01 Accord. Stock rims. They look like cancer got the best of them.

What is the best way/process to make these things look good again?

 

The clearcoat is flaking off. If you want that machined finish, you're going to need to send them out to get the faces re-machined/cut, then put a clearcoat over the new finish.

If you want a similar finish, you could invest some time in polishing the wheels.

 

I don't mind investing some time in taking off the clear coat, but I don't know the pattern/process with sanding to get them looking prime.

I am all about putting in some time. I am about to have the car painted and I want to clean up the rims and re do the tint so it just looks like a clean, older stock Honda Accord.

PS thanks for the reply.

 

Polishing aluminum will never give you that finish. That finish is strictly from machining (to get technical, its a "cutter mark" from the tool used to make the face profile of the wheel). Polishing will make them look new, and not oxidized... and there's threads on how to do that linked in the Wheel/Tire forum FAQ's thread.

 

If you're really set on having them look original, something like this is probably your best bet:

Exchange your old OEM wheels in our wheel trade program and save!

*Note, I don't have any affiliation or experience with that particular company, I just Googled to find an example of that type of service.