Need help with cleared OEM wheel

[Lemay88]

Bonjour Viper family,

I would like to bring my dull, faded and oxydized OEM cleared chrome wheel back to a shinny look without spending tons of money.
I tried wax, detailing and compound and they are not much better.
Any suggestion would be appreciated.

Thanks

Ben
1997, R/T 10, Canadian Edition

[Junkman2008]

Are they clear coated polished aluminum wheels are clear coated chrome wheels (the latter I don't ever remember seeing).

[sparkrn]

$650 you can send them to cal chrome. They will look better then new.

[Martyb]

I stripped the clear coat off and polished mine on my old RT. I wanted to keep the polished look and not go chrome, but I have to admit the chrome version looks great as well.

[Lemay88]

Well, They are the OEM wheel that cam with my R/T 10. Don't know if they are chrome or polished aluminum.
Inclused is a pic of my wheel.
How much of a problem is it to strip the clear and how much PIA is it to polish them??

Ben

image.jpg

[mjorgensen]

You can take to a wheel repair place, they can polish them up and then do a clear (or tinted clear) powder coat over them to keep the shine and make them durable. probably also cost about $600.

[Vprbite]

150 per wheel sounds about right to me. That's sorta my general feeling anytime you need to get them painted, powder coated, or refinished. Mostly because you are paying for the prep work of removing the old, oxidized clear.

Also, this is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth, but when they are re-done don't use any "wheel cleaner" or anything like that. Just LOTS of soapy water. And if you do it often it will be easier on you and the wheels. It's just that those wheel cleaners tend to contain pretty harsh solvents and vary a lot from product to product. I have heard lots of stories of people trying wheel cleaner and leaving permanent streaks or severe clouding on their wheels. Since our wheels are clear coated, I say just don't use anything you wouldn't use on your paint. Again, just my opinion.

P.S. I plati-dipped my wheels so I don't have to worry about it because I was sick of cleaning them so often.

[Lemay88]

Thanks for the opinion guys,
I tried buffing them with meguiar's glaze and didn't see a difference. But they are not that bad, I can live with them.
Since the 17" tires are getting rare, I will keep them like that and when time comes, I will look for other type of OEM wheels.

Ben,
1997, R/T 10, Canadian Edition

[Vprbite]

Thanks for the opinion guys,
I tried buffing them with meguiar's glaze and didn't see a difference. But they are not that bad, I can live with them.
Since the 17" tires are getting rare, I will keep them like that and when time comes, I will look for other type of OEM wheels.

Ben,
1997, R/T 10, Canadian Edition

As far as buffing them, since you are planning on and budgeting for having them redone, you could try using a cutting pad and doing an aggressive cut on them. Since it is clear. Unless you have burned that off (chemically or otherwise) and are dealing with bare aluminum but that is probably not the case. So you could aggressively polish them in a way that you would want to leave up to a professional in terms of your paint but might work for your wheels. Of course, you will thin out that clear. But it may make them look better and save you the 600 bucks for the time being. And if it doesn't, you are right where you started.

This assumes you already have the equipment. I wouldn't spemd a couple hundred bucks just to try this. And, it assumes you might enjoy the DIY aspect of it. Otherwise, having them refinished and being nice to them will probably last a rediculously long time and you won't really have to worry about it again.

Best of luck. Let us know how it turns out.

[Junkman2008]

... Also, this is just my opinion so take it for what it's worth, but when they are re-done don't use any "wheel cleaner" or anything like that. Just LOTS of soapy water. And if you do it often it will be easier on you and the wheels. It's just that those wheel cleaners tend to contain pretty harsh solvents and vary a lot from product to product. I have heard lots of stories of people trying wheel cleaner and leaving permanent streaks or severe clouding on their wheels. Since our wheels are clear coated, I say just don't use anything you wouldn't use on your paint. Again, just my opinion.

I've heard that advice somewhere...



Published on Sep 5, 2014

Here I am washing the wheels on the Vette with soap and water. Look at how dirty the water is after cleaning 3 of the 4 wheels. All of that dirt came off the wheels and wheel wells using nothing but soap and water. For folks who have to use anything more than soap and water, you need to learn how to wash your wheels more than once a month. Then they will come clean a LOT easier. That's not rocket science, that's just common sense.

Save your money and quit buying unnecessary cleaning supplies!

[Vprbite]

Haha. Yeah I guess my opinion was remarkably similar to your advice. I promise I wasn't trying to plagerize. You must have just gotten through to me : )

One thing I believe can not be stressed is, soap and water are your friends when it comes to wheels. IMO, you can not use too much. Especially since wheels tend to be grimy and silty. Lots of soapy water gets it clean without rubbing it into that clear. Or, just plasti dip them black.

[Junkman2008]

[Lemay88]

I do clean my wheels with lots of soap and water....they were in that condition when I bought the car.
Like mentionned before..lI will live with them like that and look for a good deal on some 18" OEM, after all, my Viper is not and never will be a garage queen, way too much smiles per miles to keep her garaged.

Thanks everyone

Ben

[Junkman2008]

Can't argue with THAT mindset. I share it also.

[Vprbite]

I hear ya. I didn't mean to accuse you about mistreating your wheels. I was speaking generally. Just that we all can stand to remember that. It's tempting to cut corners on wheels. At least it is for me. Nothing meant personally.

[Lemay88]

No offense taken,
Now, if I could just move where driving weather happens 12 months a year....would make me forget about those nicks and scratches, can't see them when driving and smiling...lol

Ben

[Vprbite]

No offense taken,
Now, if I could just move where driving weather happens 12 months a year....would make me forget about those nicks and scratches, can't see them when driving and smiling...lol

Ben

Our bright sun can show you all the imperfections. I find it best to drive so fast I get tunnel vision. Then I can't see them.

[My98RT10]

Just one remark: if you get them stripped, repolished and cleared again, be prepared for the new clear to be less shiny than the OEM clear. From what I have seen, most of the shops use a clear powder coat, which does not provide the same level of shine as the OEM clear paint.

[uvbnbit]

Budget fix: strip, polish, wax. (airplane stripper is quite caustic, be very careful and the clear is tough, will probably take at least 3 stripping sessions)
The forged one's will polish up better than the cast alum.
Maintain with soap/water, light polishing once/year, wax.
Here are a few pics of set I worked on for local member.
Oh, and btw, yours are not chrome (if not mentioned already)

[Lemay88]

Wow, they look incredible...
What did you use to polish them??

Ben

[uvbnbit]

Wow, they look incredible...
What did you use to polish them??

Ben

oh man, I've been through so many different aluminum polishes/pad over the years, I really don't remember.
Depends on how they look after stripping, but I'm gonna guess you will doing at least 3 steps of polish, med to fine, and a med/fine pad.
Try a basic alum polish with fine pad first. You'll have to be careful wiping it too. Even a soft micro-fiber can leave "marks" wiping cleaning. You're not going to hurt it. Have fun, take your time.