Rims are Peeling

[mrmackie305]

I have a 2001 4runner sr5 which I bought used. It came with after market rims (ASA). I recently noticed that there seems to be a plastic layer that is peeling off the rims. I can peel it off with my hands. What is this coating...and is it okay if I remove it?

 

[wolfgang]

Usually its a clear lacquer coating. Can use paint remover and a toothbrush to remove remaining. Discoloration can be removed by buffing jewlers rouge or if really bad 1200/1500 WD sandpaper. If you keep it wax and ren't in area where salt is used you can get by with just waxing.

 

[mrmackie305]

Thanks for the quick response!

So is it better to keep it or peel it off??

 

[wolfgang]

Where it peels it will get dull and you'll prbably get that white corrosion of the alloy. If you don't want to refinish entire wheel - I'd sand (600 or finer WD) where the peeling spots are and touch up with clear Krylon spray paint. This will stop corrosion and probably the peeling for awhile. I polished a set of the older '90-95 alloys and they looked like chrome - but it took hours and required periodic repolishing every 5 months of so (I did not reclear coat them). Ya might want to try that Mother's power ball polisher.

 

[Husker Du]

Older thread but good info

I was just about to open a new thread about this very problem. Glad I used the Search-Engine.
Great infromation.

 

[wolfgang]

I stripped, sanded, buffed and polished some '95 4Runner OEM rims and they came out looking like chrome. I just sanded the peeling spots on my '03 (just one wheel was corroding) and spotted some clear coat on it. Not happy with results - almost looks like they were painted silver and not originally bare aluminium. I'll get ambitious and redo it -- afraid I'll have to do the other 4 though. Might try painting the spoke background a gun metal grey since sanding and polishing them is a real task.

 

[Falls]

That usually happens where the wheel weights were.

Time for a new cool set of rims and tires.

 

[Koz]

You also have to be careful you don't use a too harsh cleaning chemical. It attacks the clear coating. It's best to use a wheel specific cleaner.

Koz

 

[Casper]

Falls has a good point...

I would suggest asking for "tape" weights from now on..

 

[wolfgang]

Actually mine happened to the inside of the spokes (just where it starts to show from the outside. You could see where the clear coat was bubbled up - scraping it off revealed the white aluminum "rust" corrosion. I could see if I was in upstate new york or road on back country roads - but just normal highways. I only wash them with normal car wash -- probably haven't been good at applying wax but doubt it last long on wheels anyhow.

 

[Casper]

extreme climates are always harder on wheels...with the worst being cold where snow and sand are used for road maint.

 

[atomic punk]

This might be answered in sections in various replies... but I'll ask anyway: I have un-clearcoated (aluminum?) alloy rims on my jeep. They were originally polished and now, 5 years later, have corroded really bad. At the start, I was able to hand buff out the corrosion with Mother's metal polish for wheels. Not now though.

1. What's the best and least expensive thing that "I" can do right now to get them polished up again?

2. keep them polished?

Thanks...