Cleaning and polishing powder coated rims?

[Grifftech]

A few weeks back I had my summer rims powder coated gloss black and they look great, but I am curious as to the best way to protect them.

The first week I had them I made the mistake of wiping of some grime on the deep dish portion with paper towel and left some fine scratches.

Is it possible to polish that out just like swirls then seal them and wax them?

 

[RhetoricMixes]

Is it possible to polish that out just like swirls then seal them and wax them?

That depends whether or not you had them clear coated after they were done. I have black powdered coated wheels on my car and they are clear coated when i bought them so I take care of them the same way I do my paint. Now if they are just powder coated and thats it im not sure what you could use but im pretty sure any gentle wheel cleaner will do.

 

[gobygred]

Scratches in powder coating can be addressed with wet sanding/compounding. Start off as least aggressively as you possibly can. Deep scratches can be tough to get to.

 

[shadwell]

I bet you never gloss black some wheels again..

Mine are cleared and they look awesome.. briefly.. then a light duting of brake pad and they are ordinary right away..
Also as you have found show the tiniest scratches so easily (no different to black painted car... )

Once you have recovered as many scratches a spossible, they are a great candidate for a few layers of coating of your choice..

 

[ScottB]

I have often wondered if powdercoating is actually more durable than traditional painted/clear coated wheels ??? Everything I have seen, seems to show that powdercoating is just as easily susceptible to scratching and marring. I would personally coat any wheel type these days to try and reduce need for heavy cleaning. I would also suggest measuring the tools used and how abrasive they might be to the wheels finish.

 

[Crispy]

Gobygred,
Have you actually done this on powder coated rims?
Reason I ask is, if you did, I have a freshly coated set I will try a test spot to remove orange peel.
Just being careful as they cost alot to do.
If I had this much orange peel on a body panel I would have taken it back to the painter.