Hey people!

I got an excellent deal on a Takoff set of 18" Polished Bullitts. They look sweet on my car. But I noticed they seem to have what looks like fine scratches but I'm wondering if this is actually a normality with polished aluminum?

Also, I was thinking about shining them up a bit but was told they have a clear coat on them.

Does anyone know if this is true? Are they clear coated?

Thanks in advance....

 

I have read that numerous times on here that they have clear coat on them. I have some hair line scratches too, comes with the territory I suppose. I'll be checking back myself for tips on how to tidy them up too.

 

Yes they are clearcoated. I have them and take care of fine scratches on them as I would any other painted surface. I happen to use Zaino products so I use Zaino AIO polish topped off with Z2 sealant, but you could use whatever light polish you prefer topped off with whatever wax/sealant you prefer. I WOULD NOT use any type of aluminum polish on them.

 

I have them on my 08 .No scratches at all but I too keep them polished using P21s [save the Zaino for the paint] but I do clean them with quick detailer and a clean cotton polishing cloth each day.I think keeping that brake dust and road grime from building up saves the clearcoat from those fine scratches your seeing.

 

Is this what everyone elses rims look like up close? I tried to polish a small section and there is no way that those lines are coming out of there. Its like these swirl marks are under some type of coating. Everyone of my wheels is like this all over the wheel. Now don't get me wrong they shine like crazy and look really good. Just wondering if this is normal?

 

My stock '07 GT/CS Bullitts were beginning to look like that. I replaced them with the AM DD Bullitts and threw the stockers in the attic. I have no good idea on how to take care of that. If they are truly clearcoated then wouldn't the Meguiar's Scratch-X or similar product help just as it does on the body panels.

 

This is what I'm talking about. These lines look like they were purposely put there for the "Polishing Effect". Then they clear coat them. The lines are under the clearcoat. So its hard to tell if the factory was going for this look. Need some others to chime in on this.

Are you saying that your wheels did not have any of this to start then gradually started getting the lines?

 

I got the car new with 120 miles on it. Cleaned the wheels always with soap and water and on occasion I would use car wax, usally Meguiars on the wheels. When I started they looked absolutely perfect. And there was no swirls under the clearcoat. But after about 3 months before I changed them out I noticed some swirling. Now I don't know if maybe some grime was tucked into a cranny of the wheel and got on my applicator and then proceeded to scrath the surface as I moved it around during waxing or what, but they did not start out that way, and in then end they were on the surface, however to a much lesser degree than yours. I attributed it to a soft clear coat on their part.