Is there a product to help stop the spread of THIS

[gregk24]

The steelies on the Jetta have patches of rust on them, it seems like it happened over a couple of weeks. I detail the car once every 2 weeks on average and every now and then Ill take the wheel covers off and clean the steel wheels to remove the corrosive brake dust. I just use a soft brush and mild car wash shampoo, so nothing harsh. Anyway they looked good until about 2 months or so ago and now all 4 wheels have these patches of rust on them. The affected areas are the areas that are not covered by the factory wheel covers.

My question is, is there a product that I could apply / spray on to help stop this from getting worse or spreading? I understand it is just surface rust at this point but I don't want it to get worse down the road. Not to mention its unsightly. Maybe VW skimped out on the factory paint / coating on these wheels because we have a 2005 Uplander in the family with steelies that currently sits at 146K miles and there is zero rust on them. This car only has 25K miles.

 

[JMJNet]

Sand or wire brush it and paint it?

 

[69GTX]

Clean the surfaces, then use a rust extender/neutralizer then Eastwood's chassis black for a durable, hard, glossy, and rust-preventative finish.

 

[Nick1994]

Time to paint them. Or when these tires wear out, find some take-offs and put some aluminum wheels on it.

My local VW dealer keeps the factory take-offs and sells them at a really good price with new tires. Like $550 a set.

 

[Danh]

A rust neutralizer (don't sand the rust off first) followed by a little brushed-on black enamel should do the trick. It should last for a couple years and is easy to repeat. I've done this with trailer hitch receivers and it works pretty well.

 

[Warstud]

Those rust spots are probably from the Aluminum clips on the wheel cover....coming in contact with the Steel wheel. Two different metals.
How about posting some pics of the wheel covers on the wheels.

 

[Donald]

Get decent rims.

 

[glazer1972]

Powdercoating.

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: Warstud
Those rust spots are probably from the Aluminum clips on the wheel cover....coming in contact with the Steel wheel. Two different metals.
How about posting some pics of the wheel covers on the wheels.


No, these areas have NOTHING touching them. Let me see if I can find a pic of the wheels with the wheel cover on...

Here, this isn't the greatest pic but it shows some rust. The rusty areas are those that are NOT covered by the wheel covers. This pic also shows the clear failing on the cover which was taken care of under warranty. Unfortunately the other covers have failing clear on them also. Blah. Notice though, even in this picture which wasn't even taken but a couple weeks ago, the rust isn't as bad as it is now.

 

[gregk24]

Originally Posted By: Donald
Get decent rims.


Not in the budget, but I would be down with that if it were. Personally I am a fan of the Jetta Sport wheels...

 

[Johnny2Bad]

Paint.

 

[JimPghPA]

The problem is probably caused by UV breaking down the paint.

If you paint them you want to use a paint that will stand up to UV light to get the most out of it.

 

[4WD]

Rustoleum Rust Reformer from O'R's or AZ... the spray looks flat black ...

 

[Delta]

Like what's been mentioned, sand effected areas and prime with a rust primer. Repaint for protection. I did this for my old Neon, lasted a good while. When time and money exist, I would hit up Craigslist for OEM take-offs and save the steelies for snow tires.

 

[Traction]

I have to say is, clean them good, and spray with Plasti-Dip. That stuff just plain ROCKS for so many things! Tough,easy, long lasting, and sticks to anything clean, even chrome. It will take care of your issue for sure.

 

[spk2000]

With 25,000 miles take it back to dealer for warranty work. I did this with a chevy many years ago and they repainted rims covered 100% by warranty.

 

[JHZR2]

Originally Posted By: JimPghPA
The problem is probably caused by UV breaking down the paint.

If you paint them you want to use a paint that will stand up to UV light to get the most out of it.


+1.

Probably not worth changing wheels or anything else. Just mask the outer lip (or mask off everything but the band where the wheel cover openings are, since that seems to be the only affected area, and the only area readily seen), and spray them (preferably off the car).

Lots of ideas on prep or not... Id personally get some OSPHO off Amazon, use that, then spray with a decent black paint, perhaps with a little gloss.

 

[stephen9666]

Plastikote or another brand of wheel paint. Sand off the rust and rough up the paint, degrease and clean it well. Tape off the tires and give it a couple coats.

My Sonata had the same issue with the exposed spots of the wheel getting rusty. The Plastikote wheel paint held up great.

http://www.plastikote.com/products/Specialty/Wheel-Paint.html

 

[Mr Nice]

Originally Posted By: 4WD
Rustoleum Rust Reformer from O'R's or AZ... the spray looks flat black ...


Yep. Rattle can Rustoleum, flat black.

 

[nthach]

Rust-Oleum.

If you're really spendy over a set of steelies, a local powdercoater can redo those in most colors of powder coat - as long as it's a UV-stable formulation.