I keep washing my SF challenges but I just can't seem to get the lip to have that mirror effect. I washed it over and over again but it just doesnt work. I even used Wheel Wax but it doesn't work since the lips look like they have a bunch of swirl marks...anyone know what I can get the lips to have that really poslished look or am I out of luck?

 

The wheel is not bare metal. It is annodized and then clear coated. The annodized coating is an acid wash for the aluminum and causes the aluminum to oxidize. It leaves a hazy finish to the metal. Then it's clear coated on top of the annodizing. So in addition to the metal not having a shiny finish the clear coat gets dull. While you can't do anything about the annodizing short of removing it and polishing the lip you can remove the scratches in the clearcoat using a mild car polish. But the wheel won't be shiny like chrome.

JET

 

How can you make a rim that has a discolored annodized coating look like new? I bought this cleaner that said safe for all wheels, and included annodized in its list but it sure as hell wasn't safe. Luckily only one rim is noticeable. What should I do?
edit:
OOH oold thread. lol, O well, can anyone help me out? I know replacing it might be the only way but are there any other routes, and can it be refinished for cheaper? Wouldn't mind refinishing all wheels If it can be decently chrome-like for a decent price.

 

Yes yes.. The volk lip unfortunately looses luster/shine over time Sad but true.

Go remove the coating and polish the lips.

 

My friend has aluminum barrels on his rims. He would hand polish them once a year to get them shiney. He recently chromed them and now they're shiney as hell, and they dont get dull. Good investment for a show car i think.

 

The volk wheels will never have that mirror finish on the lips no matter how you treat them or clean them. It's due to the coating as stated above. you can now order gram lights and some GT wheels in a Stainless lip, which means it's a stainless barrel, so you get the mirror show shine, but a wheel super heavy. My old gram lights were the first in the US with this barrel...

And if you take the wheel to a metal polishing shop they won't be able to do anything due to the coating, the proper way to strip that coating would be to put the wheel on a lathe, which 1) is super hard to find a shop capable of doing so, and 2) if you do, it'll cost you more than a new set of wheels...

 

there is a thread somewhere here where someone polished their GT7s lips. Looked real good.

 

If they come apart like my GT7's just have the barrels chromed.

 

wheels of america www.fixrim.com charges $129 per wheel for whatever you need done except rechroming , turnover time is 24hrs.
I had my curbed challenge replolished and it looks as good as new.
On the other hand my 4th rim needs a center, so they can't help me there. I posted this in another thread, IF anytone has a damaged 19" volk sf challenge please let me know.

 

If Chrome is only applied to lip (3 inch~ 5-6~ rear) how much heavier would that make them? *hates the idea of chroming my VOLKS but an running out of options.

 

Someone posted at some point in the past their chromed volk lips, it looked better than I would have guessed. I seriously doubt you'll see any performance loss.

 

***, you would think, as expensive as these rims are they would hold up better than that!

 

Id do permastar before you chrome. Your going to get the same look without the weight.

I had my Volk challenge barrels polished this week. I pick them up today. I went around and around on what to do after a car wash destroyed the finish on them. Im curious to know how they turned out.