2000 black c5

Hi all.

I have a 2000 c5 with polished aluminum wheels.
wondered if they came with some kind of special coating on them after polishing from factory. Still look good but thought about repolishing if it won't tear up any factoring coating that may have been applied.

Yes they are polished aluminum not chromed.


Thanks!

bradc6

They are clear coated just like the paint on the rest of the car. You can use the same wax/polish on them and they should look good.

Vetteman Jack

Clearcoat is used and properly maintained will keep the wheels protected for a long time.

2000 black c5

Thanks much! Thought they still looked too good to not have some kind of factory coating on them. They do show their age (16 years) in a few spots and wondered if i could use some kind of aluminum polish on them which thanks to your and others help i realize would have made matters worse (too abrasive).

First corvette for me. Love the thing. learning.



Thanks again!

Robert192

I own a 2004 Corvette that had factory clear-coated rims like yours. There was extremely bad pitting in the "barrels", as well as black oxidation marks on the front of the rims due to clear-coat failure, then oxidation. If you want to eliminate all the oxidation, you need to remove the clearcoat and then wet sand (if needed) and polish the bare aluminum. My rims are now 15 years old (as of Nov 2018) and look amazing - not a mark on them. It took many, many hours to restore them, but I have yet to see a C5 Corvette with original aluminum rims as nice as mine. If you are ambitious, here's a link on how to restore your rims. There are before-and-after pics to show you the results. https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...corrosion.html

Robert

Robert192

If the above link doesn't work, try this: https://www.corvetteforum.com/forums...post1590366930