Scratched Clearcoated Wheels

dschribs

dschribs

New member
Two of the wheels on my `01 Trans Am have some scratches in the clearcoat. They are clear coated polished aluminum factory wheels. It looks like someone may have used something too aggressive to clean them - maybe some chrome polish thinking they were chrome.

Does anyone have any experience w clear coated polished wheels? I`m wondering what product to use. Is the clear coat on wheels normally "harder" than the clear on paint?

I`ve read that some one used Mother`s Plastic Polish on their clearcoated wheels w good results but I`m hesitant to try it for fear of making them look worse. Just the faces are clear coated - not the barrels.

These are the wheels:

Pontiac Trans Am 1998 17" OEM Wheel Rim
 
dschribs- I`d heard that almost all oe "cleared" wheels use some kind of powdercoat rather than a conventional paint..forget where I heard that, but it appears to be true in the case of all my "machined finish" wheels regardless of manufacturer. I`ve found *some* degree of correction is possible (with aggressive combos) but there`s always been a limit.

Sigh...when mine are bad I have the Pro refinished (and I need to find a new place for that). On the `00 Tahoe, it was cheapest to just get a refinished set. I can`t quite remember which manufacturer made those Tahoe wheels, but it may well have been the same as yours...Alcoa?
 
Thanks Accumulator. I`m thinking you might be right. Last year I tried a few different compounds (by hand) and nothing touched the scratches. I`m going to do a bit more research on using plastic polish. I don`t know how aggressive it is but I have read that some people have had some degree of success with it...
 
My 2006 Sienna has clear coat over machined and painted surfaces of the wheel. Two years ago I polished the face of one of the wheels with my rotary and a green, two inch, flex pad. I cannot recall the the polish. this improved the gloss and clarity and removed minor scratches. I probably should get around to polishing the other three wheels:)

My 1998 Trans Am has 16 inch, silver painted, clear coated wheels. Some of the worst factory painted wheels I’ve seen. I can see dry spots where it looks as though they almost completely missed recessed areas. They look perfect from 3 feet away. the TA will be going up for sale in the spring. Not in a place right now to have a third car, especially a toy.
 
I have polished my rims by hand to remover some scratches an over zealous tire rotation tech installed with a socket. If it’s light try and paint polish you Have. If it rash. Have them refinished for 120-150 a wheel.
 
I`ve had a run of several vehicles running OEM wheels which have both painted/clear coated and brushed aluminum/clear coated sections. I don`t why, but the clear over he brushed metal areas seems to be very brittle. Tiny stone pits lead to moisture intrusion under the clear which then leads to the clear flaking away. The painted areas don`t suffer the same problems.

I`m not sure what the differences are on chromed wheels, but I would be very gentle.
 
Chromed wheels oughta be just like chrome plated anything else, and quality chrome is tough stuff. But since wheels take so much abuse, and many people neglect them, by the time most notice any issues it`s already too late.
 
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