infinus

So I got some mothers wheel cleaner for my work VSXX's, I did the "test on an inconspicuous spot" thing and everything went well so I cleaned two wheels went back to look at the first and All these nasty white marks on my lips, they look almost like dried water spots but more white. So I tried to wash it off and it wont come off! It turns out the lips are anodized (which I didn't know) and the product says not to use on anodized wheels. I've scrubbed and washed and nothing seems to make it go away? Am I pretty much screwed?

kamlung

iTrader: (8)

try to see if you can clay it out???

if not and the product is in the clear, you may haveto wetsand the wheel and then repolish it...

infinus

The lips are bare anodized aluminum, there is no clearcoat. I've tried rubbing alcohol and some aluminum safe cleaners, clay bar and other compounds, it looks better but still not 100%. I contacted the manufacturer to see if there is anything they know of that can help. They asked for pictures and emailed me back saying they are sorry it did that and that its not meant to be used with anodized lips. They also said that they will be sending me an "arsenal of products" that should restore the finish and the shine.

If that doesn't work I'll have to go to a rim repair shop and have them fix the lips, or have them powdercoated or something

FMLis300

Try sending a PM to rvalero. I think he had the same situation.

infinus

Thanks I'll shoot him a PM

rvalero

iTrader: (1)

There is hope for your wheels, and yes, the same thing happened to mine. The outer barrel is anodized and then clear-coated. The clear coat got damaged.

This is what my wheels looked like after using a tire cleaner:


I can't say that I completely fixed the problem, but they ended up looking a LOT better. Using my PC7424 D-A buffer at setting ~3.75, I used a finishing polish and a white Lake Country polish pad. Unfortunately, I think Menzerna Final Polish II has been discontinued, but I'm pretty sure properautocare.com rebadged it as a different product. PM them for more info.

Prep
To start, clean your wheels with car soap and water. Next, mask off your dry wheels with blue painters tape. If you don't, the face may haze as the polish pad rubs against it...trust me, I know from experience.

Polish
I like to lubricate the pad with a couple shots of Quick Detailer before adding polish. I put a line of polish along the perimeter of the pad (~1.5" from the edge). Before turning on the buffer, manually smear the polish onto the area you will be working on. I started on setting 1, and then moved it up to 3.75 once the polish was even-ish. I worked the polisher back and forth along the lip. I worked on about 1/3 of the lip at a time. The polish will start off thick an runny, but it will eventually break down until it is fairly transparent. Go here for more info: http://paintcarendetailing.com/ssr25.html. It may take a couple tries, but you should see the spots lighten/disappear as you polish. Once the lips look good, wipe them down with a clean MF towel.

Products Used

Polisher: Porter Cable 7424 D-A Buffer http://www.properautocare.com/basporcab74p.html
Pad: Lake Country White CCS Polishing Pad http://www.properautocare.com/mayoownccs63.html
Polish: Menzerna Final Polish II (Contact ProperAutoCare for equivalent product.

Again, here's the before:


After:






...and with chromed lips and repainted faces (after an accident on a later date).

infinus

Wow thanks for the info! The only issue is that since my lips are matte black there is no clear-coat at all, I called Work to confirm this. I'm hoping this will still be resolvable.

Here it was after I noticed it

Here are my results after trying various cleaners, much better but there is still work to be done

rvalero

iTrader: (1)

I didn't realize that your lips are anodized matte black. At this point, it probably wouldn't hurt to at least try polishing them with a paint polish. I would start with a small area, and be careful. I'm not sure how durable the black is. You wouldn't want to polish right through it. Do you have a close-up of the wheels before the incident? I don't ever remember seeing VS-XX with a black anodized lip.

infinus

I'm pretty sure I'm looking at having to have the wheels refinished so I guess if I do burn through it I cant really make things any worse, I'm willing to try anything at this point. Luckily I only did 2 rims and not all 4 before I realized what happened.

Here is one from a while back, sorry about the noisy image.

UDel

You shouldn't burn through the finish if you are using a orbital polisher like a PC7424. I would not try a rotary polisher on your rims. Try a mild polish on a lower power setting with a white pad and see what happens. You may have to increase speed, pressure, or use a more aggressive pad if at first you are not seeing a difference. Griots Garage has a special polisher that can use very small pads which may be ideal for your situation, I think it is around $70 or $80. If you are able to get rid of the spotting I would put a good sealant on the wheels to protect the finish or see about getting them clear coated if possible. Good luck.

varcity64

iTrader: (2)

lots of good info in this thread. good luck w/the results