powdercoated wheels

**str8venom99** · 05-24-2009, 04:41 PM

i had my wheels powdercoated black awhile back. after being on the car for more than a year. now they look beat, swirled and what not. what can i use on them to bring them back?
pic of when first installed

**Blackthorn One** · 05-24-2009, 05:51 PM

You don't want to polish them, because most of the gloss on powder coating is in the surface, like a thin film. If you polish them, you will make them dull. I suggest you clean them really well, and use a glaze to hide the swirls and fine scratches and then seal them. When I got some things powder coated, I suggested I might try and polish them, and the powder coater said no, you don't want to ever polish powder coating, just clean them gently, and then wax.

**ScottB** · 05-25-2009, 07:26 AM

treat 'em like paint ...

**Blackthorn One** · 05-25-2009, 09:26 AM

Originally Posted by killrwheels@autogeek

treat 'em like paint ...

As long as you treat them like Krylon enamel spray paint out of a can that only has the gloss as an outer skin. I once polished out the orange peel on something I painted with that and the black turned dull. It was smoother, sure, but the gloss was gone, and it looked grayish. If you want the straight scoop, ask someone who does powder coating. The OP has been warned about the gloss factor. Fact is, that powder coating is pretty prone to scratching. It's incredibly chip resistant, and so much easier to clean than paint, but it scratches a lot easier than you would think, considering it's reputation for durability. I should mention that there is more than one type of powder coating. Some is flexible enough to do springs with, and other types are so hard that they will flake off if applied to a spring when flexed. By the way, powder coating was originally invented to coat aircraft landing gear, because no other paint would hold up. It is essentially an industrial coating, as my local powder coater informed me.

**str8venom99** · 05-25-2009, 12:08 PM

thanks, anyone else ran into this?

**ObsessiveAutoDetail** · 05-25-2009, 12:20 PM

Hindsight is obviously 20/20 here, but in the future if you decide to have wheels powdercoated, have 'em cleared as well. Clear powdercoat is just as durable and allows for periodic polishing. BTW, did you have 'em coated by a wheel refinishing shop? As Blackthornone mentioned, there are several types of powdercoating. I believe wheels are treated to a rock-hard coating.

**str8venom99** · 05-25-2009, 04:54 PM

idk it was a local metal powdercoating shop. they do lots of auto stuff there wheels, valve covers, sway bars, n such. idk if they did any clear coating on my wheels

**redboost10** · 05-25-2009, 07:29 PM

im also looking for info to treat powdercoated objects. my scatter shield is powdercoated black and the guy said just use a water and a mf towel to clean...although this is not a part that sees mother nature as much as a set of rims do

**Blackthorn One** · 05-25-2009, 09:41 PM

Originally Posted by redboost10

im also looking for info to treat powdercoated objects. my scatter shield is powdercoated black and the guy said just use a water and a mf towel to clean...although this is not a part that sees mother nature as much as a set of rims do

Never rub on it. Always be as gentle as possible when you are cleaning it. Best thing is to pre soak it with foam before you start to clean it. You can try a horsehair paint brush soaked with suds to clean it with, ever so gently. Of course, if you keep it sealed or waxed, that will help protect it.