Fat 5s like new

[aimre]

N e one know what i should use to polish my fat fives... like mirror finish styles??

Also, where do i get some scratches removed?

[bennjamin]

brasso works well.....only really a temporary thing on external metal surfaces tho - anyone else ?

[panda[cRx]]

a but of a hijack but what size are fat fives? (14 or 15?) anyone know their weight and usual selling price?

thx

back on topic h22a accord will be enlightening us with a cleaning thread in the near future :)

[aimre]

16lbs or 7.sumtin kg
15 inch

is there n e places that fix rims?

[mikes94]

I got my "fat fives" polished at a mag re-finishing shop for about 50 bucks each. The rims were corroding under the clear-coat (hint you have to remove this before you can polish) and the shop stripped them and mirror finished (which removes minor scratches).

In my opinion you will get a much better finish taking it to a specialist than trying yourself.

Personally I prefer the standard machined finish, but had to to get rid of the corrosion. Shame you weren't in Adelaide ... I'd swap you for mine!! :D

Mike

[J-MuN]

does this re-finishing polishing actually make a difference?.. i've used good ol "autosol" and doesnt really work a treat.. seems to do ok, but not quite the "back to new" look... :(

[flipmods]

does this re-finishing polishing actually make a difference?.. i've used good ol "autosol" and doesnt really work a treat.. seems to do ok, but not quite the "back to new" look... :(
You can't use brasso unless you take off the clear coat also need to remove the bumpy surface on the alloy if you want a mirror finish big job better left for proffessionals.

[mikes94]

I think the key if you're gonna use something like autosol or brasso or whatever is to remove the clearcoat first. Otherwise you're polishing the clearcoat not the alloy wheel.

If I could do it all over again I'd strip the clearcoat with paint stripper then use a metal polish to try and remove the corrosion - this should bring it back to the standard "machined" look. I believe the bare alloy will oxidise eventually (which is why the clearcoat is there) so a re-polish every so often is likely required.

If the mirror-finish look is what you're after then I think it would take a while to remove the machining marks. I think some guys in the states did it themselves with wet sanding - I think I'd prefer to pay someone to do it properly!!

Mike

[mikes94]

Beat me to it flipmods!! :p

[aimre]

Ok, coz mines oxidizing under the clear coat and has some scratches, so i need cl3ar coat removed and some scratches fixed up

[Steer^Gimic]

i went and bought a backing plate for a drill and a woolen pad. bit of autosol buffed into the alloy with some speed..you would be surprised at the result.
but yeh, correct way is to remove clear first. may be a diy taking it off, but re applying clear isnt easy