hey guys i need some help..

yesterday i noticed that i have a scratch on one of my Maya rims and im pissed.. The scratch is on the polished lip part of the rim and its deep enough for my fingernail to get into it.. i tried using wheel polish and the powerball but it didnt get it out too much and its still there.. its not that noticeable but i know its there and it drives me nuts.. any sggestions as to what product i can use to get it out or smooth it over? thanks in advance for any suggestions..

 

If the scratch is deep enough to snag your fingernail, the only suggestion I could give you would be to take it to a rim repair shop......they will probably have to remove it on the polishing wheels, and then refinish/polish the lip.

It seem way too deep for you to remove on your own.....Good luck

 

what type of finish is on the lip?

 

its just a polished aluminum lip.. not chrome.. its not real deep but my finger nail can graze it and get snagged a bit.. if it was on my car paint, then i could definalty get it out with a scrach remover (if that helps define depth of the scratch)
is there any product i can buy to polish it out? will it get better over time? i dont want to go through the hassle of getting it refinished unless i have to..

 

Is the polish aluminum anodized or clearcoated? If not, you can wetsand it and polish it back up with any decent metal polish

 

Im not sure exactly and i dont want to take chances.. ill have to find out how the lip is treated.. im guessing its clear coated.

 

try using some metal polish like Mothers Billet on the lip, if the rag turns black its just polished. If it doesn't turn back then it's clear coated.

If it's polished and not clear coated you're in luck. I had a curb on my lip and now it's completly gone, can't even tell it was there. it's a fairly easy process and should take you less then half an hour.

1. use 320-400 grit wet/dry sand paper and wet sand the rash until it's gone, it will look real bad at this point, you will see a lot of fine surface scratches. As long as the gouges are gone and the surface looks even you're ready for the next step.

2. use 600 grit and wet sand, this should take out all the scratches.

3. If available use 1200-2000 grit and wet sand this will take the surface to a hazy finish. you should see no scratches at this point only a haze. If you don't have this grit it'll take you longer in the polishing stage but the results will be the same.

4. hit it with the powerball mini and power metal polish. this will take out the haze.

5. finish up with hand rubbing of Mother's billet and it'll look good as new, maybe even better.


non clear coated lips may take more maintenance, since you have to polish but they are much easier to repair if you curb them. I'll never buy a clear coated lip again, polished is the way to go.

 

^ thanks so much for the information.. i really appreciate it..
i do use mothers polish and it does turn black so it must be polished and not clear coated as you say..
i dont have a gouge in the lop just a fairly thin sratch.. i looked at it again yesterday and couldnt even get my nail into it so its smaller then i recall.. i dont know if i want to wet sand the wheel becuase, well im not too comfortable doing that.. anything else? perhaps if i just keep poloshing it with mothers it will fade more and more?

 

That would be my advice as well.

You may need a dremel and felt wheel to bring the wetsanded area back to a bright shine.