Blemishes/Oxidation?

[Spyderman14RSS]

I have what appears to be blemishes/oxidation on the front wheels of my 14 RSS. They are under the clearcoat, as you can't feel them at all. Any advice to get rid of them? What causes it?

[Peter Aawen]

If it truly is oxidisation under the clear-coat, the only way to fix that will be to strip it back & refinish the metal of the rim surface before applying more clear-coat. Some have tried doing that in spots with very fine wet & dry sandpaper or even steel wool before re-spraying with a rattle-can clear, but I don't think the spot fixes ever really look all that good - the 'repaired' spots tend to stand out like dogs balls!

So, at least IMO, the best way to remedy those spots will be to strip & refinish the entire rim, but that can be expensive.

Or of course, you could buy a couple of brand new rims, altho I'd suggest it might be worth trying an after-market supplier & product - this is one instance where I reckon the A/mkt rims will almost certainly be a better finished & very likely better all round product! (Pun intended! )

Good Luck!

[Spyderman14RSS]

If it truly is oxidisation under the clear-coat, the only way to fix that will be to strip it back & refinish the metal of the rim surface before applying more clear-coat. Some have tried doing that in spots with very fine wet & dry sandpaper or even steel wool before re-spraying with a rattle-can clear, but I don't think the spot fixes ever really look all that good - the 'repaired' spots tend to stand out like dogs balls!

So, at least IMO, the best way to remedy those spots will be to strip & refinish the entire rim, but that can be expensive.

Or of course, you could buy a couple of brand new rims, altho I'd suggest it might be worth trying an after-market supplier & product - this is one instance where I reckon the A/mkt rims will almost certainly be a better finished & very likely better all round product! (Pun intended! )

Good Luck!

Okay thank you. If there's no good quick fix, I might just leave it as is and keep an eye on it. If it starts to get unsightly, then I'll look into new wheels. Just hope it's not damaging the structural integrity of the wheel. Don't need it to become a safety issue.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

with Peter ( mostly on this ) …. However I dis-agree on the " expensive " part. It will be expensive IF you take the wheel and tire to a PRO painter. ….. I think you DIY it with good results ….. Go look at any of " Deanna777 " posts … I painted Her dash surround with non-BRP paint and I think it looks darn good …… My specialty is not painting ….. good luck …. Mike

[Chupaca]

The other solution would be to sand it down and paint the rims a different color. Depending where this has occurred there may be some vinyl kits to cover you can check with wrapmyspyder a vendor on the homepage or Pierre over at canamspyderaccessories.com...

[bikerbillone]

Is powder coat a possibility?

[Joel The Biker]

I like this guy's method because anybody can do it themselves this way. You dont need a sandblaster, which is actually not recommended for aluminum wheels anyway. Sandblasting or bead blasting aluminum wheels causes micro-fractures that can weaken the wheel. Aluminum wheels should only be blasted with walnut shells or soda-blasted. If you take your wheels to be powder coated, be sure to ask how they remove the old paint and corrosion.

[Navydad]

Is powder coat a possibility?

Powder coat is a possibility, but much harder to repair if they get scratched or damaged. Chances are they will get damaged during a tire change. My Triumph wheels were powder coated and I hated them for this reason. I had them blasted and painted and they still look good.

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

I like this guy's method because anybody can do it themselves this way. You dont need a sandblaster, which is actually not recommended for aluminum wheels anyway. Sandblasting or bead blasting aluminum wheels causes micro-fractures that can weaken the wheel. Aluminum wheels should only be blasted with walnut shells or soda-blasted. If you take your wheels to be powder coated, be sure to ask how they remove the old paint and corrosion.

First off, never use steel wool or wire wheel on aluminum rims, next the wheels were cnc/silver before now they are full rattle can silver, finally
rattle can paint never fully dries and will scratch when changing a tire.
my days of wire hanger antenna's & wire hanger's to hold up an exhaust are over. i admit it, i'm over 30 years old. Do it once, do it right.

[BLUEKNIGHT911]

First off, never use steel wool or wire wheel on aluminum rims, next the wheels were cnc/silver before now they are full rattle can silver, finally
rattle can paint never fully dries and will scratch when changing a tire.
my days of wire hanger antenna's & wire hanger's to hold up an exhaust are over. i admit it, i'm over 30 years old. Do it once, do it right.

…. However I have had very good long term results by BAKEING the metal I painted, in an oven ….. First I let the paint " dry-to-the-touch ", then I put it in the oven at 350-375 F.... for at least 15 minutes …… This seems to make the paint much harder than not heating it …..jmho …. Mike

[Joel The Biker]

First off, never use steel wool or wire wheel on aluminum rims, next the wheels were cnc/silver before now they are full rattle can silver, finally
rattle can paint never fully dries and will scratch when changing a tire.
my days of wire hanger antenna's & wire hanger's to hold up an exhaust are over. i admit it, i'm over 30 years old. Do it once, do it right.

There is nothing wrong with this method of removing the clearcoat and oxidation. I would love to hear your explanation why you should never use steel wool or wire brush. This will be interesting. I postdd the video to show an easy method to remove the corrosion. Never sand blast aluminum wheels. As far as the spray paint goes, the durability can be obtained if you buy the right paint.

[bikerbillone]

I too was a bit surprised by Spyderman's comment since he did not offer 'how to' remove the corrosion. I do understand the coat hanger thing.

[SPECTACUALR SPIDERMAN]

There is nothing wrong with this method of removing the clearcoat and oxidation. I would love to hear your explanation why you should never use steel wool or wire brush. This will be interesting. I postdd the video to show an easy method to remove the corrosion. Never sand blast aluminum wheels. As far as the spray paint goes, the durability can be obtained if you buy the right paint.

In wheel repair today the most common method to remove paint/clear/powdercoat is heat, i will not reveal proprietary secrets on exact methods.
Then anything that is left is media blasted off (never use metal shots on aluminum) or can simply be sanded off preferred. For home repair chemical strip is best. As for steel wool or wire wheel, WAY TOO much scarring to the metal and is best to use on steel for rust removal not
oxidation. I've had many come in to my place that did the rattle can repair and it looks good initially but after a few months or just 1 winter and it shows what it is and we have to warn people we are not liable for scratches to paint when removing or mounting tire. If you are going to bake the paint i would recommend 20 minutes in the sun then perhaps 2 hours at 150 degrees might work best, then let it air cool for 30 minutes.

[CoolSpyder2014]

Actually the reason you should never use steel wool or a wire wheel is in their name. Steel on aluminum, sounds like a contaminated aluminum surface in your future. I would suggest baking soda or sand blastings for big issues, and wet sand paper in different grits made of aluminum oxide only