I may be buying a set of Hotwire rims over the weekend and was wondering what would be the best way to clean them up before painting or powdercoating?

Also, would it be better to paint or powdercoat the rims? I've heard powdercoating gives a better finish but can be ruined or marked with brake cleaner/degreaser etc.

If painted, the finish won't be as clean as powdercoating, but can be touched up if they get marked. Advice?

I always power coat my wheels and have no problems, they media blast the wheels before they are coated and have good resalts with steel and alloy wheels, just keep the wheels clean with soap and water and do not get them to the stage were they need to be cleaned with brake cleaner or some other harsh cleaner.

Can i ask how much it roughly cost to powdercoat your rims?

About $50 each, do not get a clear coat on them as that seams to age and go yellow, i get the brightest gun metal colour that goes on without the clear

Cool thanks. I'll be doing mine black, which is why i'm thinking of using paint. It's cheaper, easier to touch up and won't be that noticeable if they get scratched or dirty. I'll give a few powdercoasters a ring next week before making my decision.

I once fitted a set of hot wires to a boat trailer, cleaned them up with a sanblast using a domestic compressor, handyman sand blast unit and ordinary sand (yep, I know, bad bad bad) took a while but it did a great job and I painted them with a preasure pack, came up a treat and lasted 4 years that i know of, what happened after I sold it I don't know.