Table of contents: Pre-treatment of damaged areas of…↓ Repairing damage to aluminum wheel…↓
The cast aluminum wheels are coated with a clear or colored protective coating. When the integrity of the protective coating is compromised, the wheel material begins to deteriorate. The protective coating can be damaged in a mechanical car wash where hard-tipped brushes are used to wash the sidewalls of the tires. Unprotected wheel material is destroyed by the caustic detergents and salt compounds used to treat roads in winter.
The technology for restoring the coating of aluminum wheels is described below.
Necessary tools and materials:
- Cleaner and conditioner for aluminum.
- Coating for aluminum.
- Acrylic or urethane coating for aluminum.
General processing sequence
- Mark the location of the wheel on the vehicle and the holes for the mounting bolt.
- Remove the wheel from the vehicle.
- Mark the position of the balancing weights and remove them from the wheel.
- Wash exterior and interior surfaces with a solution of all-purpose detergent and water. Remove traces of grease and oil with solvent.
- Cover the tire with a screen to prevent drips from getting on it.
- Repair the wheel as described below.
- Install the balancing weights with nylon coated clips.
- Install the wheel and tire assembly onto the vehicle and tighten the mounting bolts to a torque of 90 Nm.
Pre-treatment of damaged areas of the color coating
- Clean with sandpaper (dry or wet) damaged areas of the color coating to ensure better adhesion of the wheel surface to the clear protective coating.
Repairing damage to aluminum wheel material
- Place the wheel and tire assembly onto the hub of the stand or vehicle and turn on slow rotation speed.
- Sand down any defects in the wheel material using sandpaper stretched over a block of suitable shape. During processing, the block with sandpaper should be slowly moved over the surface of the wheel being processed. The processing begins with coarse sandpaper, then continues with medium-grain sandpaper and finishes with fine sandpaper. The following sequence is recommended:
- Clean the surface from dirt.
- Soak the wheel in the coating substance for 1 - 3 minutes.
- Rinse in water and blow dry.
(The source is published on the portal: nissanbook)