# wire wool vs alloy = disaster?



## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

*wire wool vs alloy = disaster? (Pics on page 3)*

Hi All,

I took of my wheels one by one to give them their first proper clean & seal to help with winter cleaning. They are 19" Audi wheels, and are 1 year old. The first 2 where easy enough to clean- I washed, de-tarred, clayed, polished with SRP, and sealed with Optiseal (which is a treat to use btw!)

The third wheel was the problem- the main surface of the wheel (behind the spokes) was covered in very thick grime, tar, and what looked like flakes of grey paint. I washed, used tar remover, wheel cleaner etc to very little effect.

A colleague told me to try wire wool. Sceptical at first, I went ahead with the finest grade I could get, and it did the job well- and with tar remover, brake cleaner, etc it removed all the crud. Boy do I regret not asking on here first! The wool has left many scratches, and has removed the 'paint' in several areas leaving small areas of bare metal. At this point I feel physically sick.

The marks and paint removal are well inside the wheel and will not be seen when the wheel is on. But I want to know what damage have I done? Have I caused serious damage to my wheel, and is there anything I can do to minimise the damage?

I polished and sealed the wheel, and stuck a 'good luck' coat of 476's on top of that and put it back on the car- furious with myself, and feeling very stupid!

Any advice greatly appreciated.


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

NNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Try and keep it sealed and you will minamize degradation but you will probably find over time the paint locally to the damage will start to bubble where moisture creeps in. £45 a corner for you son


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## Hair Bear (Nov 4, 2007)

If it's just the backs I'd be tempted to rub them down and prime/paint them meself fella :thumb:


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Hair Bear said:


> If it's just the backs I'd be tempted to rub them down and prime/paint them meself fella :thumb:


Definatly worth ago if the op feels confident, sooner rather than later would you say?


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## alan hanson (May 21, 2008)

yeh you aint got much too lose to be honest doesnt work then its a refurb anyhows but i would get it sorted now whilst its a fairly simples job


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## hippyross (May 26, 2009)

Hair Bear said:


> If it's just the backs I'd be tempted to rub them down and prime/paint them meself fella :thumb:


+1 on that, but tbh would you use wirewool on ur car bodywork?


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## Hair Bear (Nov 4, 2007)

stangalang said:


> Definatly worth ago if the op feels confident, sooner rather than later would you say?


Agreed


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## Hair Bear (Nov 4, 2007)

hippyross said:


> +1 on that, but tbh would you use wirewool on ur car bodywork?


Not me personally, but let's not knock the guy just help him out eh? :thumb:


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## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

Thanks for the replies- Id definately be up for doing it myself- I didn't realise you could diy this.

Is this something there is a kit available for? How do you go about it?


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

Hair Bear said:


> Not me personally, but let's not knock the guy just help him out eh? :thumb:


Well said:thumb:


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## hippyross (May 26, 2009)

that should help you out

http://chrishowells.co.uk/?page_id=252


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## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

hippyross said:


> +1 on that, but tbh would you use wirewool on ur car bodywork?


Yep- lessons learned and all that! I wouldn't dream of using wire wool on the paintwork- for some reason I thought It would be OK on wheels as it had been suggested to me.

As soon as I saw the scratches I was devastated!


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## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

hippyross said:


> that should help you out
> 
> http://chrishowells.co.uk/?page_id=252


Great- thanks a mil


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## stangalang (Nov 27, 2009)

gt140silver said:


> Yep- lessons learned and all that! I wouldn't dream of using wire wool on the paintwork- for some reason I thought It would be OK on wheels as it had been suggested to me.
> 
> As soon as I saw the scratches I was devastated!


Something we have all made the mistake with in the past, acidic cleaners etc. Wouldn't use them on your bodywork yet people use them on wheels every week, people just forget that they are painted also. As said, lesson learned


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## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

stangalang said:


> Something we have all made the mistake with in the past, acidic cleaners etc. Wouldn't use them on your bodywork yet people use them on wheels every week, people just forget that they are painted also. As said, lesson learned


Cheers for your help and advice.

I'll get the supplies together and do it myself. As the damage is on the inside of the wheel only it'll be a good training exercise, and fingers crossed will protect the alloy. I'm sure there will be future chips and scrapes that I can use my new talent to fix!


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## hippyross (May 26, 2009)

make sure you clean all polish and wax off before spraying


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## mk2jon (Mar 10, 2009)

Sorry to hear about the mishap,hope you get sorted :thumb:


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## Liverpool-Lad (Jun 27, 2006)

A word on the lacquer. Wheels are in a pretty harsh environment, so Id advise getting a 2k aersol lacquer over the topcoat for improved hardness.

i.e. http://shop.ebay.co.uk/?_from=R40&_trksid=p3984.m570.l1313&_nkw=2k+aerosol&_sacat=See-All-Categories

BEWARE though on using this stuff in a well ventilated area with protection, Id advise doing some reading on it.


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## centenary (Sep 5, 2010)

hippyross said:


> that should help you out
> 
> http://chrishowells.co.uk/?page_id=252


Good god! He washed his wheels in the bath!!?

And sprayed them inside the house!

Kinell!


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## Kokopelli (Sep 18, 2009)

I don't know the state of the wheels but there is a kit from Planet Polish for small marks repair.

http://www.planetpolish.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=1&products_id=1


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## Buck (Jan 16, 2008)

Sorry to hear this.

As the guys have suggested, spraying and lacquering can save the day

When you do the insides, mask the spokes of the wheels using paper and masking tape to stop overspray getting onto the front faces of the alloy.


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## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

cheekeemonkey said:


> Sorry to hear this.
> 
> As the guys have suggested, spraying and lacquering can save the day
> 
> When you do the insides, mask the spokes of the wheels using paper and masking tape to stop overspray getting onto the front faces of the alloy.


Thanks- I'll do that. Its a good point.

The wheel has areas that the wool has scored through the paint. And other areas where it is totally fine. Do you think I need to sand off everything down to bare metal to begin again?- Or would a light sand be sufficient before re-priming/painting etc?


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## surgemaster (Jul 5, 2006)

I would leave the existing SOUND paint alone but for lightly sanding it & then lightly sand every where else to provide a key for the new paint to bond too remembering to wipe down all the back surfaces with isopropanol (or similar) to remove any remaining contaminants before any painting.
HTH :thumb:


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## mlgt (Apr 11, 2008)

I think since this has already happened why not learn how to spray alloys?

Fantastic chance to learn and to give it a try. Since the area is somewhat small it wouldnt take long to sand the rest of the area down and then lay some primer and paint on top.

Good weekend fun


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## Eddy (Apr 13, 2008)

ooh lesson learned the hard way eh, I cringed inside when | saw the thread title, easily done though.

Hope you get it sorted asap.


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## Fatman Soldier (Sep 24, 2009)

This made me smile. 

I have done near enough the same thing. 

Same problem as you where the wheels were cacked full of brake dust tar etc. 

I used megs wheel cleaner then i used Wonder Wheels i then clayed em. And i was still left with like an oily ring left on em. I tried everytrhing to get it off i even used Brick Acid and it still didnt shift. And as my alloys needed refurbing anyway i thought bugger it and got the wire wool on it. Worked wonders got it all off paint and all. haha. 

Anyway dont get feeling dishartened by it all, you ay the first, and you wont be the last.


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## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

A couple of iphone pics to show the problem better. Most of the surface area is badly scratched- I think only a few areas seem to be at or near the metal. Even the last pic might just be at the factory primer level.

Big thanks for all your constructive comments! 

I just need to decide will it be a better job stripping everything, or giving a light sand before re-priming/painting/lacquering etc.



















To show what I was up against- this is after many attempts at cleaning, a couple of goes at claying, and using very acidic cleaner.










And one to show the fantastic job I was doing on the other wheels before I lost the plot and got the wire wool out on the last one!


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## Hair Bear (Nov 4, 2007)

That last one was BEFORE the wire wool?

It looks mint?!


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## gt140silver (May 6, 2007)

Hair Bear said:


> That last one was BEFORE the wire wool?
> 
> It looks mint?!


No that was one of the other wheels which were all easy enough to clean!


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## MattOz (May 15, 2007)

gt140silver said:


> No that was one of the other wheels which were all easy enough to clean!


It appears to me that the two that were difficult have probably had the faces refurbished at some point in the past and the overspray from those refurbs is what you have removed or are trying to remove with the wire wool?

I'd try some 3M FCP on a green 3M pad, or some other relatively aggresive combo just t see if you can get rid of the wire wool scratches. Where/if there are places where the paint has been totally removed, then this might need re-lacquering.

I've wetsanded the fronts and backs of alloys in the past if they've been particularly badly pitted and have not had an issue polishing them back up to a great shine.

Good Luck and using fine grade wire wool is definitely not the end of the world.

Cheers
Matt


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## twissler (Apr 6, 2009)

As it is the backs of the wheel don't beat yourself up too much. Thats nothing that cant be sorted with a bit of DIY. Sand the areas to key the surface and then prime, paint and laquer. Just make sure you mask the wheels properly first.


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