How To Repair Scratched Rims

Whether you bumped into a adjourn while making a sharp turn or drove through a particularly deep pothole, scratches and swirls in your rims can be difficult to avoid and expensive to repair. These unsightly scrapes and imperfections can put a damper on that "new car" expect. Luckily, you lot can prepare most of these scratches yourself. All you demand is the right polish, cut pad and a microfiber towel!

What yous need to know

Before trying to fix scratched or damaged rims, information technology'southward important to know what kind of wheels you have and the severity of the damage. Nearly traditional rims are made of chrome, aluminum, steel or metal alloy, but many manufacturers now produce wheels that take the aforementioned clear coat as your car's exterior panels. If yous aren't sure what kind of rims y'all're working with, it'southward always a skilful idea to check with the manufacturer.

Lite scratches and swirls in your rims from improper washing techniques or loose debris on the route are easy to fix correct in your driveway! If you're dealing with more than severe damage, similar curb rash or scuffs from driving on a flat tire, metal or chrome polish won't be enough to reverse the harm. You'll need to make an appointment with your car repair store to fill in the dent or scratch as needed.

To prep your wheels for restoration, you'll demand a specialty cleaner, like Turtle Wax All Bicycle & Tire Cleaner and a gentle wheel sponge or brush. Avert hard bristle brushes that could go out behind micro scratches and instead, opt for a gentler, more effective tool like the Wheel Woolie or a soft detailing brush.

You lot'll also need a polish that'south compatible with the kind of rims you lot're working with. For metal rims, we recommend a metal polish similar Turtle Wax All Metal Smooth or our premium Chrome & Metal Polish. To repair scratches in rims with painted finishes, you can use any polish you'd regularly use to restore the rest of your vehicle's clear coat, including Hybrid Solutions Pro 1 & Done Professional Polishing Compound and Hybrid Solutions Polish & Wax.

Prep your wheels and tires

Earlier you lot fix scratches and swirls in your rims, start past to prepping your wheels and tires, using your designated bicycle cleaner to remove dirt, grime and brake dust from every surface of your wheels. It'due south important to shine clean rims to avert rubbing harsh soils and other contaminants into your metallic finish, creating even more scratches and swirls to repair!

Use your bicycle cleaning brush to scrub away tough stains and soils and accomplish deep underneath your brake calipers to remove every bit much brake dust as possible. Allow your cleaner to dwell for the fourth dimension specified on the bottle, and so rinse thoroughly and hand dry your wheels with a microfiber towel.

Make sure your wheels are cool to the bear upon

After prepping your wheels and tires, place a hand on the surface of your rims to feel if they're cool to the touch on. If the metallic feels warm or hot, utilise a garden hose to cool down your rims before you begin the restoration procedure. Never polish warm rims or exterior panels; doing so tin can slow your paintwork and metal finishes.

Once y'all've cooled down your wheels, move your vehicle out of the sun into a garage or under a tree or awning to begin the polishing process.

Perform a test spot with your shine

To ensure that your polish is compatible with your metal or painted rims and gives yous the results you want, choose an camouflaged surface area, such as the edge of the rim, to perform a quick spot test. Utilise a small drop of polish to a folded and quartered microfiber towel and vitrify the polish into a tiny section of your wheel rim. If low-cal scratches and swirls disappear, y'all're using the right smooth and applicator. If y'all don't come across the level of correction you're looking for, you may need to switch to a more than aggressive polish or cutting pad.

If, for whatever reason, the polish damages your rims or leaves behind streaks or discoloration, stop using the product immediately! Switch to a different polish or consider consulting an auto repair shop.

Apply smooth to your damaged rims

Place a quarter-sized driblet of polish on a make clean, microfiber detailing cloth and gently buff this product into the damaged area of your rims to fix scratches and swirls. Take your time, using light, round motions to smoothen away any noticeable imperfections. Proceed buffing the surface of your rims until all scratches and swirls take been removed.

Pro Tip: Use masking tape to section off any areas of your rims that you want to correct to avoid transferring polish on other parts of your wheels and tires. Then remove the tape and use any excess product to vitrify the surrounding areas to create an even finish.

Vitrify out your terminate with a microfiber towel

Once you've finished erasing whatever light scratches and swirls, buff your rims to a glassy finish using a separate microfiber towel,blending out whatsoever patches that look smoother or shinier than the surrounding areas. For the all-time results, use a lint gratuitous cloth with a lightweight, microfiber alloy to avoid streaking or contaminating your flawless cease.

Protect your wheels to prevent future damage

Now that you've successfully removed the scratches from your rims, your last step is to apply a motorcar wax or wheel protectant to minimize future harm to your wheels and tires. Consider investing in a durable synthetic wax like Hybrid Solutions Pro Flex Wax, or Hybrid Solutions Pro Max to the Wax to preserve that showroom restoration and give your wheels an actress pop of gloss!