Preserving unpainted alloys?

[Mr Burns]

My MX-5 has a set of genuine Watanabe alloys that are unpainted, just how they came out the factory. They stain really easily and they're a pain to clean, so I've been considering getting them professionally painted.

Everyone's telling me not to paint them and keep the original look but I'm concerned about corrosion, plus I personally think they'll look better with a lick of paint.

Is corrosion something I should genuinely be concerned about or am I being silly? Obviously it's going to be much easier to leave them alone as opposed to sourcing another set of wheels to put on the car while I take them away to be painted. Plus there's the expense of getting them done too.

I'm happy to leave them raw providing the wheels aren't deteriorating at a rate where I need to worry about it. I've tried googling but I haven't found anything useful yet.

 

[coverman]

I have followed the Porsche owners manual instructions to coat my Teledials in Vaseline since the car was new in 1986 and no corrosion has yet appeared, and this on a car that has 142k miles.Brake dust collects on the Vaseline and is removed by wiping off with a rag( wear gloves if you value clean hands), then recoat the wheels with Vaseline.

 

[da rok]

aluminium forms a protective oxide layer so don't worry about corrosion, Vaseline is a good idea, otherwise do a light clear coat on them

 

[Mr Plums]

Dont let anyone catch yourself rubbing vaseline on your rim

 

[Pacman.]

You could just have a clear laquer applied over the top to keep that look. That's how we preserve polished metal aircraft. By applying a clear coat to help prevent corrosion.

 

[Mr Burns]

Cheers for the advice folks, I don't feel so bad about not getting them painted now!

 

[Knuckles]

I'd just get them lacquered.

Because balls to applying a sealant/Vaseline periodically to keep brake dust off them. No offence to those who don't mind doing this but I couldn't think of anything worse.

 

[scooby-93]

How about a ceramic wheel sealant?
I have no experience of these on unpainted wheels but just a suggestion?

 

[coverman]

Vaseline keeps at bay corrosion from road salt, the ease of cleaning off brake dust is a bonus