Hi, I just bought a 86 IROC and the wheels have bad spots in the finish from wheel weights. Is there an easy way to make them look a little better without stripping the wheel completely? I was thinking steel wool or fine grit sandpaper and re-clearing them afterward. I know that this won't be perfect but just want to make them better.

 

Try a very mild polishing compound. The wheels are clearcoated, so think of it as damaged paint. WD40 will do a reasonably good job of hiding some marks in the clearcoat, but a polish and wax is better for the clearcoat.

 

Usually when there are bad spots (under wheel weights), the clear is damaged and moisture gets under the clear causing oxidation.
For those spots, the clear can be removed mechanically and feathered out. Then a re-clear of the spot, with a blend and polish, will make it look better.
But for a perfect finish, the wheel should be stripped and redone.

 

 

Thanks for the suggestions. I will try a few of these. I would imagine that this is a common problem. I know when new the weights are plastic coated but after tire changes, shops just put the lead weights on.

 

back on my keyboard where can type better. Those wheel weights probably caused some oxidation and possibly even embedded some wheel weight metal into your rims. This is exactly what clay bar and meguires wheel cleaners are designed to do. Dissolve rust and removed embedded particles. Study them to make sure you are not going to ruin clear coat before attempting. After you use these items, then you will be ready for polish compounds and such. if you hop onto amazon, you can read some reviews of people using these items and you will quickly see the benefits. lots of into on car detailing pages and YouTube video as well.