ipse dixit

Instead of powdercoating, have a detailer apply a ceramic coating to them, either CQuartz or OptiCoat.

13mit

A ceramic coating won't fix your finish but will preserve it in its current state

Rennolazine

Rubbing alcohol

DoubleDare

For those who use chemical wheel cleaners, how do you keep the chemicals off the Centerlock nut?

Highyo

Really?

Highyo

+1. definitely something i will do if/when i get new wheels

MJG911

I re powdercoated matte black wheels on my Cayenne

before


after

Highyo

wow those look great. why were they so oxidized beforehand? and how is the maintenance now? it feels like a new powdercoat is a real option, those wheels look brand new

MJG911

because Forgestar only offered matte black, and matte black really doesn't age well. That and my wife taking it to the full service car wash and their harsh chemicals. The satin holds up much better. The color is from Prismatic Powders and is called Stone Black. Before closing my business I used that color for 12 years and never had any come backs with it.

Cheshi143

Yes, the entire process is about $85-100 per wheel and can take up to a couple of weeks. This does not include dismount/mount and balance of tires which can be another $80-100 for all four tires.

Make sure they use a cold chemical strip for your existing wheel finish, then powder coat the wheels.

Highyo

a couple of weeks sounds like this is a winter project. wow.

DoubleDare

Highyo, before you go all the way to powder coating, you might try Dr. Beasley's matte wheel sealant, along with the matte wheel cleaner that Penn4S recommended above.

I tried both for the first time last week, and was surprised how much the sealant improved the look of the wheels. They're definitely a darker, richer, more uniform black now.

Highyo

i have already ordered the cleaner, you're saying the sealant works well? have you tried the sonax or the armor all product that purports to do a similar job? would like to see if that compares.

as for now i've been steered away from the powdercoating bc i want to try dr beasly and then even the rubbing alcohol. i am also considering gviing them a reallly good clean and then having them sealed. tired of that brownish look

DoubleDare

Yes, the matte wheel sealant works well. I haven't tried Sonax or Armor-all because as far as I know, they're designed for regular gloss finishes, not satin or matte finishes.

I did coat the wheels early on with Black Diamond Wheel Coating, which also isn't specific to matte/satin finishes. My impression is, it didn't help much at all.

FWIW, Dr. Beasley's matte sealant is supposed to be re-applied frequently - like every time you wash your wheels. Dr. Beasley have a wheel coating as well, which would last much longer, but their blog actually recommends you use their matte paint coating rather than their wheel coating if your wheels are satin/matte finish.

I have their matte paint coating, but haven't been brave enough to try it yet. The problem with coating these wheels is that it won't be easy to remove the coating (i.e. if you don't like it) without damaging the finish, since you're not supposed to polish matte/satin finishes.

Highyo