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Old Oct 26, 2014 | 10:43 PM
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are the stock wheels on a 2004 C5 polished aluminum?

are they clear coated?
appears to have a few small patches where the clear coat is missing.

Last edited by polymer1; Oct 26, 2014 at 11:10 PM.
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 12:03 AM
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If you have the high polished OEM wheels, then yes, they are polished aluminum and they are clear coated.
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 12:27 AM
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Don't know the standard wheel for 04 but 22487 were optional polished alum for the 16165 coupes /12216 verts.

RPO# QF5
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 10:50 AM
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I learned today that I have polished aluminum wheels. I thought they were chrome, but I brought the car in today to replace the tires and two guys in the tire store looked at my wheels and insisted that they were polished aluminum. What a surprise!
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 11:05 AM
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I thought there were some chromed OEM versions as well. Anyone know if this is correct?
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 12:02 PM
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Originally Posted by Vetteman Jack
If you have the high polished OEM wheels, then yes, they are polished aluminum and they are clear coated.
is there any remedy for addressing the small patches of discoloration where it appears to be missing the clear coat.

this is actually on the inner barrel of the rear wheels but it still can be seen if the wheel stops in just the right spot

is this something that is common? have you see or heard about this?

it is a 2004 garage kept and has only 11K miles on it
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 12:15 PM
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Originally Posted by Koufax
I learned today that I have polished aluminum wheels. I thought they were chrome, but I brought the car in today to replace the tires and two guys in the tire store looked at my wheels and insisted that they were polished aluminum. What a surprise!
What kind of tires did you have installed and how do they ride??
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 12:45 PM
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Originally Posted by 8VETTE7
Over the years there have been a number of posts about the clear coat peeling on the factory wheels. Generally it is caused by contamination on the wheel when it was cleared, or damage to the clear coat from road debris or what ever. Once it starts peeling it seems to continue due to oxidation of the aluminum from moisture and air. I'm sure heat is another contributing factor.

Some have sanded off the clear and painted the inner barrel. I have a friend that has this same issue with some GM non-Corvette wheels. A local wheel shop gave him a price of $175 per wheel to strip the wheel, polish it and reclear the wheel. Of course this means delivering a wheel without tires so the vehicle is either up on blocks or you find some wheels to put on while the process to the wheels is completed. Add to that the cost of dismount, remount and balancing.
sounds cost prohibitive to address the blemishes guess I gotta live with them or buy new wheels
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 12:58 PM
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most tire shops here in the greater los angeles area use a commercial wheel polisher to polish the wheels

I paid 300.00 for all four of my bmw wheels to be stripped of their oem powder finish and polished to a chrome like luster

the shop was performance plus in long beach ca
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 03:38 PM
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Originally Posted by polymer1
What kind of tires did you have installed and how do they ride??
Hankooks. Too early to tell, they just went on today and I have only driven them 10 miles or so to my office. They seem quieter on good pavement. On coarse asphalt at high speeds they generate some noise, but on better pavement the engine, for the first time, is the principal source of sound.
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Old Oct 27, 2014 | 05:17 PM
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Originally Posted by polymer1
is there any remedy for addressing the small patches of discoloration where it appears to be missing the clear coat.

this is actually on the inner barrel of the rear wheels but it still can be seen if the wheel stops in just the right spot

is this something that is common? have you see or heard about this?

it is a 2004 garage kept and has only 11K miles on it
I had the same issues when I purchased my 02. I stripped the clear coat, wet sanded and polished them. They look much better. shine like a new dime. Just keep metal polish on them.
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