I had a case of curb rash on two wheels much worse than yours and a mobile rim repair company fixed them both for $90 total.
During the fix he noted the clear coat and stated that "touching it up" would result with the clear repair flaking-off over the next few months. The only way he felt comfortable applying a new clear coat was to strip the wheel and reclear the entire rim.
That said, the repaired area oxidizes a touch and every three months or so. A little polish removes the oxidation quickly and easily.
So my recommendation - unless you're the adventurous type, pay someone to repair the curb rash and skip any touch-up clear coat.
That said, your rash seems very minimal (I know - it bugs you to death!) and I wouldn't do a thing. Live with it until you really curb the wheel with some mean, nasty, gouges - then get it fixed.
I would have to agree. I know it annoys the crap out of you if you're like me, but hit it with some M105 on a drill with something like a mother's cone, or even with a PC on 4" pads. That'll reduce it a bit and then call it a day. As far as curbing goes, that's very minor.
Embassured, so your guy polished out the damage and left it raw, and the factory cleat coat isn't peeling away from the where he polished? Thats good to know, I was worried that I would have the clear peeling away from where the gouge is, whether I had it fixed or not...
M5, I did clean it up a bit already with SimiChrome polish and a rag. My concern was taking off more clear (now that I know they're coated) and making a small scratch into a bigger one. And you're right, I'll probably leave it until it's time for tires and have it addressed then. I'm the only one that is going to see it (other than my wife, "I told you you were too close to the curb!") anyway...
M5, I did clean it up a bit already with SimiChrome polish and a rag. My concern was taking off more clear (now that I know they're coated) and making a small scratch into a bigger one.
You're not really doing any kind of real correction when hand-polishing, more-so on a hard anodized clear coat for rims. Have you ever used a rotary or PC on paint before? Now may be the time for an investment. I would go for a PC myself, but it's more expensive than a cordless drill that you may already have. The downside is that the rotary will leave buffer trails and a PC will not.
There's almost no chance you are going to burn through anything with a PC and some 105. I mean, the possiblity is there, because 105 will cut down to bare metal if you let it, but you'd have to be on the same spot for a half hour or more to take off the clear.The hand polish cleaned it up a bit basicly, it hasen't removed any measurable amount of clear coat.
I can't tell by the pics if it would help, as I can't see how deep these are, but I will say it has a better chance to make some of them better than a rag does without sanding it down.
www.autopia.com is a good resource for paint correction if you're interested.
I'm probably not going to mess with it anymore at this point. The SimiChrome actually made a pretty big difference, and it was only 10 minutes of rubbing. Yeah, it bothers my OCD personality, but I'll live with it until a tire change is due and have it fixed then...
Just let go, man. I was uber-anal on my '04. Not so much with the '09. I keep her clean and waxed but will take it through automatic washes occasionally.
I curbed one much worse than the one in the picture. I had it repaired and then sold the wheels (fully disclosing the rash repair) and then went with satin graphite wheels.
Around here you can get a wheel completely repaired for $175. That said your wheel isn't very bad.
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