Need help with these wheels

[DrdetailNashville]

Hey guys, here's the situation. I had a new customer yesterday that had a nice 2010 Challenger. He had it detailed where they tinted his windows and of course they screwed it up. I fixed all issues except one.

He has Boss 338 custom wheels on the car that the previous detailer etched with probably some harsh acid cleaner. The wheels have a polished aluminum lip, which I was able to polish all the etching out of with my new Dynacone. The actual spokes of the wheel are described by the manufacturer as "Super Finish". I couldn't fix what looks like more etching on that part of the wheel. It feels like bare metal.

Here are some pics.






You can see what look like water spots on the wheel. I've tried All Metal Polish, Body Solvent, and white vinegar (I've used that to remove light water spots before). Anyone have any other ideas on how this can be fixed, or if even can be fixed?

Thanks for the help.

[Markus Kleis]

Re: Need help with these wheels

Hmm, that's a tough one. I would say your best bet is first to figure out what "Super finish" means, which unfortunately means contacting the manufacturer and dealing with them.

Once you do, we can try and find the best product and process for the job.

[joe r.]

Re: Need help with these wheels

sadly, i believe this is all that's left of the "super finish."

[kent55]

Re: Need help with these wheels

This is what I know.

1. Those wheels are Grey with a "Super Finish" lip (which means it's machined with an extremely fine bit ... to give it that "polished" look. Most of the time the Super Finish shine is clear coated too so it doesn't need polished and stays shiny.

2. If the grey paint is rough, I can't help, but if it's smooth then a paint cleaner like Ultimate Compound should work.

3. http://www.bossmotorsports.com/contact.cfm

[Mr Miyagi]

Re: Need help with these wheels

from a detailing standpoint I don't have an opinion...from a lug nut stand point..those HAVE to be the wrong ones for those wheels! A simple vise grip and bye-bye wheels

[Selectchoice]

Re: Need help with these wheels

Looks like the previous wheel clean was done with a chemical that was far too harsh, or maybe let dry, or even just sprayed onto a hot wheel. Or some combination thereof.

I thought the wheels were really destroyed until I looked at the link from kent55 and realised the current state of the centres were much closer in colour to a new wheel than I had expected. From the lip I assumed they whole wheel was that finish.

Has anything you've tried made an improvement, even a little? Did you get any black on the cloth/pad after all metal polish, or nothing visible? If it is clear coated, it was done more for a sheen than a shine judging by the pic. In that case the "water marks" are the real issue.

Seeing as they are aftermarket wheels, and there are so many variables, it's probably best contact the manufacturer just to be on the safe side, rather than try something that could make it worse, if thats possible...