Lug Bolt Cleanup - PeachParts Mercedes-Benz Forum

Jeremy5848 · #1 07-28-2006, 05:04 PM

I had read here of dirty/corroded/rusty lug bolts and wanted to do something about mine. My wheels are the standard Bundt "cake pan" style that the W123s have. The lugs are generally "gray" looking. With the wheels repainted, I knew the lugs would look terrible, but I didn't want to paint them too, as it would just chip off.

Having been steered in the direction of Mothers Mag and Aluminum Polish by JimmyL (thanks!) for polishing various bits of bare metal in my Benz, I decided to try it on the lugs. The results, seen in the two attached pictures, are quite nice. [Left is "before," right is "after."] The stuff really does work. The Dremel tool made it easier but I could have done it by hand if necessary.

How long the shine will last is another question but at least it's better than it was. By the way (don't tell your spouse!), Mothers works great on stainless steel sinks.

Jeremy

superbeast1098 · #2 07-28-2006, 06:36 PM

big improvement over the unpolished one.....

Motorhead · #3 07-28-2006, 06:40 PM

The lug nuts are Gray Cadmium plated. They will oxidise again. You should be careful not to breathe the cad plate dust as you polish them out.

dieseldiehard · #4 07-28-2006, 06:54 PM

Those look like the beautiful lugs with the stainless cap on them! MB quit making those and now they supply a, well, pain looking "bolt". With silverish paint on it. If they aren't stainless capped, then that finish will rust in no time, and you better get some surface treatment or they are going to look worse than before!

I would mask the tops and spray them with some silver paint, it won'lt chip off if applied in the right way.
True, sme paint goes on too thick though and may flake off.

Or you could simply use some Krylon clear to cover the sides.

I never knew they used Cadmium plating on lug bolts! Where did that info come from?

If its true Cad plating you rub the bolt against a white sheet of paper and you should see a gray line remaining with just a llittle pressure. Cad is soft and will leave a line like a graphite pencil will. Anything else will not leave the line.

There are conterfeit bolts sold for Aero applications where Cad is specified. That is one test that is done to assure the plating isn't something else.

Jeremy5848 · #5 07-28-2006, 08:05 PM

Just did the "white paper test." I can make a gray mark on paper with the shiny surface of the bolt so it does appear to be cadmium plated. Thanks for the tip and also thanks for the safety warning.

Motorhead, are you saying that the bolts are supposed to be gray? I figured they were that way from old age. There's no point in polishing them (although they do look nice when they're shiny) if that's not stock. Plus, the Mothers polish isn't to be used on plated stuff, they say, I suppose it takes the plating off after awhile. I could put on some clear coat that would protect the finish for a little while or I could use the same paint I'm using on the wheels (two are beat up and I'm currently painting them -- I'll cut another thread with pix once the job is finished, later this weekend).

#6 07-28-2006, 09:22 PM

I just put chrome covers on mine, something like this:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/CHROME-lug-lugs-bolt-covers-for-MERCEDES-AMG-wheels_W0QQitemZ220010246475QQihZ012QQcategoryZ43961QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

Motorhead · #7 07-29-2006, 06:45 AM

The gray cad plated lugs were a little lighter in color when new. They came dull and were paired up with the silver painted wheels.