Aluminum rims, oxidized, not shiny, peeling

[airjames]

We have a 94 Dodge Grand Caravan with aluminum rims, there factory rims. The problem is they are very heavily oxidized, peeling is some spots but nothing noticeable. We don`t have the luxury of using a buffer on them because we don`t have one :sosad Any suggestions what to use to help this??????? Tks everyone :up



91

[Nagchampa]

You will have to sand the wheels down untill the oxidation is gone then re-apply clearcoat. It is rarely worth the effort. I would just get them powdercoated instead of clearcoated.

[F1Crazy]

You can get your wheels refurbished, they`ll fix any peeling, curb damage and even more serious stuff. I think the cost is like $80 per wheel tough. Still better than new rims.

[BradE]

If they are peeling they will need to be media blasted or sanded totally down and then start over. It gets expensive pretty quickly, probably not worth the $$$ :(

[airjames]

:up



Tks for the replies everyone. It`s a shame because there pretty sharp rims and they would look really nice if they were kept up with. Our van is a jungle green color and those rims really make it llook nice, it`s just too bad there too far gone:( Tks again all



91

[safetyman2010]

Originally posted by F-150_91

We have a 94 Dodge Grand Caravan with aluminum rims, there factory rims. The problem is they are very heavily oxidized, peeling is some spots but nothing noticeable. We don`t have the luxury of using a buffer on them because we don`t have one :sosad Any suggestions what to use to help this??????? Tks everyone :up



91



I am fairly experienced with this repair and it is done as follows:



- wheel is washed to remove dirt and grime

- wheel is chemically stripped and/or machined to remove damaged clear coat material and oxidized metal

- wheel is repainted or polished if applicable

- wheel is clear coated for protection



The problem is very common where some twit will balance a wheel and whack on the old lead wheel weights that have two little "teeth" on the back which break through the clear coat which leads to premature failure. A guy did this to the brand new GTP I leased for my father a few years back and I made them replace the wheels and balance them with the "stick on" type wheel weights that don`t show or harm the rim.

The going rate for wheel restoration around here is $80-$100 per rim not including removal/installation and the guy is REALLY good.



If you like the rims and are going to keep the van for a while it may be worth your time and money as you will not find rims of the same quality brand new for the money it will cost to refinish the originals. Good Luck!

[Nagchampa]

Well, there is always the aftermarket wheel option.

[airjames]

Originally posted by ShineShop

I am fairly experienced with this repair and it is done as follows:



- wheel is washed to remove dirt and grime

- wheel is chemically stripped and/or machined to remove damaged clear coat material and oxidized metal

- wheel is repainted or polished if applicable

- wheel is clear coated for protection





So maybe I can do this as follows: I like prowax stuff so maybe this would work????



1.) Wash it with anything and hot water



2.) heavy cut compound, work into the metal untill dry then buff off



3.) then polish and wax it to protect it??



Maybe this will work? if not then we`ll just get it done professionally. Tks again



91

[forrest@mothers]

If you`re looking to do it yourself, to save a few dollars, Busch Industries, Charlotte NC, makes a product called "Clear Coat Remover", used to remove the clear coat from wheels.



I have their # at the office, but I`m in NY at the moment (be back Thurs night, and can post then if you`re interested).



You brush it on, let sit, then hose off. Afterwards, you`ll need to polish the wheel up.



Your total investment in the program would probably be ~$40 for 2 bottles, a brush, and eye protection.



LMK if you`d like the number.



Hope this helps.

[BradE]

No that process won`t work. To remove the clear it needs to be dipped in aircraft paint stripper, media blasted or sanded totally down. Just using a compound won`t do the trick. Sorry.



Plus, the wheels need to be recleared when done.

[Nagchampa]

Even if you do remove the clearcoat, you still need to remove the oxidized material. You will still have to sand, blast, or machine the wheel before re-clearing or painting.

[airjames]

oh well:(



91

[imported_Aurora40]

Just a question: how do aluminum wheels oxidize? Mighten that be the clear that`s oxidized?



My wife`s car has pretty horrible wheels too, and I`d like to try to fix them if it`s cheap. They look patchy and foggy. Any do-it-yourself process would be interesting as I can`t imagine they could look much worse.

[Nagchampa]

Originally posted by Aurora40

Just a question: how do aluminum wheels oxidize? Mighten that be the clear that`s oxidized? Aluminium oxidizes basically same way that steel rusts. Raw aluminum exposed to moisture and oxygen will rot which is why parts are always clearcoated, anodized, or painted.

[LOTA OT]

Originally posted by F-150_91

So maybe I can do this as follows: I like prowax stuff so maybe this would work????



1.) Wash it with anything and hot water



2.) heavy cut compound, work into the metal untill dry then buff off



3.) then polish and wax it to protect it??



Maybe this will work? if not then we`ll just get it done professionally. Tks again



91



As Showroom Lincoln already mentioned, your method won`t work, but you can do it yourself, it`s just going to be a pain in the butt. I had the same problem on the forks of an old motorcycle and I stripped the clear off with aircraft paint stripper and then wet sanded them with increasingly finer grit (400, 600 then 800), then went to town with the metal polish and a buffing wheel on a bench grinder. It wound up taking me 4-5 hours for two fork tubes after I got them disassembled and they are pretty small.



I should also mention that I did not clearcoat the forks. I simply put a polymer sealant on them and a few coats of wax. This kept them looking good for a few months, but then they needed to be polished and rewaxed. Don`t think I`d want to do this on wheels that often. So you`d have to get them clear coated, or paint it yourself with a rattlecan (with potentially mixed results).



If you have the tools and the time, you could do it. I don`t know what your rims look like or how intricate the design is, but it could take a while. I`d guess 2-3 hours for a simple wheel design to 5-6 hours for a really complex design (plus the time to clearcoat). You will need to remove the tires as the stripper could damage them, so factor that in too.



If I had to do it over, I would have had them professionally done, it would have looked better and been much less of a hassle.



Mike