Sandpapering Alloy Rims

[Transit921]

my alloy rims are 15 yrs old on my es250/ ther tarnished and pited a bit, tried mothers alloy wheel polish, did nothing, can i just sandpaper them, to clean them up, will they rust, or pit bad ? i dont know , help me out if u can,

[djspawn00]

my alloy rims are 15 yrs old on my es250/ ther tarnished and pited a bit, tried mothers alloy wheel polish, did nothing, can i just sandpaper them, to clean them up, will they rust, or pit bad ? i dont know , help me out if u can,

Are they definitely an alloy wheel or a cast wheel with a coating?

they'll probably rust if you sand them.. but they're all messed up already so go for it!

[SKperformance]

They will not rust as they are aluminum.

Sanding them is only an option is you are going to clearcoat them after otherwise corrosion will cause the tires to leak air. Go to a detailer and ask them what to do as they can see the issue at hand.

[Transit921]

are you sure about the corosion, sanding the outside clean, alloy and alluminum are the same thing, i dont know , they look painted, but sanding down to the base will make it look clean, but will they corode , i dont know ,will they rust, i dont know, maby it will be ok , how much will a clear coat cost , im broke

[92Lex]

Polishing your rims with a dremel would be a better option.

[1995_ES300]

Duplicolor used to sell a paint and clearcoat especially for wheels...they were in a blue spraycan and came in 2 different colors of grey. I bought a couple cans and sprayed my wheels last year. Looks great and the color looks like factory.

I also did this on my aluminum wheels on my van. They were not painted, but the clearcoat was beginning to dissolve away after 10years or so. I used the clearcoat on them and it made them as clear as new.