I recently picked up a set of AFE Cobra rims, 18 in versions in chrome. They have some bad scratches in them like somebody used a rough brush on them over and over. I tried basic chrome polish by Turtle Wax and even used the mother's wheel polishing drill attachment. The chrome is shiny but it didn't touch the scratches. Can they be removed? What compounds or polishes? Process? Thx.
Scratches in chrome rims...need help.
- Thread starter SVTvsTheWorld
- Start date
Yikes, i'd return them to where you got them and get your money back. If that is not an option then seek professional detailing help. Hard to tell from the pics if those can be fixed- if you run your fingernail over them do they catch your nail? This is similar to paint damage test. If your nail gets stuck then most likely it is a lost cause. An option might be to wrap or dip them to cover the damage somewhat?
I picked them up cheap from a friend, and he was up front about the scratches txt were there when he bought the car, to b honest u cant see them until u are rt on top of it, and the light hits it just rt. But I would like to attempt to get the scratches out or atleast visibly minimized if possible.
It looks like someone ran those rims through a car wash. You might try some polishing rouge and a cotton buffing wheel.
Understood. I think I would try a professional detailer or maybe even a chrome shop then (unless you are really good at it yourself). I believe chrome is a pretty thin layer of material- to remove scratches does not really mean you are removing scratches you are just leveling the area around the scratch to even things out. But there is only so much chrome to work with. I know some people who have successfully removed very light scratches with fine steel wool and lots of polish, others have used very fine sandpaper, etc. but if you buff too far or too hard then it will leave worse marks. It is a balancing act that from what I understand does not have very good odds if the scratches are significant. Best of luck to you man!
That's what I was thinking, but I've never done any work on chrome so I wasn't sure. Abby ideas on what kind of polish to use?
Unfortunately, you will not be able to 'polish/compound' those out. Chrome as stated above is very hard and not very receptive to polishing. IMO those need to be re-chromed.
I agree with Smooth. Chrome plating is very thin. Deep scratches usually require re-plating because too much of the chrome would have to be removed to correct the issue.
Thx guys, guess I'll clean em up and see if I can live with it, if not I'll pass em along to someone who doesn't need "like new" wheels
You could look into getting them refinished with a PVD chrome finish, I'm going to do this for a set of Marauder wheels I'm having widened to 9.5"
https://detroitwheelandtire.com/pvd-what
https://detroitwheelandtire.com/pvd-what
Users who are viewing this thread
