I have some 22" black Boss 313 wheels with a polished lip.

The scoop... I was going to sell them and had the tires split off the rims at NTB. Well they did a number on my polished lips and had to eat the cost of sending my wheels to Wheel Technologies to repair their screw-up. The face of each rim is now again in new condition.

Now I have decided it is cheaper for me to keep them after all.



Anyway, my question is what product do I put on the lip to protect it? I already have some Meguiar's Hot Rims Mag & Aluminum Polish (G13508) and also searched and read something here about synthetic sealer but I am clueless.

Any advice from the gurus on what products I'm supposed to use?

Thanks in advance.

 

Not sure if you also want to shine them up a little more, but you can get some Mother's Billet, and some powderless Nitrile gloves. Apply to the lip, and work it in for about 30 seconds (not too much pressure). The gloves don't let the polish get absorbed, thus it works in longer. Take it off softly with the plushest thing you have that you don't mind getting covered in metal polish.

That is the tip I use on my friend's full polished CCW Classics, since other polishes like Wenol (the stuff I normally go to) scratch the finish. Then, I apply Wolfgang metal sealant (not saying it's the best, just what he had laying around that was a pure sealant.)

I guess it depends how "hard" the metal is that you're polishing. His Work Meisters polish up fine with Meg's Hot Rims (moderate pressure to build heat), then finish off with Wenol blue (which seals as well). I think also put on some Optiseal for good measure. The Classics though (as I said above), must be "softer" since the Wenol scratches them, hence the need of the dedicated wheel sealant.

Not sure how "hard" the lips on your wheels are...

 

If they are clear coated just like the black and it looks like they are from the reflection in the photo...Treat them just like you do your paint. You can polish them with M205 but keep them waxed with NXT 2.0 or Optimum Opti-Seal or Optimum Car Wax.

 

I don't think there is clear coat on them since they had to turn them on a wheel lathe to remove the NTB tire guy's idiotic tool marks.

Before the NTB debacle per Boss they had what they call 'Super Finish' lip, and they recommended their own house brand of wheel lip polish and wheel wax.

http://www.bossmotorsports.com/protectant/

Clear as mud?

 

Did the towel turn black when you polished them with the Megs metal polish?

 

Chrome Polish and Raw uncoated Metal Polish are totally different products. Chrome is coated metal.
My lips on my wheels are clear coated shiny aluminum and I have had several tire changes and yep the careless and inept will marr them but...Better make sure before you start using abrasive metal polish and caustic cleaners.
Some told this guy to polish his OEM clear coated wheels with metal polish to correct his self induced issues.

 

Yeah I saw that thread.

Well before the wheels were repaired the lip was un-clear coated aluminum. I used regular polish on them and the pad turned black as it should with bare aluminum. I just need to know what sealer or whatever to use on them.

I also shot Wheel Technologies an email to see exactly what their protective finishing process is, if any. My guess is nothing. I could check with a dab of wheel polish in one little spot.

 

so NTB screwed up your wheels, you had to pay to get then repaired, and now youre not getting new wheels?

 

The black is clear coated yes? I have seen very few combination wheels of metal and paint that were not originally completely clear. I have also seen people remove the clear from the unpainted portion of the wheel to polish to a mirror shine vice the brushed look.

If you say they were original un-clear coated...after polish, you can seal them with any synthetic wax.

It is strange you have to polish so close to painted clear coat black paint.
Must be a pain. What do you do to the black portion of your wheels?

 

I've just been washing them with Maguiars gold class wash. They've been redone though with with the refinishing by Wheel Technologies. I think I'll call them tomorrow to verify what all they've done to my wheels.

 

No, NTB repaired them free of charge. I was selling them, but decided not to since it's a hassle to sell them, and they're like new again anyway.

 

If the folks that repaired your wheels indeed turned them (probably just took a skin cut) to refinish them and there's no clear coat, they will look beautiful - for a while. (Sometimes you can literally just turn them an a lathe and use Scotch Brite to refinish the lips.) In either case, the beautiful look won't last long without protection. Aluminum oxidizes pretty easily and that's what messes up the appearance.

As others have said, if they're now unprotected / polished, you need to polish them to get the finish looking the way you want with a good metal polish. Next, you need to protect them with some sort of sealant to prevent (or at least slow down) the oxidation process. Generally speaking, synthetics work better than Carnauba based waxes due to the heat your wheels experiencxe from braking. Zaino, Meg's NXT, PoliSeal or OptiSeal all come to mind here.

I really, really like the look of polished aluminum. I really, really hate the amount of work required to keep it looking good though. Good luck!

 

I called WT and they cannot confirm what they did so I am going to take a dab of the Megs wheel polish I have to a small spot on the lip to check if they are indeed cleared or not.

Be back later this evening with the results.

 

OK I just verified the wheels are clear coated. This helps me a lot. Good eye Old Dogg™!

Now I assume a wheel specific wax would be good enough protection since the entire surface of the wheels have been cleared, correct?

 

Wheel specific waxes are ok but like most use specific products you are going to pay more for less product. Nearly any synthetic car wax is going to be as durable. I like to do 2 coats of NXT 2.0 then follow up with Optimum Opti-Seal or Optimum Car Wax every month or 2 after polishing them with M205 annually.

Clear coated aluminum doesn't look quite as nice as polished bare aluminum but it's nearly 1% the work and it would have been a pain polishing the line where the black paint starts and the silver stops. Eventually you would either neglect that line to save the black paint or dulled the black at that transition with metal polish.

I have seen a guy with wheels like or similar to yours and he removed the clear on the lip and now he regrets it though when polished the wheels are blinding bling.

Good Luck!