Reply to "Clearcoat new Wheels..."

I have some experience with clear coating wheels. I probably have the only set of original Campagnolo factory rims on my 1973 Pantera which are actually polished Magnesium, and they were immediately clear coated. Two years later, there are some small cracks in the clear coating finish. The wheel stresses under sideways loading (turns) and flexes a little. It causes cracks in the clear coat. Pantera's also sometimes have the same type of stress fracture marks in the paint. Look close around the windshield posts, etc. This due to two factors: the Pantera body also stresses under sideways loading, and also because there are sometimes several coats of paint on Pantera's. So, the more coats of paint on a car body or a new set of wheels, the quicker it will crack, thicker cracks quicker. A potential problem with clear coating new wheels is also the risk that the clear coat you decide to use can 'fish-eye' when applied. Some types of coatings are incompatable with each other. Would you know what type coating the manufacturer applied? Heck, if you can get that info from him, I'd ask if he could apply a little extra clear coat for you. He's probably going to say here's the instructions for maintaining the luster of the product and not tell you all the reasons. I'm getting new wheels too, and the instructions for polished wheels is basically keep them clean, don't let dirt accumulate. Use a really soft applicator, etc. This is also usually a good way to treat your paint job. That's all I'm going to do, and why, since you asked. Plus that's the easiest thing to do, a reason I always like;-)