Recently, one of our fine members donated a set of 04 Lariat wheels to me for shipping only(mwheue, you rock ). They have arrived with center caps and look pretty darned good. Better than I could've asked for, that is for sure. There is some minor scratches from the center cap removal and balance. Also there are a couple of small scratches on the center caps.
Before I have my tires mounted and balanced on these wheels I wanted to do whatever I can to bring them back to newish. Do you guys have any recommendations on products or processes to use for this chore? I don't want to damage the wheels or caps but I would love to turn back the clock as best as can be done. Any help would be greatly appreciated as my experience with this is nil.

 

The center caps are plastic, and soft in the center. Hard to do much with those except clean real well and wax. NXT looks good on them.

The scratches that end up under the caps, you can ignore.
The clear coat on Lariat rims can be gently ScratchX ed or other anti scratch treatment, same as on a fender. It's clearcoat like the truck itself.
I had a set of Lariat Arizona Beige rims, no miles, but storage scratches, some fairly noticable. I was able to use the ScratchX and a lot of elbow grease and they cleaned up very nicely. Two coats of NXT and they looked very nice.

Good luck
Chris

 

Thanks Chris,
Does it matter if you use the spray wax, the liquid tech wax, or the tech wax paste? I told you I had no experience :o

 

I would not recommend trying to remove the small scratches in the chrome plating on the plastic center caps. The substrate is so soft and the plating so thin that you'll run a serious risk of polishing right through to the plastic. The "Oh #@%*#" light will then come on in your Information Center requiring a reset.

 

I use the liquid tech wax, I have the spray (not as good in my opinion) never used the paste. I think if you are gonna wax the truck with it, the liquid is probably the best overall for hand waxing.
Big thing on the rims is if they are scratched get some scratch remover some bright light and a six pack of soda.

When I get a new takeoff set of tires/rims I always wash everything very well with the same stuff I use on the truck (Meq Gold, but any good carwash stuff will do) being careful not to 'recyle' the dirt onto the rims. I use two small buckets, one with water to rinse the dirty rag in, one with soapy water that I never put the rag into unless it's rinsed in the rinse bucket. That way I am not rubbing grime back into the finish. After good washing, I hose them off. Then I use kit or meg scratch remover if there are scratches. Following the directions on the bottle/tube. I use a lot of time, treating it as a fun thing, trying to get it as shiny as possible. Actually very relaxing work...
After it's polished up I rinse very well to get rid of left over paste. Then I apply the Tech wax with a thick coat (I am trying to fill any small scatches so I probably use too much). I go over it twice to be sure I didn't miss anything. I then buff it by hand till it shines. If I don't have to use them that day, I cover them to keep dust off (I live in the desert) and wax them again the next day for that maximum NXT shine.

Well shined Lariat rims are really very nice looking, and do look a lot better on the trucks than any of the lower end mags. The Silver is very nice, but the Arizona Beige looks great on most colors also.

Good luck with it, and have fun.
Chris

 

Thanks for the advice,
I went out and started my detailing collection today as a result. Got some scratchx, nxt liquid wax, nxt wash, sheepskin mitt, brush for tires, 2 buckets, some microfiber towels, and a chenille sponge. I'll be working those wheels over this weekend.