Scratches etched into wheels

[cincybungle]

Hey, this is my first post in any of these forums, so i'm sorry if i ramble on for my topic. I know that if you're in an area where it snows, that you're supposed to either put stock wheels back on or take good care of the wheels you have on, and I didn't complete either of those rules. I'm not sure if the tiny scratches are caused by salt or what, but they are highly visible when i'm cleaning my car. They aren't even noticable from about 10 feet away, but they still bother me. I'm not sure if you guys can help me without seeing the scratches in a picture, but is there any way to repair these scratches or will i just have to live with my mistake? The wheels are worth about 1500 dollars total, so i'm not really willing to spend 500 bucks on wheel repair for them, so anything do-it-yourself related would be preferable, but any tips would be great. Thanks a lot for any feedback.


-James

[travisdecpn]

How deep are the scratches, can you feel them with your fingernail? What material is the finish on your wheels, are they polished aluminum, uncoated, coated, chrome, painted? If you can answer these questions I think we can be of help to you.

[cincybungle]

Details

Yeah, i can definitley feel them with my fingernails....they're really rough, so i don't know if it's salt or not. The finish as described by Enkei: "Finish: Anthracite Machined
High gloss grey metal with more of a dark silver look and machined lip". I put a pic of the wheel as shown on Enkei's site.

[travisdecpn]

It's still somewhat hard to determine without an actual picture of the damage. It sounds as though your wheels have clearcoat which means they can be treated the same way as paint. However, since you can feel them you aren't going to be able to comepletely remove them. I would suggest using something like scratchx and hand buffing the wheels. After that I would follow up with NXT wax to add a little protection. Unfortunately, wheel repair is probably the best option.

[bmwgsa]

I'm Curious

Originally posted by travisdecpn
After that I would follow up with NXT wax to add a little protection.

I don't mean to hijack the thread, but I'm curious about the NXT on the rim's.

Wouldn't the heat from driving melt the NXT off?

[travisdecpn]

Wheels don't really get that hot, unless you are on the track a lot. They get warm, but not the the extent that the synthetic polymer is going to disipate. NXT does a good job of keeping brake dust from adhereing to the surface. Hope this helps.

[bmwgsa]

Good info - I need to polish the rim's, and if NXT holds, then it makes the upkeep easier.

Thanks!!

[Tim Lingor]

Hey,

I agree with travisdecpn; Polymers are better able to handle the heat cycles that wheels experience. So using a product like NXT or #20 Polymer Sealant would be a good choice!

Tim

[cincybungle]

Thanks for all the replies and input. I'm gonna take a picture of the wheels this afternoon so you guys can get a better idea of what the damage is. Hope to get some more input after i post the pic.....thanks again everyone.

[travisdecpn]

Hmmmm....I don't see the pics, you may want to try to add them to your gallery and then post them from there.

[cincybungle]

Hey, guys. I got a couple pics of my wheels with the scratches. Sorry the pics are a little blurry, i had to zoom in a lot to see the scratches. I promise next time i'll post the pics the right way, but i'm in a hurry, so i'll just do the attach file thing. Thanks for any help after seeing the pics.

[cincybungle]

sorry, here's the other.

[travisdecpn]

After seeing the damage I don't think you are going to be able to repair that damage short of having someone fill the scratches and paint them. Maybe someone else has a differing opinion, but I don't think any extent of polishing is going to fix that situation. My suggestion would be to take them to your local paint shop and have them fill the scratches, prime the wheels and have them painted.

[swift]

I fully agree with travisdecpn, there doesn't seem too much you can do to repair the wheels by yourself.

[cincybungle]

I know everyone is probably sick of hearing about my scratched wheels, but since i've only had them 6 months and the marks are permanent on the wheels, don't some wheel companies have some kind of warrany on that kind of thing. I've been looking for the receipt, but until then, does anyone have an opinion or any experience on this situation. Although i did neglect them in winter, it seems they should hold up a little better than they have for the past 6 or so months. Thanks for any advice.