Clear coat peeling on 2024 Prius Limited 19" wheels

Finding paint code for rims is always tough; not sure why, considering curb rash is a fact of life.

 

Is it actually clear coat peeling? In the pictures, it looks like a protective film coming up.

 

At least there is paint. Worst is clear coat on bare machined aluminum. It looks cool, 'til it starts to fail, then you've got a "clear" view of the corrosion.

Our 3rd gen's rims are Classic Silver Metallic, which happened to be the car's color, and lucky, lucky, it's a match for the rims. They have clear coat over I'm sure, but I've found just brushing on the color component of the touch up pens, it looks seamless.

For a rim color other than that, you'd either need a body shop to color match, make up a bottle for you, or google online, peruse available touch up colors. I went through that excercise with Tesla Model 3 rims, ended up using a Dupli-Color Ford Touch-up color; the online consensus was it was "close".

 

Go to your favorite place to buy spray paint, pick out some primer and a color you like.... Pull off a wheel, get a piece of cardboard and lightly hammer rim edge into cardboard and cut out so you prevent spray paint from getting on tire, then clean and lightly sand then prime, then paint then repeat four times... Spray more paint on once a year to keep it looking nice.

 

In that case you could put a spare wheel on and take it to custom auto body shop and pay a modest fortune. Or alternatively, just DIY it and sand it down and a splash of clear coat from a rattle can.

 

It is likely that you scraped the wheel on the curb while you were parking or it was hit by debris while driving, which caused the damage. It is normal wear and tear.

Clear coat wouldn’t peel off but get scratched. It is paint-protection film (PPF). My 2021 Prius Prime Limited came with PPF from the factory on the bumpers, mirror cups, and door handles. The replacement mirror cup I bought also had PPF.

 

No, it is not packaging film like on electronics goods—it is PPF—and you are not supposed the remove any PPF from anything. It is affixed permanently and transparent to the eye.

The damage might have happened during transport. It is invisible from more than a few feet away, and I wouldn’t worry about it.

 

Get a rattle can of clear at any auto store that carries paint, sand lightly using 320 grit paper (wet or dry ) painters tape on tire ( about 6 inches ), spray one coat and see how you like it. If you don't like the way one coat looks just remove it with 600 grit wet paper and wax it or ceramic coat it. done.

 

That was my first though, but other temporary films used on cars are colored. Would be easy to pull off from the tear if it is a temporary one.

 

Yeah, and contact with a curb won't cause blistering.

 

I’ve seen what’s on the wheels at delivery. The entire alloy wheel area is covered in a clear plastic but it’s not attached to the metal like PPF. Might seem minor to some people but what will it look like in a year if it looks like this at two months?

 

Again, the PPF only peels off because of abrasion. Something hit your wheel. It would normally not be covered under warranty.