Clear Coated Aluminum Wheels

W

WCM3

New member
Hey guys,



Well, I bought a set of Fikse FM/5s a couple months ago and I love them. They are aluminum wheels with the centers clear coated, almost resembling a satin look. The part that looks clear coated has grown this foggy sort of look over them for the last couple weeks. I wanted to clean them up for a show this weekend. I'm planning to use some mothers Billet on the exposed aluminum sections, but what can I use to clean up the clear coated sections?



Thanks,

Mike
 
WCM3 said:
Hey guys,



Well, I bought a set of Fikse FM/5s a couple months ago and I love them. They are aluminum wheels with the centers clear coated, almost resembling a satin look. The part that looks clear coated has grown this foggy sort of look over them for the last couple weeks. I wanted to clean them up for a show this weekend. I'm planning to use some mothers Billet on the exposed aluminum sections, but what can I use to clean up the clear coated sections?



Thanks,

Mike
Click to expand...



I don't see why they would look foggy... it's just clear coat, so it's paint and should be treated equally, as well as react equally, thus my curiosity about the foggy part... do you have a photo? Usually fogging on clear coat means oxidation or failure, and cc that's only a few months old shouldn't have oxidation...
 
Mike,



The same thing happened to my 94 Bronco wheels. I removed the clear with Acetone, then wet sanded and polished the wheels to a mirror shine. I'm much happier with the look.



db
 
DavidB said:
Mike,



The same thing happened to my 94 Bronco wheels. I removed the clear with Acetone, then wet sanded and polished the wheels to a mirror shine. I'm much happier with the look.



db
Click to expand...



David,



About how long do the polished and un-coated wheels 'last' before needing a good re-polishing... I mean if I do a weekly wash, do I need to use a polish every week (and if I do is it a quick polishing or somewhat involved) or would the wash make the wheels look good again and need a polishing every 2-3, or more, washes?



The reason I'm asking is I have some ASA wheels with black/cc'd centers and polished/cc'd lips with the lip cc failing in places from something, so I was thinking of polishing the lips and either getting them re-cleared or just leaving them bare... can't decide



Oh and if you can, post a link or PM me some advice/info on removing the failing clear from the lips and how to best sand and polish them.



Thanks
 
....same thing began to happen over time to a set of 2 pc wheels I had. The hub/spokes were painted while the rim was bare aluminum and had a sort of plastic-like coating.
 
I've used Blue Magic and Flitz for years on my cc polished wheels with great results. The two polishes are non abrasive, and are formulated to chemically remove oxidation from the coated surface. I got the name of the polishes from the technician that professionally polished and powdercleared a set of wheels for me some years back.
 
Assuming the clearcoat is intact, all you need to do is give it a quick wipe with a rag and some soapy water. The clear coat itself should not be attacked with metal polishes.



If you decide to remove the clearcoat, the raw metal underneath will need to polished every now and then. Aluminum alloys are sensitive to acid/alkali (which causes the microscopicly thin layer of Aluminum oxide on the surface to hydrate and become opaque.



While I don't spend too much time polishing aluminum, Mother's Mag/Alu polish is good stuff for getting the metal shiny, and Eagle 1 Nanopolish seems to do a good job leaving a protective coating on metals. So I'd use it afterwards.
 
Guys,



I have a similar question. My 99 T/A has the oem clear coated aluminum wheels that have light scratches all over them. What do you guys recommend? I noticed they are loosing their shine slowly.
 
^If you need to remove oxidation from the polished aluminum, then you will definitely need a polish; Simple soap and water, even mild paint cleaners or clay will not remove the powdery metallic oxidation. If your wheels are clearcoated, then you will need something that will remove it without scouring the surface. Many metal polishes, unfortunately, are not clearcoat friendly so you'll have to shop them very carefully. Your polishes or cleaners must be clearcoat friendly and/ or non abrasive.
 
They are just the factory 98-00 WS6 wheels, no oxidation just some marring and light clear coat scratches. A bad pic but these are the wheels im talking about.



IMG_0436.jpg
 
They look really good; Are you sure that they are polished and cleared? Polished wheels can be shiny like that, but I thought some ws6 wheels came chromed....just double checking before telling you the next thing.



If its just marring, then you could take a medium cut swirl mark remover (its abrasive, but still clearcoat safe.....always!) with a small orbital buffer and go over the clear of your wheels with it. You don't have oxidation to take care of, so at least the "bear" work won't be there. CC polished wheels will oxidize eventually, so remember what type of polishes you'll need when they do!
 
Seriously, leave the clearcoat on the wheels alone. It's much softer than automotive clearcoat due to the need to withstand heat and the expansion/contraction of the wheels as they heat up/cool down.



If you clean the wheel regularly with soapy water, and spray it with Spray Wax, the clearcoat will last for quite a while.



Uncoated Alu wheels are a pain to maintain on a DD, because hot brake dust likes to bond to the metal, and the surface is constantly getting hazed from enviromental contamination.
 
I honestly dont know for 100% what finish the are. Id like to say that they are polished and then cleared. Ill take an upclose pic for you guys to see. Just some scratches/thin lines in the finish thats all.
 
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