How can I polish these gouges out of my wheels?

[Wow]

Had my brakes fixed last week, and the idiots ruined my aluminum wheels. I'm still discussing compensation with them, but regardless of what they do I'm going to want to polish them up myself. The area around each lug nut is gouged out, like they used too big of a socket. It looks deeper in person than it does in this pic. How should I go about polishing out a gouge like this?

(that mismatched lug is only temporary)

 

[Blaine B.]

Not to say anything against you, but, with the surface rust and all....

Um, well... I can understand that you'd be upset, but they did not destroy your rims. I'm suprised you care anyway, as I mentioned the rust, etc.

 

[Wow]

The rust is from them. I don't know what the hell they did, considering aluminum doesn't rust, but it wasn't like that when I took it in. It's also easy to polish off, while gouges are not. The center caps have to be replaced anyway, since they ruined those too...

 

[redneck]

It may not be rust. Could just be muddy water residue? As for the gouges, if they are as deep as you say they are I do not believe you can "polish" them out. You would have to remove too much material. I would say just cut your losses and get your compensation. After all, they are rims on a Jeep that you use off road, not a show truck. Thats just my ".02".

 

[Blaine B.]

Is the lug on the right playing tricks with me, or does that gouge look like 1/8" deep?

I've never seen this happen before, obviously they didn't use too big of a socket or you'd have rounded off lugs.

 

[TheManch]

i've had good luck getting out gouges with a progressively finer DA sanding, finish with 800-1000 grit and then polishing from there. infact i bought a set of mickey thompson classics that looked like a bag of crap, and made them look great with a little time and effort, if its not 1/8 inch deep you can probably work with it.


Mike

 

[Wow]

As for the gouges, if they are as deep as you say they are I do not believe you can "polish" them out. You would have to remove too much material. I would say just cut your losses and get your compensation. After all, they are rims on a Jeep that you use off road, not a show truck.

I'll be getting compensation either way, but I'm not just going to leave my $500 wheels looking like shit. Just because it's a jeep doesn't mean it has to be beat to hell.

Is the lug on the right playing tricks with me, or does that gouge look like 1/8" deep?

I've never seen this happen before, obviously they didn't use too big of a socket or you'd have rounded off lugs.

It's not quite 1/8" I don't think...but it is quite deep. Somebody really went to town with an impact wrench. The lugs are all somewhat rounded off...they did however order me an entire new set.

i've had good luck getting out gouges with a progressively finer DA sanding, finish with 800-1000 grit and then polishing from there.

What kind of tool would I use for this? Could I use one of those cheap right angle die grinders from harbor freight?

 

[Stihl029]

Are those mag rims? If not then why does it look like there are seats for washers? If they are mag then why do you not have the washers and correct lug nuts? I don't mean to sound like I am flamming anybody; the pic looks like that of a mag rim.

 

[Blaine B.]

Must have been the retard of the shop, every shop has one.

I wonder if any are crossthreaded too.

 

[Blaine B.]

Are those mag rims? If not then why does it look like there are seats for washers? If they are mag then why do you not have the washers and correct lug nuts? I don't mean to sound like I am flamming anybody; the pic looks like that of a mag rim.

I just noticed that too.

I think that's the 1/8" deep thing I was looking at!

 

[Kevin3151]

Use progressively finer grit bits on a dremel and finish with jewelers rouge (I think thats how u spell it) Anyhow it will be a bit of work. If they are clear coated you are screwed.

KH

 

[Wow]

Are those mag rims? If not then why does it look like there are seats for washers? If they are mag then why do you not have the washers and correct lug nuts? I don't mean to sound like I am flamming anybody; the pic looks like that of a mag rim.

No, they're aluminum, it's just part of the design.

 

[GrimmJeeper]

Are those mag rims? If not then why does it look like there are seats for washers? If they are mag then why do you not have the washers and correct lug nuts? I don't mean to sound like I am flamming anybody; the pic looks like that of a mag rim.

yes, those are the seats for mag style lugnuts, with the washer attached. all your lugnuts are wrong. it may not be a mag wheel but its designed to use those lugnuts, and most likely does not have a tapered seat around the lug holes. it looks like they just jammed the impact gun on farther than it should be and the face of the socket gouged the rims. are there any chrome or metal finishing shops in your area? take the wheels to them, they will fix em or tell you how. when you put them back on get the right lugnuts.

 

[Wow]

yes, those are the seats for mag style lugnuts, with the washer attached. all your lugnuts are wrong.

The lugnuts are just fine, they are the original nuts that came with the wheels from the factory, and installed by a reputable tire shop.

 

[Stihl029]

Do you have tapered edges at your holes for you lugs?

 

[Wow]

Do you have tapered edges at your holes for you lugs?

I believe so.

 

[1985xjlaredo]

first of all they should never have used an impact on aluminium wheels!!
Second those wheels are clear coated. You have to decide if you want to polish out the rim or leave the gouges as they are. If you do want to polish them out then you'll have to get Hydrofluoric acid (Zep or other cleaning places) which will strip the clear and turn the wheels white. Then you'll be able to see the gouges really good. Take a deburring tool and go at the gouges. once you get them smoothed out you'll want to get a polisher of some kind and really hit them good with some jeweler's rouge. Once that is done it is up to you. You can either have them shot with some clear or you'll have to polish them out about every 2 months. Don't try to clear them with a spray can this will not look good and wont last and some clears will eat away at the finish. Good luck.

 

[creeperjeep]

you mention you had your brakes fixed?
is it because the pads were metal to metal?
thats a pretty good cause of the rust

 

[Wow]

Second those wheels are clear coated.

Actually I don't think they are...though I'm not sure. They already needed to be polished, there where a lot of little black spots on them.

How can I tell for sure whether they're coated or not?

you mention you had your brakes fixed?
is it because the pads were metal to metal?
thats a pretty good cause of the rust

Yeah, they were, but the wheel wasn't like that when I took it in. Either way, the rust isn't a big deal, I think it should polish off rather easily.

 

[Stihl029]

The black spots can be from crap penetrating into the clear coat and sticking. If you look around your wheels you may see a build up of clear cote on the edges of the holes. If your wheels are tapered then it might not be a bad Idea to see how the chrome(or any other shinny material they are made of) washers from mag wheels fit with the acorn style nuts. By fit I mean the ID of the washers as well as the OD to those spots that look like they are for the washers. On mag wheels these are very important, for your wheels they may prevent further damage from shop mechanics... I see this an accident but hey they happen. Have you tried to clean the crap off at least and then never dull them to see what the real damage is? How many wheels were damaged, I have only seen part of one. Also is it really noticable from normal vantage angles? Do these nicks make your off road vehicle looks like it isn't bound to a show room anymore?