Wheel polish
Instructor
Joined: Jun 2009
Posts: 187
Likes: 0
I wouldn't try anybody's polishing kit until you determine the answer to Rick T's question: What kind of wheels do you have? Polished aluminum wheels have a coating.
Instructor
Joined: Feb 2006
Posts: 215
Likes: 0
From: Long Island New York
Yes, and his kit address that as well. If you look at his website he goes over polishing chrome to aluminum
Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 20,352
Likes: 568
From: Ventura County, Calif
The factory polished aluminum wheels are clear coated, so they should be treated just like the paint.
Most owners were never satisfied with the quality and look of those polished wheels, there were many discussions about them here. Some tried stripping the clear and just polishing the aluminum but even that didn't work as well as some hoped, but it does work. Here's one thread discussing the strip and polish:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...he-wheels.html
Good luck.
Most owners were never satisfied with the quality and look of those polished wheels, there were many discussions about them here. Some tried stripping the clear and just polishing the aluminum but even that didn't work as well as some hoped, but it does work. Here's one thread discussing the strip and polish:
http://forums.corvetteforum.com/c6-c...he-wheels.html
Good luck.
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Team Owner
Joined: Sep 2000
Posts: 25,015
Likes: 2,709
From: Far NW 'burbs of Chicago
St. Jude Donor '13
We had polished/clearcoated factory wheels on the 2006, now have factory chrome on the 2009.
The clearcoat on the polished wheels seems to attract and hold brake dust, keeping the front wheels looking clean was the biggest part of washing.
I think the chrome wheels are TOO flashy, they make the car look kinda like a pimpmobile. And if you curb them, repair will be expensive and complicated. But man, the chrome stays good looking without much work. I polished the chrome with Simichrome before putting them on this Spring, now have about a month/600 miles and a casual rinse still removes the Z51 brake dust.
The clearcoat on the polished wheels seems to attract and hold brake dust, keeping the front wheels looking clean was the biggest part of washing.
I think the chrome wheels are TOO flashy, they make the car look kinda like a pimpmobile. And if you curb them, repair will be expensive and complicated. But man, the chrome stays good looking without much work. I polished the chrome with Simichrome before putting them on this Spring, now have about a month/600 miles and a casual rinse still removes the Z51 brake dust.
