Clearcoat on wheels?

[Heavy Armor]

Hey guys, I have the wheels off since I got some new tires, and I was going to do a thorough cleaning of the rims before I put them back on. There's obviously some wear and tear and discoloration on the shiny bits. Before I get after it with a polishing compound or something, I wanted to make sure there wasn't some kind of clearcoat over the aluminum that I would be ruining. They look like raw aluminum in the silver areas, but I dunno. Search results on the forum didn't kick back anything on this topic.

Thanks!

[triton28]

Yes the rims have clear coat on them from the factory.

[Air Force]

Have you thought about powder coating. Lots of colors to choose from, looks nicer, lasts way longer, easier to clean and in my experience cheap to get done.