Huck

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Jan 27, 2011
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Not really GM specific, but I figured there's others with machined wheel that could benefit from this. Picked up my new machined wheels for the Cobra today and just pulled them all out of the boxes to inspect. 2 look great but 2 have some light scratches on the machined faces that won't come out with a little scrubbing with a microfiber. Not really sure where to go from here, the grey painted inserts look good and appear to be clear coated, the machined faces don't have any clear apparently.

So my question is, how would I go about polishing out the scratches? If I can figure out how to get those out, I'll have them clear coated so they don't look like shit 6 months from now. Or is this something I shouldn't really worry about and just get 'em mounted? I'm just OCD as all get out, so it'll bug me, but I doubt it's something that would really be noticed once they're on the car



 
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silvr z

Member
Mar 18, 2013
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Where did you order them from? Are they replicas or used wheels?

I personally don't know if I would mess with them at all because I don't think I'd ever get the machined look right.


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Huck

BIIIIG SQRBDY GUY
Jan 27, 2011
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Yeah they're reps from AFS Wheels. That's what I'm trying to decide, whether to try to get them fixed/finished myself or try to send them back for 2 more wheels. They seem to scratch so easy, so I'm a little scared to try compounding them or anything....
 

Khaos

Bed Dent Club Founder
Mar 24, 2012
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I'd call them and ask them what to do. Hell they may even offer to replace the wheels
 

Huck

BIIIIG SQRBDY GUY
Jan 27, 2011
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Yeah, definitely at least gonna give them a call tomorrow and see what they say. Really sucks if I have to send them back tho, that means like 2 more weeks till I can mount them
 

DeanH1290

Well-Known Member
Jan 20, 2014
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I wouldn't try to do anything to them because you will never get that machined finish back. If you mess with them, be prepared to polish the entire wheel.

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bgray

Stylish Canadian
Mar 17, 2012
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IF the marks are UNDER the clear theres no fixing minus sanding and reclearing. If its in the clear, They they can be buffed/ or wet sanded worst case to remove.

Id ask them what they want. Personally, Id try to get a $100+ back from them, then just fix them. There gonna be spending some serious coin on shipping 2 ways...
 

Huck

BIIIIG SQRBDY GUY
Jan 27, 2011
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IF the marks are UNDER the clear theres no fixing minus sanding and reclearing. If its in the clear, They they can be buffed/ or wet sanded worst case to remove.

Id ask them what they want. Personally, Id try to get a $100+ back from them, then just fix them. There gonna be spending some serious coin on shipping 2 ways...

They're definitely on top, my fingers (not the nails, just the fingertips) scratched them even being very careful and they're just light scratches so I think they can be buffed. I'm not going to touch them until I call on Monday but upon further research they do say they're cleared on their website. I'm going to ask for a small refund but even if they won't give me that, if they'll just confirm they're cleared and can be buffed I'll be happy cuz I got these at a GREAT price. Then I'll just get them re-cleared

"We offer a "Machined Face" finish option with the 2003 Cobra wheels. The wheel goes through several steps. First the wheel is prepped for paint. The entire wheel face is painted with the base color. In this case, it is a silver. The wheel then goes to the machine line and the face of the wheel is machined to take of the paint on the flat surface. Then the entire wheel goes back to the paint shop for a final clear coat that is baked onto the rim. The end result is a wheel with a machined face and silver cutouts. The contrast in texture and color, gives this wheel a fresh, modern look."
 

Huck

BIIIIG SQRBDY GUY
Jan 27, 2011
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yah defiantly fixable then

Good on ya for recognizing a great deal and not being a duece bagged customer

Lol @ duece bagged. But yeah, I hate dealing with customers like that at work so I try not to be. Shit happens and I understand that, these are not an expensive high end wheel, I only paid $595 for the set so I don't expect top notch quality. As long as there is clear coat on there I'm good
 

mike.

Well-Known Member
Jan 29, 2011
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North Mississippi
Lol @ duece bagged. But yeah, I hate dealing with customers like that at work so I try not to be. Shit happens and I understand that, these are not an expensive high end wheel, I only paid $595 for the set so I don't expect top notch quality. As long as there is clear coat on there I'm good

Did you do x9's/x10's?


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Huck

BIIIIG SQRBDY GUY
Jan 27, 2011
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Size reference of rears lol
8uhy9u7u.jpg


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Huck

BIIIIG SQRBDY GUY
Jan 27, 2011
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Oh yeah, it's gonna look awesome. That's part of why I'm pissed cuz it's gonna take longer for my car to look awesome lol