How to Repair Scuffed Alloy Wheels

Alloy wheels are used by most car manufacturers and aftermarket wheel companies. Alloy is a strong, durable metal that holds up to the abuse put on your wheels every day. A scuff doesn’t do much structural damage to your alloy wheels, but it makes them look old or dirty. Dirt gets into the rough wrinkles that a scuff leaves on your wheel and is hard to clean. Repair scuffed alloy wheels to get them looking like new again.

Difficulty:

Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need

• Dish soap
• Water
• Microfiber towels
• Masking tape
• Paint thinner
• 320-grit sandpaper
• 600-grit sandpaper
• 1200-grit sandpaper
• Wax and grease remover
• Clear coat paint

1. Wash the wheels with liquid dish soap and rinse them with water to remove any grease. Let the wheel dry completely. Wipe the dry wheel with paint thinner to remove the clear coat from the wheel.

2. Place masking tape around the scuffed area to protect the surrounding area. Let the scuff and an inch around it show through the tape.

3. Sand the scuffed area with 320-grit sandpaper. This grit smoothes any rough areas in the metal where the scuff is.

4. Use 600-grit sandpaper to sand the same area again. This grit leaves the surface of the metal very smooth, like the surrounding surface that wasn’t damaged.

5. Sand the area again using 1200-grit sandpaper to finish the surface and remove the scratches from the previous sandpaper.

6. Rinse the wheel and let it dry completely. Wipe the dry wheel with wax and grease remover and a microfiber towel.

7. Spray a coat of clear coat paint over the repaired area. Let the clear coat dry for 10 minutes. Spray a total of four coats of clear coat paint, letting each coat dry for 10 minutes. Let the final coat dry for three hours.

Tips & Warnings

• If the alloy wheel is bent or cracked, take it to a professional since this type of damage can cause major damage if used for driving.