17" FJ Cruiser wheel cleaner

Hello Forum,

I have a set of FJ wheels that I will be purchasing 275/70r17 BFG A/T's for towards the end of the year. I have a questions regarding the clear coat. In the pics you'll notice some scuff & scratch marks.

I know that:

* I can take my wheels to a body shop & have them strip the clear coat off & apply a new coat of clear (don't have any idea how much that will cost me).

* I can strip off all the clear but then the wheels will probably require frequent polishing to maintain the shine.

* I can leave them as is.

* Or, is there a way to polish or wet-sand the scratched/scuffed parts of the wheels to at least be able to remove some of the scratches?

Here are the pics.




















Let me know your opinions, personal experiences, cost to have these re-clear coated, or advice.

Thanks Forum


Is there a way for me to polish or clean those scratches off of the wheels?

 

2 threads?!

Unless your local bodyshop repairs wheels, they won't touch them. Machined wheels take a special clear that 1) is designed to stick to unprimed metal, and 2) is more durable (harder) than regular clear. It's actually powdercoated on...
My suggestion- aquire a 3" dual action polisher with appropriate pads & compound and polish them. They won't be perfect, but I'd say you could probably get back 75%.
Removal of all the clearcoat requires machining on a wheel lathe if you want them to look right

 

Yeah. I should have just put it in the Wheels & Tires section. You're right.

Just to make sure I understand you. I can polish the areas that are scratched & get some improvement & NOT remove the clear coat? Basically, I am polishing, not removing the clear coat?

I just want to make sure.

Thanks!

 

Yes. Unless you're using very heavy cut compound on a very agressive pad, on a machine that's turning too many rpm, it's unlikely you will wreck the clearcoat.
Just remember to keep the pad flat on the surface. Never let it dig on an edge, and always motion the machine so the rotations sweep off an edge, not grab it. (This applies to a non dual action machine. DA makes it nearly impossible to ruin anything, regardless of inexperience.)
I think you should do just fine

 

Awesome. I appreciate your help. I'll definitely go this route.