Maintaining the pristine condition of your car’s aluminum rims can feel as challenging as keeping your entire car clean. If you’ve kissed a curb or two or left some metal behind, you might be wondering if you can use good ol’ sandpaper to pretty up those wheels and forget all about your misadventures. The good news is that those mementos can easily fade into memories with the right tools and know-how.

Here at 2Sand, we’ve had our fair share of curb encounters of the wincing kind. That’s why we’ve compiled the following guide on how to sand and refinish your aluminum wheels. We’ll help you understand your options for wheel repairs and how you can spend some quality time with your rims to have them shining scratch-free and like-new. Plus, we carry the supplies perfect for the job.

Key Takeaways:

• Sanding and refinishing your aluminum wheels can be cheaper than professional repairs or replacing the wheel entirely.
• You must remove the clear coat most aluminum wheels are treated with before you can tackle the underlying scratches.
• Using 220-grit sandpaper can help remove most scratches without compromising the aluminum wheel’s structure.
• It’s best practice to seal your polished aluminum wheels with wax or ceramic coat them for the most robust protection.

How to Sand Aluminum Wheels

If you’re staring down at scratched aluminum wheels, you’ve got a few options. The easiest but probably most expensive option is to replace the wheel itself. This move might be a good idea if the wheel structure is also compromised, but otherwise, you’ve still got a functioning wheel. Hiring a professional to repair your wheels may go against your DIY attitude, but it will also cost you $100 or more.

If you’ve got deep scratches in your aluminum wheels, some wheel repair kits offer putty fillers like bondo or epoxy that make up the difference. However, you should weigh the advantages and disadvantages of using this repair method. The last thing you want is a weak wheel that could fail at the worst time.

Sanding and refinishing your aluminum wheels yourself takes more time and effort than the previous options. However, it’s a skill you can easily practice on all four wheels and then apply to future projects. If you’re anything like the Team at 2Sand, it’s also a great way to prove, “I can fix that.” With the products you need readily available in our store, there’s no reason you can’t sand and refinish your own aluminum wheels.

Supplies

Before you dismount your aluminum wheels and break out the sandpaper, gather the following supplies:

• Safety glasses
• Respirator
• Wet/dry sandpaper of various grits, from 220 up to 2,000 grit
• Soft microfiber cloths
• Spray bottle with water

We highly recommend the 2Sand2-inch and3-inch blue film-backed hook-and-loop sanding discs, and not just because we’re slightly biased. These aluminum oxide sanding discs are more level than paper and deliver a uniform scratch pattern that comes from electrostatic manufacturing. The 2-inch sanding discs fit easily onto a two-inch mandrel. You can also use these 2Sand sanding discs, wet or dry, as you please.

Technique

There are a few things you should know about aluminum before sanding. Aluminum wheels technically don’t rust but instead form oxidation. This oxide layer protects the underlying metal from corrosion, but once that protective film breaks away, corrosion has free reign. Aluminum wheels can also be cast or forged. The latter are more dense and require more muscle when sanding and polishing.

Here are the steps involved in sanding and refinishing aluminum wheels by hand:

1. Thoroughly clean the area you will sand with lacquer thinner to remove any grease, grime, or debris. Spray the area with water and wipe down once more.
2. Remove the clear coat with 220-grit sandpaper. Sand in just the area you want to refinish or all the way around the wheel, waiting until the dust turns gray. This dust color is your sign you’ve removed the clear coat.
3. Repeat the process using sandpaper of finer grits, working just beyond the border of where you sanded previously to blend into the rest of the wheel. As you work through the sandpaper grits, you can use less pressure and even work in a circular motion. Wash the wheel between grits to remove any excess dust.
4. Finish your last sanding pass with 2,000 grit. This fine-grit sandpaper translates to less work with the polish so you can benefit from newly refinished aluminum wheels.

If you plan on doing all four wheels, you’ll get the hang of it after going through the process a few times. You might consider visiting the junkyard and purchasing a scrap wheel to practice.

Tips to Polish Aluminum

When sanding and refinishing wheels, it’s a good idea to dismount them from the vehicle so you can work on a level surface. Doing so will also promote even sanding and allow you to get into the smallest nooks and crannies. Separating the wheels and tires can also help protect your tires, but you can also sand with them still on the wheels.

When looking over your aluminum wheel, focus on scratches that aren’t too deep. If you focus on those that are more than a small divot in the surface, you could compromise the wheel's integrity and risk premature and potentially catastrophic failure. Scratches that catch your fingernail or that are particularly deep should be addressed by a professional (if they can be repaired).

Using a sanding block on broad wheel sections is a good rule of thumb to promote even sanding. You can also use power tools with mild pressure to ensure a uniform scratch pattern. A sanding brush or smaller sanding tools can also prove useful for more intricate areas.

How to Polish Aluminum Wheels

Similar to sanding aluminum wheels, polishing aluminum can be done by hand (with plenty of elbow grease) or with an electric buffer. We recommend theKovax Mini Air Polisher if you want a pneumatic solution. This mini-but-mighty polisher ramps up to 2,000 RPMs max and comes with three-inch diameter hook and loop back-up plates and pads. With low noise and low vibration, this mini polisher is perfect for controlled precision work typical of spoked aluminum wheels.

For now, we’ll cover how to polish aluminum wheels by hand, but the process completed with power tools looks similar:

1. Ensure your aluminum wheels are clean and free from dust. They don’t necessarily have to be completely dry, but removing most of the moisture can help improve the polish’s performance.
2. Apply aluminum finishing polish to a soft microfiber cloth and work around the wheel’s surface, using lots of pressure and circular motions to achieve a mirror finish. Switch to clean parts of your microfiber as the polish works into the aluminum. Pay close attention to areas you’ve sanded in blending them into the rest of the wheel.
3. Once you’ve applied a coat of polish, wipe away any excess. Inspect the wheel and polish any spots that don’t match the luster of the rest of the wheel.
4. Using a clean, soft microfiber without any polish, buff the metal surface with swift strokes and medium pressure. Remove any polish you may have missed.
5. Repeat this process on additional wheels you may have sanded for a shiny set of like-new aluminum wheels.

Power tools will help expedite the process, which is relatively similar. The only difference with power is that you want to pay close attention to your polishing speeds and pressure. Let the polisher and buffing wheels do the work for you. You may have to resort to hand polishing with the buffing compound in tighter spots, but a buffing wheel can handle the lion’s share of the work.

Sealing Your Refinished Aluminum Wheels

You can easily seal your polished aluminum wheels with wax or spray a few coats of clear to protect the finish. If you feel comfortable, you can also ceramic coat wheels to create a barrier similar to a clear coat that will repel water, debris, and other road grime. Depending on the product, aftermarket ceramic coatings tend to last for one year up to five years or more. If you want to paint your wheels, this is also an excellent time to switch it up and customize your rims.

FAQs

Can you sand aluminum wheels?

Yes, you can sand aluminum wheels, especially if you want to remove brake dust. It’s common to start with 220-grit sandpaper and move to finer grits as you remove imperfections like nicks and scratches. However, sanding your aluminum wheels will remove any clear coat applied to the surface.

Is it better to wet or dry sand aluminum wheels?

It’s best to wet sand aluminum wheels as this allows you to control how much material you’re removing and reduces dust production. However, you can also dry sand aluminum wheels.

What grit sandpaper should you use on aluminum wheels?

It’s best to use 220-grit sandpaper to remove deeper scratches in aluminum wheels and then move up to 2,000-grit sandpaper before polishing. Choosing a coarser grit, even when wet sanding, may bite too far into your aluminum wheel and compromise the structure, depending on how the aluminum wheel is designed.

What kind of polish should you use on aluminum wheels?

Metal polish works best on aluminum wheels. This type of polish is specifically formulated to work with metals like aluminum to bring out the best shine.

Final Thoughts

Sanding and refinishing your aluminum wheels can help you rejuvenate your ride and save some money. You can turn your scuffed rims into shiny examples of your hard work with a healthy set of multiple sandpaper grits, aluminum polish, and plenty of elbow grease. Yet refreshing your aluminum wheels is just one application where sandpaper can turn the ordinary into something beautiful.

The Team at 2Sand can’t wait to see how your aluminum rims turn out. We recommend the 2-inch and 3-inch blue film-backed sanding discs for refinishing aluminum wheels, but we’re also happy to discuss any other sanding needs.Contact us for assistance in tackling your next project with the know-how and expertise to cut the right corners and leave the rest intact.