How to Restore Car Rims
If you've owned your vehicle for a number of years, your car's rims may be starting to show their age. Car rims on many cars are made of an aluminum alloy because it is relatively inexpensive and it tends to have a greater aesthetic appeal than the steel wheels used on older cars. When the rims on your car become scuffed or scratched, you'll need to know how to refinish them
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Things You'll Need
- 500 grit sandpaper
- 200 grit sandpaper
- Steel wool pads
- Scouring pad
- Brasso metal polish
- Wheel polish (your choice of color)
- Clean buffing rags
- Water hose
- Clear coat spray for wheels
- Newspaper
- Masking tape
Instructions
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1
Apply a liberal amount of Brasso wheel polish and scrub the surface of the rims with a clean buffing rag. This will remove any dirt and debris and prevent scratches during the cleaning process.
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2
Sand the entire rim with 200 grit sandpaper.
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3
Sand the rims with 500 grit sandpaper to remove any burrs or pitting that remain.
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4
Scrub the rims with steel wool to smooth out all of the scratches created by the sandpaper.
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5
Apply Brasso to the rims again and polish them with a scouring pad until the wheel comes to a nice shine.
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6
Wash the rims with a water hose.
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7
Apply a liberal amount of Brasso to the wheels and let it sit for three days. This will allow the rims to oxidize and will cure the aluminum.
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8
Buff the rims with a clean buffing rag after the three days are up. You may want to use another coat of Brasso for this as well.
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9
Apply wheel polish to the surface of the wheels and let the wheels dry completely. Buff the wheels with a clean rag.
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10
Cover all areas of the tire and valve stem (any part that is not the rim) with newspaper and secure it to the tire with masking tape.
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11
Spray three coats of clear coat on the wheels. Let each coat dry before you apply the next coat. Depending on your location, this could take one hour or several hours.
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