How To: Polish your Rims.

[Kali Bird]

The reason people polish their rims is to get that clean blingin mirror look of chrome without the cost. polishing takes alot of work and time but looks great, so make sure you dont rush the job. expect to tak off the week end for this project.

The materials you will need:

-320,400,600,800,1000,1500 Grit sand paper
-Soapy Water (for the wet sanding process)
-A polishing tool for your drill
-A drill (duh)
-Mothers polish

First off clean your rims as best as you can so you dont have to worry about dirt getting in the way. next up start the wet sanding with the 320 grit and make sure you sand in ONE direction carefully going over the whole rim. Now when you move down to the finner grit make sure you completely sand over the scratchs of the last grit or you will f*** it all up, even after you have finished it, id go over it twice to be safe. So keep wet sanding your way down to finer grits until you have finally finished with the 1500. This next step is optional, some people like to go over it with 2000 grit after 1500 and even a peice of paper after that.
So now that your finished you should have a very smooth but not shiny rim, this is where your polishing wheel and mothers comes in. Now take your drill and pop that polishing wheel on top then start polishing the rim with the mothers a few times over (be generous) and you should have a clean ass blinged out set of rims when you are done.
DO NOT CLEAR COAT THE RIMS, this will give it a foggy look. As for upkeep, the downside of polishing over chroming is that you need to take a lil bit more care of them. when you get the rims wet you want to dry them off when you get home and every now and then you will have to go over the rims with some mothers to restore that shine because they do get a lil dull after a while. So there it is. Get to blingin**.

[tye]

im deffiantly doing this, awesome write up.

[Eran]

Just so everyone knows .....

this makes your wheels rust.

Yay, lets strip any protective coating off of your metal wheels.

[BlackHopeDC5]

Originally Posted by Eran

Just so everyone knows .....

this makes your wheels rust.

Yay, lets strip any protective coating off of your metal wheels.

actually believe it or not it doesnt.. your would think it does but it still has yet to do it to the one rim i did this process to that i left out for an entire winter.

[Eran]

Originally Posted by BlackHope121

actually believe it or not it doesnt.. your would think it does but it still has yet to do it to the one rim i did this process to that i left out for an entire winter.

and you didn't do one thing to protect it? no wheel wax, no clear?

I can see them not rusting AS MUCH (or as noticably) if you repolish them periodically, because jeweler's root (the stuff in that polish) is bonded with a wax. Not a great wax, mind you, but still enough.

Good writeup, just not the smartest thing to do, IMO.

[KoketsuCivicSi]

nice! one of my crew members did the same thing >` here's his DIY post: how to polish your rims (with pics)

[AliasNeo]

i know that if you sand and polish stock rims itl rust... but because they are steel. aluminum rims wont rust tho. they can get a bit corroded over time.

to say who wants to try and polish stock rims haha

[MROCK]

O.K. There is ups and downs in both polishing and chroming. IMO more downs in chrome.
And like someone said, aluminum won't rust, but if not taken care of, they will get dull and corrode a little.
But just like chrome which if not taken care of will pit, corrode, flake, etc.

Pro's and Con's IMO on Polish vs. Chrome.

Polish:
Pro's
1. If done the right way can give a mirror like finish.
2. If maintained will never flake, corrode, pit, etc.
3. Satisfaction: Once your done polishiing as well as when you detail your car and go over it with polish again. Looking at it with a sense of accomplishment.
4. A fraction of the cost.
5. If you decide to have them painted or powder coated it should cost less cause they don't have to really strip anything. Plus you have that option to paint or powder coat.
6. which to me is the #1 reason. If you curb check your wheel, easily fixable.

Cons:
1: Takes a while to accomplish the mirror look. Get a buddy to help.
2. When you are lazy after washing your car, but your wheels are looking dingy and you know you need to hit them with some mothers.
3. ??

Chrome:
Pros:
1. looks shiney and blingy straight out of the box.
2. Super easy to mantain.

Cons:
1. Longest warranty for chrome is approx. 4 yrs.
2. A lot of chrome wheels look like plastic IMO.
3. Chrome over time can yellow.
4. Over time especially if you live near the ocean will corrode, flake, chip, rust. Rust because of the dipping process. When chromed they dip the rim in copper, nickel, and other chemicals.
5. If you curb check a chrome wheel...well to have it stripped, fixed, and re-dipped, might as well buy a new one.
6. Chrome is chrome, no painting or powder coating.

Being in the wheel repair business, this is what I see a lot of with chrome. They look nice and are easy to clean and that's about it.

If anyone needs any help with the polishing process I'll be more than happy to help as well.

Anyway here is my wheels I polished and these are after 3 years. Lived by the ocean for 2 1/2 and lived in the snow for the other half.
This is the day i sold it

[MROCK]

Let me try this again.
Pic.
Shot at 2007-08-03

[civic99white]

I Have Gsr Blades If I Take Off The Clear Coat I Shouldent Reaply All I Wont To Do Is Take Out The Scraches And Bring Back The Shine That They Deserve So If I Reaply It Will Just Dall Them Im Just Making Shure I Dont Wont To Puut In The Work For No Reason

[star_light]

Question - I have a 2008 Honda Civic Hybrid. The wheels are aluminum with a clear coat finish. What is the best way to maintain the finish of these wheels? The owners manual says just wash like you would the rest of the car. I picked up wheel polish that is safe for clear coat finish's. Any suggestions? Thanks!

[Jimmy2times]

you should invest in a regular wheel cleaner not a polish. everytime you polish them, it will remove a bit of the clearcoat. polishing won't really do much. i guess if you can see surface scratches in the clear coat, it would be helpful, but otherwise, it's just a superfluous step.

most wheel cleaning solutions come in spray bottles and have ingredients that will remove stubborn brake dust and road dirt. Make sure to get a product that is safe for a painted/clearcoated finish (some are engineered for chrome or polished aluminum finishes. if you can't tell, ask the guy behind the counter). This should be all you need.

[97GreenEX]

If you polish any wheel, the way to upkeep is to continually polish it every few weeks or every month.Dry em all off each time they get wet too.

[e DoGG 4 sHo]

Are the sandpaper the wet ones or regular sandpaper? Also, do you guys use a sander or do you sand it down by hand?

[ak_thrylls]

i have polished blades. when i sprayed my tires with 'bleach white' the overspray ruined the finish (or unfinish) of my polished rims. i now have to repolish 2 of them. so do NOT spray your tires with anything. if you want to use tire shine, spray it on a rag and then wipe it on your tire, being careful to avoid the rim.