Putting a Shine on Dulled Aluminum Car Wheels
Filed under: Auto Detailing, Original Equipment (OEM), Reconditioned, Wheel Alignment, Wheels
I have a well-kept older sports car that is all dressed out with custom accessories and a nice set of factory aluminum wheels. This car is a real head-turner and loads of fun to drive. As usual I was driving way too fast on some mountainous roads and not paying close enough attention, when without warning I hit a pothole that nearly made the false teeth fall out of my mouth. The impact was so hard that it ruined both the tire and wheel on the right front of the car. I think there are probably some other damaged parts as well, but nothing too serious - at least I hope not.
I’m not going to turn this claim in to my insurance company because I don’t want my insurance rates to go up. The tires were weather-cracked and I was planning on replacing them with new ones anyway, so I was prepared for that expense.
As for the wheel, I can save quite a bit of money if I buy a reconditioned wheel instead of a brand new aluminum wheel from a dealer. The company says the reconditioned wheel will be as shiny as a new one, but that’s where I have a problem. If the new wheel is really shiny, it will probably stand out like a sore thumb against the dulled aluminum wheels on the rest of the car. What can I do to make dulled aluminum wheels shiny like new or reconditioned wheels?
Chuck
Charlotte, NC
David Williams writes:
Chuck, It sounds like North Carolina’s potholes are large enough to qualify for bridge funding! Anyway, it is unfortunate that you ruined a factory aluminum wheel on your sports car, but I suppose it was good that you didn’t crash the car and were able to locate a replacement wheel easily.
Before we get to your auto detailing question, there are some things about reconditioned wheels you should know.
Many wheels sold through reconditioning companies were, at one point in their past, bent or damaged badly enough to cause them to be discarded. Wheel reconditioning companies often buy damaged cores and straighten them out as best they can, then machine them on a lathe to true them up. The problem is that as the wheels are turned, the lathe removes layer after layer of aluminum causing the wheels to be thinner and weaker than the original manufacturer intended them to be.
If your car sat in the garage most of the time and was only used on occasion for a modest Sunday drive I wouldn’t be as concerned. But after telling me that you often drive “way too fast,” I have to question if reconditioned wheels are the best choice for you. If wheels are still available through your car’s manufacturer, I believe if I were you, I’d seriously consider paying the extra to get an original equipment (OEM) replacement through a dealer rather than buying a reconditioned wheel at any price. You will also want to make sure your car’s suspension is in proper alignment. If it isn’t, very quickly you may find the tread wearing unevenly from your new tires.
It is always best to put your new tires on first, and then have the alignment corrected as opposed to getting the alignment done and then buying new tires. If the suspension is set back on the right front due to the impact and cannot adjusted into manufacturer’s specifications, you could find the car’s frame bent, as well as other suspension componants like the steering knuckle or strut. Hopefully that’s not the case as some of these parts are rather costly. Now, let’s move on to answering your question.
How does one get dulled aluminum car wheels to shine like new?
There are several good wheel cleaners, polishes and waxes on the market. Mothers manufactures my personal favorites. Recently, you may have seen custom car builder, Chip Foose talking up Mothers products on television commercials.
I am not going to tell you that you won’t have to put some elbow grease into making dulled aluminum wheels shine. But, Mothers products including the new PowerBall and PowerBall Mini take a lot of the work out of it.
The PowerBall products are foam balls that can be used with a power drill or other variable speed tool to eliminate much of the hand polishing that was previously required to achieve a lustrous finish on dulled aluminum wheels. Best of all, there is no need to ever throw the tool away. When the foam ball wears out you can economically purchase a pair of foam ball refills and get back to work.
You’ll find Mothers has a full line of products to bring the shine to most any surface on a car whether it is steel, aluminum, brass, plastic or the like. These products have been around for years and are highly respected by car collectors and auto restoration specialists.
Give Mothers a try and let me know how the wheels turn out. After applying these easy-to-use products I expect you’ll have the same high opinion of Mothers products that I have.
My best to you, Chuck! Now, slow down and take care of that sports car.
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