Clear coat on Alloy rims

[FarmKid92]

Why do GM aluminum alloy rims all eventually go to s***? 2015 Sierra, rims saw two winters before I bought snows on steel wheels... I mean, I'm guessing it's from salt getting under the clear coat, but why? Been an issue forever, Dad's 04 Silvy did the same and now the whole rim looks like hell.

 

 

Edited November 27, 2018 by FarmKid92
Added photo

[rkj__]

My aftermarket rims do that too.

What alloys don’t?


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[OldBlue61]

8 hours ago, rkj__ said:

My aftermarket rims do that too.

What alloys don’t?

True, unfortunately.  The rims on my '15 still look good, but I'm sure another winter or two and they'll be doing the same thing.  When it happens, I think I'll get them blasted and then start the cycle of painting them some kind of gun-metal grey color...

[1997SierraSLT]

The alloy wheels on my 07’ 4Runner with 100,000 miles on the odometer look like new after eleven seasons of Chicago winters.

 

 

[rkj__]

Just now, 1997SierraSLT said:

The alloy wheels on my 07’ 4Runner with 100,000 miles on the odometer look like new after eleven seasons of Chicago winters.

 

 

Are they painted, or machined / clear coated?

[14tungstenLT]

same thing happened on my trailblazer a while back.  cheap clear i guess? 

[sheepdawg]

Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish. Mine shine like a new quarter even on my 05 GT Mustang.

[OldBlue61]

23 hours ago, sheepdawg said:

Mother's Mag & Aluminum Polish. Mine shine like a new quarter even on my 05 GT Mustang.

I used that on a set of forged wheels I had on my Mini Cooper.  No good with clear coated wheels though.

[sheepdawg]

1 hour ago, OldBlue61 said:

I used that on a set of forged wheels I had on my Mini Cooper.  No good with clear coated wheels though.

I guess the aluminum wheels on my 2018 Silverado don't have a clear coat at least on the edges, maybe the center is painted. Sure made them shine. Got the black residue on the rag using it. The aluminum Mustang wheels really shine, almost like chrome.

[OldBlue61]

4 minutes ago, sheepdawg said:

Got the black residue on the rag using it. The aluminum Mustang wheels really shine, almost like chrome.

You're not kidding!  By the time I got done w/ all 4 of the forged rims I had, all the rags would be black, and the rims did look like chrome!  That Mother's is good stuff!