aaronmjr
11-02-2010, 08:54 AM
Cliffs:
Fleet Wheel is cheap, fast, and they are easy to deal with. I had to bring my wheels back to correct some issues, but they took care of them. It is not a mirror polish, there are some visible machine lines. It costs $35 per wheel. If you do end up going through Fleet Wheel, please mention this article or my name (Aaron Lowell).
This review is based on my experiences so far with Fleet Wheel. They are a wheel restoration/polishing shop. The main contact at the company is named Jay, and seems very straightforward and is easy to talk to. After seeing pictures of Travis' style 5's which were polished by them, and how cheap it was done I had to give it a try. The wheels are 18 inch BBS Style 5's in 8/9 inch widths.
Their shop is surprisingly clean for a polishing outfit, and the machine they use is a sight to see.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/5139711776_26fb6705d8_b.jpg
Here are some finished orders.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1324/5139107377_c76a548bce_b.jpg
Here's some examples of the condition of the wheels when I dropped them off at Fleet Wheel. As you can see, there was a fair amount of clear-coat peel, corrosion, and curb rash.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/5139711630_bd4b61917f_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1105/5139107243_461971bdca_b.jpg
This wheel on the other hand, I had sanded from 180 grit up to 2000, and hit the outside lip (the part that would be at a right angle to the road if the wheel was on a car) with some white scotch brite pads and Met-All aluminum polish, applied with a Mouse sander. It shined pretty well actually, but I wanted to take these pictures in the most revealing light possible for an honest representation.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1057/5139107263_2ebf397113_b.jpg
So off to Fleet Wheel they went. I dropped them off on Saturday, and told Jay that it would be nice to have them by the middle of the week, but no real hurry. I received a call on Monday morning around 11am saying they were almost ready! So the turn around time was great. He also told me if I was in a pinch that they could do 24 hour turnaround times if I needed it. I picked up the wheels that day (yesterday). The guy who was there helping me was actually the one who did the polishing. He was nice enough to give me some shop towels to wipe some excess wax from the barrels that are a result of their process, and was friendly to deal with. I paid $35 per wheel, plus some minimal shop costs and tax for a grand total of $149.98 to polish my four wheels. After I got home I had a chance to really inspect them. They are very shiny!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/5139107457_3f55ceeee1_b.jpg
There are a few things I was not expecting though. As you can see, there are some lines leftover from their machine. This is not noticeable from 10 feet away, but they are not a flawless mirror like most other polished wheels I have seen. There are also some areas where the lower grit is still visible in small untouched "stripes" where the machine's brush consistently missed some areas. I am curious if I used some non-abrasive aluminum polish on them if I could clean it up, or if I will just wreck them. Also, there are still remnants of corrosion around some of the bolt holes. The wheel I had sanded myself obviously shows no corrosion, so in this instance I would suggest sanding off any corrosion before dropping your wheels off. But as far as the curb rash goes, there is virtually no evidence it was ever there, and the wheels do not look over rounded. They also ground down the inner barrel, which was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. You can see the wax left over under the polished lip.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1392/5139107411_054d2ee94d_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1436/5139711934_5a5da6f51b_b.jpg
They will do 16's and larger (may be able to do 15's as well), but they have to be at least 2 piece (centers are removable) to work on their machine. Overall, they seem like a solid business with good prices, quick turnaround time and friendly staff. But I will be following up with them to see if some of the smaller issues like the missed spots, and the pitting can be cleaned up further. If they work with me on redoing a couple of the wheels, I will try my hand at correcting the machining lines myself first to see if it's simple to remove them and I will report back here. Thanks for reading. Fleet Wheel's info is as follows:
http://www.fleetwheel.com/
800-61WHEEL (1-800-619-4335)
222 N River Ridge Cir.
Burnsville, MN 55337
************************UPDATE 11/19/2010************************
I just picked up the wheels after a second round at Fleet Wheel, and I'm happy to report they look much better. The front office manager Eddie also does polishing when there is a need and he touched these up personally. He was able to knock down the machining lines quite a bit. They are still there but are much more acceptable (to me). He was also able to use a different tool on their machine and further clean up some of the corrosion pits. The only picture I have handy is from my cell, but I will try to take some with a real camera this weekend so anyone interested can get a better idea of what to expect. Overall the result is better, and the shine is more impressive. This photo makes it look dull, but it's not.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5189710127_96c1c65f7a_b.jpg
Also, Eddie mentioned that they will be implementing a new method for polishing this spring that will bring the finishes they are capable of to more of a "fully polished" mirror-like quality. He said they are hoping to have the service around March. As for price he is thinking the new service would go for about $50 a wheel as opposed to the $35 for the service I got (which will still be offered along with the new). I also spied a set of 2-piece wheels waiting to get polished which are owned by a certain eurowerks member who works at a certain local shop.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5190307534_13d56acc18_b.jpg
I will be posting up some better photos this weekend or Monday and hopefully this review will help you make up your minds :)
Fleet Wheel is cheap, fast, and they are easy to deal with. I had to bring my wheels back to correct some issues, but they took care of them. It is not a mirror polish, there are some visible machine lines. It costs $35 per wheel. If you do end up going through Fleet Wheel, please mention this article or my name (Aaron Lowell).
This review is based on my experiences so far with Fleet Wheel. They are a wheel restoration/polishing shop. The main contact at the company is named Jay, and seems very straightforward and is easy to talk to. After seeing pictures of Travis' style 5's which were polished by them, and how cheap it was done I had to give it a try. The wheels are 18 inch BBS Style 5's in 8/9 inch widths.
Their shop is surprisingly clean for a polishing outfit, and the machine they use is a sight to see.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1386/5139711776_26fb6705d8_b.jpg
Here are some finished orders.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1324/5139107377_c76a548bce_b.jpg
Here's some examples of the condition of the wheels when I dropped them off at Fleet Wheel. As you can see, there was a fair amount of clear-coat peel, corrosion, and curb rash.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4087/5139711630_bd4b61917f_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1105/5139107243_461971bdca_b.jpg
This wheel on the other hand, I had sanded from 180 grit up to 2000, and hit the outside lip (the part that would be at a right angle to the road if the wheel was on a car) with some white scotch brite pads and Met-All aluminum polish, applied with a Mouse sander. It shined pretty well actually, but I wanted to take these pictures in the most revealing light possible for an honest representation.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1057/5139107263_2ebf397113_b.jpg
So off to Fleet Wheel they went. I dropped them off on Saturday, and told Jay that it would be nice to have them by the middle of the week, but no real hurry. I received a call on Monday morning around 11am saying they were almost ready! So the turn around time was great. He also told me if I was in a pinch that they could do 24 hour turnaround times if I needed it. I picked up the wheels that day (yesterday). The guy who was there helping me was actually the one who did the polishing. He was nice enough to give me some shop towels to wipe some excess wax from the barrels that are a result of their process, and was friendly to deal with. I paid $35 per wheel, plus some minimal shop costs and tax for a grand total of $149.98 to polish my four wheels. After I got home I had a chance to really inspect them. They are very shiny!
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4050/5139107457_3f55ceeee1_b.jpg
There are a few things I was not expecting though. As you can see, there are some lines leftover from their machine. This is not noticeable from 10 feet away, but they are not a flawless mirror like most other polished wheels I have seen. There are also some areas where the lower grit is still visible in small untouched "stripes" where the machine's brush consistently missed some areas. I am curious if I used some non-abrasive aluminum polish on them if I could clean it up, or if I will just wreck them. Also, there are still remnants of corrosion around some of the bolt holes. The wheel I had sanded myself obviously shows no corrosion, so in this instance I would suggest sanding off any corrosion before dropping your wheels off. But as far as the curb rash goes, there is virtually no evidence it was ever there, and the wheels do not look over rounded. They also ground down the inner barrel, which was an unexpected but pleasant surprise. You can see the wax left over under the polished lip.
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1392/5139107411_054d2ee94d_b.jpg
http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1436/5139711934_5a5da6f51b_b.jpg
They will do 16's and larger (may be able to do 15's as well), but they have to be at least 2 piece (centers are removable) to work on their machine. Overall, they seem like a solid business with good prices, quick turnaround time and friendly staff. But I will be following up with them to see if some of the smaller issues like the missed spots, and the pitting can be cleaned up further. If they work with me on redoing a couple of the wheels, I will try my hand at correcting the machining lines myself first to see if it's simple to remove them and I will report back here. Thanks for reading. Fleet Wheel's info is as follows:
http://www.fleetwheel.com/
800-61WHEEL (1-800-619-4335)
222 N River Ridge Cir.
Burnsville, MN 55337
************************UPDATE 11/19/2010************************
I just picked up the wheels after a second round at Fleet Wheel, and I'm happy to report they look much better. The front office manager Eddie also does polishing when there is a need and he touched these up personally. He was able to knock down the machining lines quite a bit. They are still there but are much more acceptable (to me). He was also able to use a different tool on their machine and further clean up some of the corrosion pits. The only picture I have handy is from my cell, but I will try to take some with a real camera this weekend so anyone interested can get a better idea of what to expect. Overall the result is better, and the shine is more impressive. This photo makes it look dull, but it's not.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4104/5189710127_96c1c65f7a_b.jpg
Also, Eddie mentioned that they will be implementing a new method for polishing this spring that will bring the finishes they are capable of to more of a "fully polished" mirror-like quality. He said they are hoping to have the service around March. As for price he is thinking the new service would go for about $50 a wheel as opposed to the $35 for the service I got (which will still be offered along with the new). I also spied a set of 2-piece wheels waiting to get polished which are owned by a certain eurowerks member who works at a certain local shop.
http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4124/5190307534_13d56acc18_b.jpg
I will be posting up some better photos this weekend or Monday and hopefully this review will help you make up your minds :)