f1/3Large.jpg
It's going to be very hard to get those out by hand, you could try using a powerball polisher or something like that (I have never used one and have no idea how they work).
Your going to need a very abrasive polish if your going to do it by hand, and then work your way down from there.
I don't think polishing up that rim properly is a DIY job if you haven't got the proper tools.
Fair call. Thanks for the advice guys
so i've got a bosch RO.. what sort of attatchments should i use for it?? can u get backing plates for them or do you use something different..
Dave (or anyone really), is there a product that i can apply to my wheels that would make the removal of brake dust that tad bit easier?
or even a product that would somehow sheild/stop the dust from sticking to wheels? or am i better of using multi-P cleaner along with good ol' elbow grease?
I know the best thing to do would probably be not letting the dust stay there long enough, but just after a heads up incase i forget lol.
Cheers peeps.
What products can I use to polish out small water marks on a polished aluminium wheel (lip), without clearcoat?
I was thinking of using Autosol and Mother's powerball, but I'm worried it will be too abrasive.
i've used autosol on my exhaust tip.. came out great.. i don't think you would be having any problems with the autosol aluminium specific product... also i just used that softish polishing cloth that you get from super cheap, but im guessing any soft cloth will do (mf cloth?)...
Im not sure if there are attachments for the Bosch RO.
Just as long as you've got the 150mm backing plate then you can use it with any 6" pad.
I have heard thought that some of the lower end RO's dont tend to grip the pads velcro backing too well and in some cases have flung off.
You can apply a wheel sealant on your wheels to help with ease of washing.
A good one is the Opti-coat but this can only be done through professional application which I can provide but if you are looking to apply it yourself then you might want to try the Nanolex wheel sealant.
I have not actually tried this myself but I have seen some good reviews of it.
Yep Autosol is good or even the Megs NXT All metal polish.
Hi Dave,
Had a general question in regards to washing cars. Say for example you wanted to clean the entire exterior, door jambs, engine bay and wheel arches. In what order would you do it in to reduce say splashing onto already cleaned panels.
My thoughts were that I'd start by cleaning the engine bay using APC/Degreaser, and then attack the door jambs and then wheel arch and engine bay afterwards. Would you wash and dry each time, or wash it all, and then dry it all. Also how would you get into the intricate door jamb places? Just try your best with the cloth you have? Also for wheel cleaning, is it best to have the wheels off the car to get into the wheel arches?
Noob guide welcome!
Cheers for the help Dave!
I will have to look at getting that nanolex in the near future.
I usually do it in the following order.
- Engine bay
- Wheels & arches
- Jambs
- Exterior wash
You wont need to dry after each part. Just make sure you keep it wet until it is time to dry.
The best way to clean jmabs are with some APC and a pressure cleaner.
This way all you need to do is spray the APC, let it sit for a bit then pressure clean it down.
I have very rarely used a brush to get into the tight bits as the pressure cleaner will blast it all out.
If you are just using a hose then you will need to use a brush to agitate certain areas.
If you really want to give your wheels a good clean then take them off. This will make it easier to clean the wheel arches and brakes.
I dont usually take wheels off unless its a major detail or the customer requests it.
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