wheel polishing
Does anyone have some good ideas as to how to polish wheels on a DP. I clean them all the time but really want to get them to shine.
Forum Discussion
lj2654.....All good information, but I think an important point was not mentioned. Mothers, Flitz or any others work well. The Power Ball or the Flitz ball both work well. I was always polishing mine, but they just never got that shiny.
Finally, I found what I was doing wrong. I was like "Tim the Tool Man Taylor", more had to be better......it's not. Mine didn't start to shine until I reduced the amount of polish I was using. I was applying soooo much polish that everything just turned black, and I went through about two car wash towels per rim. Now I use about a thimble full to do an entire rim.
On the fronts, I use one of the lug nut cap pullers and pull the caps. I have a large and small Flitz polishing ball. I found the Flitz balls last about 10 times longer than the Mother's because they're a heavier cloth. I use the small ball to get in the tight areas around the lug nuts, again, using very small dabs of Flitz. Polish in small areas. If you apply a lot of polish, it will dry out before you get to it.
Once the lug nut area is looking good, I move to the large polisher and do the rest of the wheel. You should continue buffing until the polish is all gone and the wheel looks finished. When I'm all done, I wipe the entire wheel down with a clean cloth.
On the rears, I remove the lug nut caps and again use the small ball to get the inner edges of the rim and usually use my finger to get in behind the valve stem. I change to the large ball and do the large surface of the rim. I use another clean towel and wipe down the rim and then the center cap. I wipe off each lug nut cap and then reinstall.
To get them looking good initially, you have to spend about 45 plus minutes per wheel. After that, they can be touched up very quickly. Lastly, I found that covering the rims while stored at home, which I see you do in looking at your profile, keeps them looking nice. I put about 10K - 13K a year on the coach and only need to polish the rims about three times a year now.
Finally, I found what I was doing wrong. I was like "Tim the Tool Man Taylor", more had to be better......it's not. Mine didn't start to shine until I reduced the amount of polish I was using. I was applying soooo much polish that everything just turned black, and I went through about two car wash towels per rim. Now I use about a thimble full to do an entire rim.
On the fronts, I use one of the lug nut cap pullers and pull the caps. I have a large and small Flitz polishing ball. I found the Flitz balls last about 10 times longer than the Mother's because they're a heavier cloth. I use the small ball to get in the tight areas around the lug nuts, again, using very small dabs of Flitz. Polish in small areas. If you apply a lot of polish, it will dry out before you get to it.
Once the lug nut area is looking good, I move to the large polisher and do the rest of the wheel. You should continue buffing until the polish is all gone and the wheel looks finished. When I'm all done, I wipe the entire wheel down with a clean cloth.
On the rears, I remove the lug nut caps and again use the small ball to get the inner edges of the rim and usually use my finger to get in behind the valve stem. I change to the large ball and do the large surface of the rim. I use another clean towel and wipe down the rim and then the center cap. I wipe off each lug nut cap and then reinstall.
To get them looking good initially, you have to spend about 45 plus minutes per wheel. After that, they can be touched up very quickly. Lastly, I found that covering the rims while stored at home, which I see you do in looking at your profile, keeps them looking nice. I put about 10K - 13K a year on the coach and only need to polish the rims about three times a year now.
