Product advice for polishing my Volks
 

I've been trying to figure out which product would be best for polishing the lip on my rims, but I don't know what products are too abrasive. Any advice?

Mothers chrome polish is what I used for years. good stuff

After you polish the lip, I highly recommend PoorBoys Wheel Sealant. http://poorboysworld.com/wheel-sealant.htm

my rims are close to yours but the spokes are split. a pain to clean but after i wash them and use meguirs wheel cleaner, dry then use mothers power cone in a drill with some cleaner wax and after removing its like looking in a mirror

OMG!!! Do not take the advice of any of the above people when it comes to your SF-Challenges!!!

Never use a chrome/mag/aluminum polish on your Volk's clear coated lips! Way too harsh.
Never use an acidic wheel cleaner on your Volks - I know Meguiars does, however, make a wheel cleaner specific to clear coated wheels which would be safe!

The best way to take care for your Volks is like how you take care of your paint.
1. Wash the wheels with a soft microfiber sponge and car wash soap. Dip the sponge often.
2. Clay Bar the lips if they are really dirty and don't feel smooth.
3. Follow up with any kind of wax, I don't feel that wheel specific waxes are anything special. I also use a Mother's Power Ball Mini to do the application.

TIP: Swap to Ceramic brake pads and your wheels will stay a whole lot cleaner. I went with Satisfied Pro Ceramic Pads and they feel like stock once they are broken in and emit very little dust. They are also fairly priced on TireRack.

This gentle approach should be enough to keep them looking really shiny. Just remember that those lips are clear coated so be gentle with them. From one Korean to another - you have wicked taste in wheels (I've got them in Gold).

Listen to the advice above. He is right 100%. I have Volks with clear coated lips as well, and have used meg's swirlx to polish the entire wheel, and it works great! Never thought the outcome would be so great! Follow with Klasse All in One, then with Klasse Sealant Glaze for the best durability, and call it a day.

What?! PoorBoys Wheel Sealant is much better for wheels than any other regular surface wax/sealant. It's much thicker and provides the extra protection needed from road debris.

^ i think the main point was to stay away from harsh chemicals on the clear coated lips. once they go cloudy the only fix is to pay to get the wheel refinished.

... any wax should be safe on the wheels. just be careful what you use to clean them

so thats the advice for a clearcoated lip.

BUT, whats the advice for a lip that needs to be refinished?

what paint stripper is easily available and effective at pepboys and such?and has anyone paint-stripped their rim finish and polished them have pics to show...?

If you're stripping the whole wheel, in the auto body section of Pep's or Walmart and the like you can get an "aircraft stripper".

If it's just the lip, you can wetsand using about 1000 or 1500 2000, and follow with Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish and a PowerBall Mini or PowerCone. Sometimes just the Mag & Aluminum Polish will take off old clearcoat, but you'll need to sand to get rid of staining and pitting.

The approach you take will depend on the wheel finish(es) and how bad they are.

^^thanks

but the wheel finish don't seem bad at all...just dull.

so i think it be the best approach on the aircraft stripper you gave. i don't have much time, and just wanted to make sure its strong stuff that'll get the job done fairly well. in any case, i did get a jug of aircraft strip.

not doing whole wheel, but it may all depend after i inspect condition front to back on the wheel set i'm putting tires on. if all is well, then i'll just have the strong stuff doing all the work on the lip for me.

edit: after some research, i got the stripper in gel form, which is said to be stronger than an aerosol can. and being most aerosol's don't contain the stronger methylene propyl?

gonna try to post pics after tires gets on....

never thought of clay baring the wheels before....will try this when nice weather rolls around and it is time for summer tires.

-sigh-

been sooo busy...

stripped the clear off the lip. scuff off scratches with red scotchbrite. go over the work with hand on blue magic polish.

all with the bolts removed and masked off for my centers to be painted bright chrome coating with a SATIN finish!

this should be awesome. i wanted to strip and polish everything, but the centers are not the same metal alloys as the rim halves i assume from all the rust signs on the hub mating surface... so i decided to just keep it all intact and just repaint the centers.

gonna try to post pics of my work either as i progress, or after i finish, or when i have time if i remember.