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While some alloys need polishing, others will require wax. This will be dependant on the wheel’s finish, if the wheel has a chrome finish, a chrome polish is required. If the alloys are polished, they will need an aluminium polish. If the alloys are painted or coated, it’s best to choose a quality wax to protect the finish. Thoroughly Wash the Alloys Here I’m using gelled aerosol type stripper which clings to vertical surfaces while it does its job. When new, engine covers of Japanese machines were either polished and lacquered or painted. Add time, stone chips and ultraviolet light and the coating breaks down. Add in some road salt and the alloy starts to fester away gradually delaminating more of the protective coating to a point where the casting grows a furry grey overcoat. I've chosen Zymol cleaner wax to accompany the Zymol car shampoo used earlier. It's now strictly a polish, but it is a wax polish, and by far the best one I've used to get a deep shine.
It’s nearly time to get polishing, but first you will need to apply a good amount of alloy wheel brightener. This product is designed brighten the aluminium and alloy parts, plus is a great product for removing brake dust. Apply an Alloy Polish of Choice If you discover damage to your alloys when polishing your alloy wheels. ChipsAway specialists can repair the damage in a matter of hours so your wheels look as good as new again.Alloy wheels add style and substance to any vehicle, but alloys can get pretty dirty and fade overtime, especially if you do a lot of miles. Its important to care for the alloys as you would care for the car’s paintwork. To keep alloys looking as good as they should, they should be regularly polished to maintain the finish. Before you can begin polishing alloy wheels, they must be thoroughly washed to remove any road dirt and debris. Follow our step by step guide on how to wash alloy wheels here. For best results, we recommend using a specific alloy wheel cleaner, car shampoo will only remove the surface dirt from the wheel. Another option is to use one of the more aggressive abrasive kits with either satine mops or abrasive polishes. However, remember that whilst these abrasive processes will remove overt damage they are also marking undamaged alloy. Because we are dealing with abrasive there will be a need to remove the fine scratches imparted on the alloy by the process. As a rough rule of thumb a 370-500w electric motor should cope with a 6” mop. For 8” mops you’ll need a minimum of 500w and more if you can get it. On intricate castings or small parts it’s viable to use a cordless or normal powered drill and even on some large castings the easy access afforded by a drill makes the job simpler. Then we need rub the surface over with some Vienna lime to remove any residual polishing soap, grease or finger marks and the job’s a good’un as they say. All that’s left to do is possibly give the readily oxidisable surface coating of protective wax polish and it’s time to move onto the next job. Sharp eyed readers will note I’ve not polished out the marks in the top face of the carb cover. As the intended bike has a patina of wear I’ve elected not to go over the top but rather carry out a sympathetic refurbishment.
The final step is to apply a finishing polish to the alloy wheels. Apply the finishing polish with a soft microfibre cloth and polish until the cloth is free from product. The longer you polish the wheels, the shiner they will look, so keep polishing! Pressure washers. I don't use a pressure washer. Apart from being incredibly lazy, they're just not necessary. You're cleaning a small surface, not the side of a boat. Using a pressure washer is a bit like turning up to an Archery competition with a sawn-off shotgun. You want more precision for a better result.It’s also worth investing in a kit that comes with the smaller dolly mops (1”, 1 ½” & 2”) as these can be a godsend. The larger mops cannot get into recesses or tight spaces but the smaller mops can get into the nooks and crannies. Don’t throw a dolly mop away until you’re absolutely sure it’s beyond use; it’s guaranteed that you will need a worn down 1” version the minute you bin it. KEEPING IT IN PERSPECTIVE It's important to dry off your bike. Some people recommend a micro-fibre drying cloth over a chamois, but I use a chamois. The main mistake I used to make was to fold up the chamois into four and then scrub at the bodywork to soak up water. You don't need to do this and all you'll do is rub any remaining grit across the surface, causing hairline scratches. Take your chamois and lay it across surfaces like your tank, take it off, wring out the chamois and repeat. On vertical surfaces, you can pat dry the surface, again, helping to reduce hairline scratches. You may be left with a small film of water or a few beads, but this is fine, they'll evaporate.
After polishing, the residue of the compound is typically wiped off, and the metal surface may be further buffed or cleaned to achieve the desired shine. Different types of metal polishing compounds are available, each formulated for specific metals and applications. It's important to select a compound appropriate for the type of metal you are working with to avoid potential damage.Select below from our great range of Pro-Max Metal Polishing Compounds ideal for use on aluminium, alloy, brass, copper, steel, stainless steel and chrome.
It’s quite viable to polish the odd piece of alloy by hand using any one of the well-known metal polishes. The results are eminently acceptable and it’s a viable method for small articles or one offs. However, if you have a number of parts to shine, a set of mops makes a lot sense. Once you are happy that your alloys are sparkling clean, you need to thoroughly dry them. Use a clean, soft microfibre cloth to remove all moisture from the wheel, as this may react with the polishing treatments. Apply an Alloy Wheel Brightener To use a metal polishing compound, you apply a small amount of the paste to a soft cloth or polishing wheel and then gently rub it onto the metal surface in a circular motion. The abrasive particles in the compound work to remove scratches, oxidation, and other blemishes from the metal, while the lubricating properties of the binding agent or wax help to prevent further damage to the surface. You could make this process take longer by working in a dedicated polish and then applying a wax/sealant, but after trying this myself, I could not notice much difference. The Zymol cleaner wax is seriously good stuff, giving the bike an incredibly deep, three-dimensional shine. When you rinse the bodywork for the second time, you should notice the water 'heet' off the bodywork and even on non-polished surfaces, it will bead up. If it does, this is a good sign of well cleaned bodywork.
Bodywork
Once your bike is washed in this way, you'll spend less time keeping it clean. With the Zymol cleaner wax, the surface is sealed and protected. After a ride, you will be able to rinse down the bike to wash off surface grit and retain the shine. You can use the Autoglym Showshine to give an instant gloss. When water stops beading up on the bodywork, it's a sign that you could do with a fresh wash and re-application of wax. Take your Meguiars Hot Rims wheel cleaner, set the nozzle to spread the spray and give your pre-rinsed wheels a good coating with the wheel cleaner. It really is fantastic stuff and is safe for bare metal, alloys, lacquer, powder-coated and painted wheels. Metal polishing compounds can vary in abrasiveness, ranging from coarse compounds for heavy-duty polishing to fine compounds for achieving a mirror-like finish. They can be used on a wide range of metals, including stainless steel, aluminum, brass, copper, silver, and gold.
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