I've just changed my well-looked after set of wheels (Poorboy's wheel sealant from new) to a spare set of wheels. This spare set was on the car from new and did about 15,000 with no protection on the inside at all, as far as I can tell (not me guv - previous owner's to blame ;)).[1]

I have tried a gentle cleaner (Menzerna Gel) which got rid of most of it, and elbow grease (got rid of more of it) and they are now left with lots of black pits, as well as some general grime.

Last night I tried (eek) Wonder Wheels, leaving it for a few minutes before rinsing off - but it hasn't made much of an impression :wonder:

I'll give it another go and bearing in mind it is only the inside rim that's a problem (as the gold outside is fine), I'm wondering whether I could use wire-wool or wet-and-dry with the WW to really get them clean and shiny and smooth, and then re-lacquer them, before polishing and sealing?

What do the experts think? What would I re-lacquer the insides with?


-----------------
[1] In case you're wondering why - the old wheels have some shagged RE070's on that I don't want to use on the road any more and will finish them off on the track, and the new ones have a brand new set of T1-r's on them. Both sets of wheels are std Subaru STi.

You could try going over them with a clay bar, i've heard that works well but not tried it myself yet. :)

yup, clay bar them. also get yourself some bug and tar remover. :thumb:

Thanks guys :thumb: I'll give it go this weekend.

Clay and tar & glue remover are worth trying, but from your description of black pitting, it sounds like sub-surface damage (in other words brake dust etching). This is impossible to correct without refurbishment, whether DIY or done by specialists. Your suggested method lay work depending on the depth of the pitting, but it is unlikley your own re-lacquering would prove to be very durable. I would consider biting the bullet and spending £140 on having the wheels properly refurbished, as this will give you a perfect finish and excellent future durability.

Thanks - I'll give clay and bug/tar remover a go, but it may be the excuse I was looking for to get the wheels refurbed and re-coloured. I'm tempted to get them painted gloss black as I think that might look :cool: on a black car - and at least it won't show the brake dust :lol1: