The Oldsmobile Connection

[88delta88]

HELP! (never owned aluminum wheels before)

The new rims I bought in may this year are starting to develop small white patches. They are aluminum, and have what I assume is a clear coat over top that was put on by the manufacturer. I am sure that I can polish this out, but what do I do now? I think what I am seeing is the clear coat has been depleated and we now see bare aluminum?

I dont understand why the clear coat came off, I have never polished, scraped or used chemicals to clean the wheel. I use soap and a soft brush to clean the wheels (very religious about how I wash/clean my car). Probably just a cheap wheel or something.

Is there a product that I can use to put a new clear coat on them? Am I taking care of them wrong? Maybe someone here knows a bit more than I about aluminum wheels.

[73Delta88]

I retract my opinion, I'll shut up now

[strokercutlass]

88..this isnt uncommon with clearcoated aluminum wheels, although your instance is a bit strange, considering you've only run them since May, and they havent seen salt, or anything corrosive. What normally happens is that the clear will develop a slight chip, and moisture or salt will work its way thru the scratch and separate the clear from the wheel itself. Theres a couple things you can do at this point. You can either..
A. suffer with it
B. go to Wal Mart or an auto parts store, buy a couple cans of aerosol aircraft stripper, strip the clear off the wheels ( which will probably take the paint off them as well), repaint and repolish the wheel, and then reclear it.
C. do the same as above, without reclearing the wheels, so that way you dont have to worry about it, but you will have to keep them polished then, vs. just cleaning them when they're clearcoated.

I've redone factory aluminum wheels using both B. and C., and the aircraft stripper WILL remove the clearcoat. If you try this, be SURE to wear rubber gloves, and do it in a well ventilated area, as the aircraft stripper is corrosive, and can give you chemical burns as well as make you sick if inhaled too much. You will most likely have to strip them several times, as the clearcoat is fairly hard, but as I said, it will take the clear off. If you leave them like they are, over time they'll most likely whiten more, and could possibly corrode the finish of the wheel itself, making it harder to polish out. Many of the high dollar wheels are non clear coated for this very reason, as you wouldn't want to spend upwards of $250 per wheel, only to have the clear start peeling. My Centerline wheels on my Vista aren't clearcoated, and I have to polish them on a regular basis to keep them shiny, but I don't have to worry about the clear peeling either. Thats why I tend to prefer non clearcoated wheels or chromed wheels.