repolishing already polished lips

[The-Great-328ic]

So Im planning on having my wheels redone, went to a place and they quote me $140 to repolish the lips, but I would have to remove my tires which would cost me $80 bucks, $10 per tire to remove it and another $10 to put them back at the tire shop

Now, the lips are already polished and are not that bad, I would rate them 7/10 but would like to make them a little more attractive, so I don't know if it's worth it for me to take them to that shop or do it myself, I already removed the centers, so I wouldn't need to mask anything, it's just the lips with the tires.

Any input would be appreciated...

[BeastinM3]

Thats not possible

[The-Great-328ic]

?

[BeastinM3]

I do those myself If I was you. They just need a little more sanding it seems.
Plus you will save some cash so you can buy a fender.

[The-Great-328ic]

would the same process be needed as if they were not polished already?

[BeastinM3]

When I polished the lips on my DS1s I had to use aircraft remover to get to
the bare metal. From there on I started with the sandpaper. Those you can
probably just start sanding, since they are down to the metal already. Then buff with a metal polish.

[The-Great-328ic]

When I polished the lips on my DS1s I had to use aircraft remover to get to
the bare metal. From there on I started with the sandpaper. Those you can
probably just start sanding, since they are down to the metal already. Then buff with a metal polish.

how did you like the outcome of your wheels? Also, which products/brands did you use?

[BeastinM3]

My DS1s are black/Avus now haha. But they looked good when I did
them. I used a grip of sandpaper. From like 320grit to 2000. Then used
the mothers powerball drill attachment and the billet polish.

[The-Great-328ic]

is that availabe at Autozone/pepboys?

[BeastinM3]

is that availabe at Autozone/pepboys?

Yup, everything you will need will be at a autozone/pepboys.

[series88]

im working on mine too. sanding and mothers aluminum polish makes them nice. im working on a mirror finish on the lips. i can help you with ideas.

[wingless]

The clear coat was removed from my wheels using acetone and SOS pads (http://www.mbworld.org/forums/showthread.php?t=237441). The bare aluminum is then polished with metal polish.

[seeyalaterrr]

I would do it for you if you didn't live on the wrong side on the country.



Pottery wheels are your friend.

[The-Great-328ic]

how much polish are you supposed to use, I already used half the mothers billet and i'm not even finished with one wheel, am I doing something wrong?

[wingless]

Is the rim clear-coated, or has that already been removed?

Metal polish on bare aluminum will turn black, almost immediately. A very small amount of polish goes a long way.

If the clearcoat is present, then it is unlikely the desired results will ever be attained.

[The-Great-328ic]

Alright, I finished with the lips 2 days ago, they look nice, much better than before. However I'm curious to know what kind of clear coat if any do you guys used on polished parts.

any help will be appreciated

[BeastinM3]

Alright, I finished with the lips 2 days ago, they look nice, much better than before. However I'm curious to know what kind of clear coat if any do you guys used on polished parts.

any help will be appreciated

I dont use clear :)

[The-Great-328ic]

I dont use clear :)

you also have maritus........ so yeah

[BeastinM3]

you also have maritus........ so yeah

lol that pink is going to look great on your topaz :devillook

[The-Great-328ic]

speaking of pinks, I just took the centers to www.truwheel.com

[addnon]

Hold up..............


Are the lips anodized? I know my racing harts are and sanding them will erode the anodized finish. I originally wanted to polish just one of my rims, and once I began, I noticed it was looking completely different compared to the other rims. I'm going to have to polish all of them to make it match now. It kind of sucks because after the anodized layer is gone, you will have to polish way more often...

[addnon]

addnon, are your sure your lips were anodized, and not just clear coated?

Great-328i, don't bother clear coating them. The clear coat will dull the shine a bit, and will dry up and crack and turn yellow after a year or two. Just keep them shined with Mother's Mag Polish or something similar. It has silicone and other protectants in it that keep the rim pretty protected and fairly easy to maintain.

Positive. I used paint stripper on them to be absolutely sure and it had no effect. Only once I started sanding did I see the difference. A search on google also yielded affirmative results.

+1 for not using clearcoat. You'll be polishing every other week to keep them looking nice though.

[The-Great-328ic]

got it, thanks guys

btw addon, I'm pretty sure mine weren't anodized