Scratched Rims (Clear-Coat I think)

[WaspHunter]

Hey guys. Unfortunately this evening my head wasn't totally in the game coming home, and I managed to misjudge the kerb and scratch a rim

I checked the damage in the garage (I'll take pics in the morning) and its quite mild, but it has gone through the clear coat (?) or the top layer of the anodizing.

I'll be calling my seller in the morning to see if he can help me out with getting the scratch repaired (and my calipers painted) but I was wondering if there was much I could do in the meantime to reduce the visibility of the marks and protect the rims while I'm waiting.

The scratches are black around the edges, which is the main thing that stands out. Would it be safe to sand the edge back so that at least its smooth and less visible? And would putting wax on the rim help any? I've used my Cleaner Wax on the wheels before to give them a bit more 'pop' but I don't think it lasted very long.

As always, thanks in advance guys. Looks like I'm gonna have to wait a bit longer to get those springs

[Jorge Sanchez]

Re: Scratched Rims (Clear-Coat I think)

Had the exact same thing happen to me. No way can it be repaired by hand. When you're dealing with metal it's going to require a grinder to restore it. Take it to a wheel repair center or have a mobile wheel repairer come to you. They charge roughly 125.00 to 200.00 a wheel depending how bad it is and wheel type.

Originally posted by WaspHunter
Hey guys. Unfortunately this evening my head wasn't totally in the game coming home, and I managed to misjudge the kerb and scratch a rim

I checked the damage in the garage (I'll take pics in the morning) and its quite mild, but it has gone through the clear coat (?) or the top layer of the anodizing.

I'll be calling my seller in the morning to see if he can help me out with getting the scratch repaired (and my calipers painted) but I was wondering if there was much I could do in the meantime to reduce the visibility of the marks and protect the rims while I'm waiting.

The scratches are black around the edges, which is the main thing that stands out. Would it be safe to sand the edge back so that at least its smooth and less visible? And would putting wax on the rim help any? I've used my Cleaner Wax on the wheels before to give them a bit more 'pop' but I don't think it lasted very long.

As always, thanks in advance guys. Looks like I'm gonna have to wait a bit longer to get those springs

[WaspHunter]

Thanks. I figured it was going to take a specialist. The price doesn't sound too bad considering how much a new one would cost me.(Luckily the suspension alignment doesn't seem affected).




Are you saying I can't at least polish out the black marks with some wet/dry? Or would I be removing some self-healing protection from the scratch, like when you scratch zinc-plate on steel?

[WaspHunter]

*bump* So is there nothing I can do in the meantime to make the scrape less obvious? My car hasn't been out of the garage since it's happened.