Just bought an 02 Accord EX and need some advice on cleaning/repolishing the clear coat alloy wheels. 2 of the 4 wheels appear to have a portion of the clear coat removed and have yellowed slightly in a small area; Almost like a strong chemical was used by the previous owner. Any assistance on restoring the clear coat is appreciated.

If the clear coat is damaged then the whole wheel should be dipped and re-coated, unless you know someone in that business your best bet is to replace the wheel..
New OE wheels can usually be purchased for less than 175.00 and you could check junkyards for used(could get lucky and find one for less than 75)..

Cleaning Alloys is touchy subject if you use the wrong kind of cleaner!!
In my personal experience P21s has to be one of the best and pricey too..
Poorboys World Spray and Rinse is another great product!!
Check out the detailing suppliers thread for places to purchase and check out other products.

Claying alloy's is also another alternative if you cannot get the surface clean with chemicals.
I also polish with a very mild polish then Klasse AIO/SG or any other sealant that can withstand the temp of the wheel(Carnuba won't last 2 days for me).


Hope this helps

I1 :)

P.S. Welcome to the forum :wave:

another one i've found helpful for cleaning the alloys is the mr clean magic eraser. they have one in the car care aisle for tires/wheels. no chemicals, so no harm. worked fairly well on my wheels the other day, but then agin mine are in pretty good shape.... :dunno: doubt they'd do much to restore heavily damaged ones....

Want to play with some chemicals?

I used Jasco Paint stripper on an old set of chrome jeep wheels (the clear coat had turned yellow). The stipper lifted the clear coat right off, and left the chrome unharmed.

If you are at a hardware store, you might want to read the can to see if it will etch the aluminum, but it 'MAY' be possible to simply strip the yellowed clear coat and polish 'em.

If you remove that clear coat, you will just have the polished aluminum under it. This will have NO protection from oxidation and will pit and dull in no time.