non laquered wheels

[brooklands green]

When bought car in aug wheels where recently re-furbed have polished them often just
noticed they are starting to get small marks on them, any advice? autosol solvent was
be the biz years ago, perhaps im not polishing them enough.

Glyn

[nib]

Hi Glyn,I find solvol to be about the best.Is it the salt from the roads perhaps? This time of year unless you have a nice heated garage it's damp staying idle in the garage or salt on the roads that cause a problem.
Mark

[ChasR]

Mine are also unlaquered.

I would initially try some metal polish (AutoGlym Metal polish is a good item) and see how you get on. You can use sandpaper but I would leave that as a last resort and with plenty of reading up done before you embark on that.

The key to stopping it is to wash the wheels down weekly whenever the car is used (or so my VW friends tell me with polished wheels). It's the dirt/dust that harms the metal.

[DJT]

Glyn,

I had to use my Stag in the first salt of the winter recently and it combined with the brake dust (even with Greenstuff pads) and the resulting crust took some shifting. I use Autosol with wire wool. Shifts just about anything. Follow up with a coat of your favourite car polish to add protection.

Dave

[mjheathcote]

When my Stag was a daily runner, in winter I used to spray the clean wheels with wd40, then degrease once a week and reapply. Kept my wheels corrosion free!

[ChasR]

I should point out that I was told that originally, the Stag wheels came laquered so this issue will not affect all wheels.

[DJT]

I should point out that I was told that originally, the Stag wheels came laquered so this issue will not affect all wheels.

That may be true, Chas, but by now most will have been refinished in some way or another as once the original lacquer gets damaged in any way corrosion creeps underneath and it peels off. The general consensus is that it is better that they remain unlacquered. This does require the occasional application of traditional elbow grease to keep them pristine.

I bought some nice minilight replicas from MWS a few years ago and the lacquer on those started to lift..... I have gone back to the original alloys again.

Dave

[brooklands green]

Many thanks guys for your advise seems like once
there up together a bit more care and more frequent
cleaning seems to be the answer.

[jleyton]

...once the original lacquer gets damaged in any way corrosion creeps underneath and it peels off.

Dave

Absolutely - I remember, when I worked in a Triumph dealership, we were relacquering wheels during the New Car Warranty period (and I'm not sure that wasn't just six months back then )

I remember doing more Sprint wheels than Stag ones, although that might just have been because we sold more of them.

Cheers

Julian

[ChasR]

To be fair, if you look at most polished/diamond cut wheels the laquer never stays on for long. I am fairly sure that the lack of adhesion properties of a polished surface is no doubt the primary reason for this.

[Guest]

You are right Chas and you can understand the problem as it only takes a small stone chip in the laquer to start the process.

Personally I am not at all in to the continual polishing needed to preserve un-laquered polished wheels. When they are refurbed I would always ask for them to be laquered with a product suitable for bare metal and not paint. Periodically putting a good coating of a wheel wax over the laquer helps prevent the problem and isn't anything like as much hard work as polishing. The idea of spraying WD40 onto them is one I had reccomended to me a couple of months back too, so good to hear it is one that works.

[Moraystag]

Use a good quality polish regularly, this has worked well for me.
I polish with Autoglym metal polish, which I find is better than Autosol and finish off with showroom shine which has canuba wax in it. Gives great protection for both the body work and steel

Mike