Mothers Billet Metal Polish or Clear Coat Polish on Bonspeed Clutch Rims

[Swany]

I just recently bought Bonspeed Clutch Rims for my truck and I am stuck on which mothers wheel polish I am supposed to use. The side note on the product info of the Mothers Billet Metal Polish about the product turning the applicator black got me concerned. Should I use the Clear Coat Polish instead? I only had the rims for five days and do not want to apply the wrong product that will ruin them (I'm new at this if you couldn't tell already). Can you help me keep this mirror shine? Also, I am not sure if the rims are billet aluminum or high polished aluminum? Is there a difference? Not sure how to insert a picture but a picture of my rims are on the web. (http://www.bonspeed.com/wheels.htm)
In addition, is the Mothers FX Engineered Wheel Cleaner the right product to clean the rims or just use the Mothers California Gold Car Wash to clean them with the rest of the car?

Thanks,
Swany

[Jim D.]

It's hard to tell from their website, but they look to be billet.

If you apply Billet or Mag & Aluminum polish (or any true metal polish) on your rims and the cloth turns black, that's just the polish doing its job on the bare metal -- perfectly normal.

You could certainly also use the new PowerBall and PowerPolish and/or the Billet Polish, depending on at some point in the future if you really need a little extra shine (or elbow grease the easy way, as the case may be).

If the metal polish doesn't turn black, your rims are clearcoated, and you should stop and use Clearcoat Wheel Polish instead.

If you keep them clean with car wash on a regular basis, you probably won't need a spray-on cleaner to remove brake dust very often, if at all... it really depends on the compound of your brake pads, how hard (and how often) you brake, and how often you wash your rims.

But if you do need a spray wheel cleaner, I'd recommend the FX Wheel Cleaner or the Wheel Mist Multi-Purpose -- I've used both and the FX is growing on me.

I usually use a spray-on wheel cleaner and agitate a little if necessary with an old wash mitt relegated for dirty stuff like wheels. I do that about every other time I wash my car. Polishing doesn't get done as often as I should, but Billet Polish is really the ticket for the final touch on billet wheels.

I think I know someone who works at bonspeed... I'll try to find out for you if they're bare billet or clearcoated and let you know.

-- Jim D.

[Ken H.]

According to the US Wheel website:

"bonspeed is our high-end billet aluminum wheels. We exclusively custom manufacture these innovative wheels just for your car."

Since your Bonspeed Clutch wheels are billet, you'll get your best results with Mothers Billet Polish. Our Mag & Aluminum and PowerMetal will work well too. Don't be put off by the black residue that occurs when you polish aluminum, that only means that the polish is working properly.

[Swany]

I ordered the billet polish and fx cleaner and ill let you know how things turn out. Any special way to apply the cleaner and billet polish? After I apply how long do I wait? do I let the polish dry or wipe off right way? Want to make sure I do it right. Do I wait for the black residue before I wipe it off?

Thanks,
Swany

[Ken H.]

Swany,

These instructions are from our online Mothers Detail Guide:

"When cleaning polished aluminum wheels without a clear-coat, or open metals like magnesium, use Mothers Mag & Aluminum Polish, a proven and popular product. The Mothers Polishin' Pad is similar, but the polish comes impregnated into a cotton-gauze pad. Rub a thin layer of polish onto a portion of the wheel until a black residue appears. Add more polish as you go along, and don't be in a hurry to remove the dark residue, because it acts as a secondary polishing agent. Follow that with a clean cotton towel. Don't let the polish dry on the wheel, and turn the towel frequently."

The Mothers Detail Guide is a great car care reference source. You can find it at:

http://www.detailguide.com/

There's also a link for the Detail Guide on the left hand menu of the Wax Forum and Mothers Polish websites.

[Swany]

Hi,
i was a little confused with the directions on how to use the billet polish when it said, "don't be in a hurry to remove the dark residue, because it acts as a secondary polishing agent....Don't let the polish dry on the wheel, and turn the towel frequently." How long do I let the black resdue sit. Playing devil advocate, what happens if the polish did dry? Does it ruin the wheel? How long should i wait? Sorry to be annoying but, I am a perfectionist.

Thanks,
Swany

[TedR]

It's pretty easy to see through the black haze of the polish that the shine is coming through... when you think you're done polishing, you then start the buff-off process.

If you let it dry too much, it starts to get harder to remove. Application of some fresh product should take care of that in short order.

The whole process is nothing to get too excited about... just take your time... relax... have a cool one handy.