Big Snowstorm. Drove Camry, not Prius because of traction "issues." Put on tire chains, drove for a week with chains. Forgot about taking off wheel covers on Camry. The wheel covers are a bit "marred." I can probably get the "black streaks" from the rubber chain tighteners off the wheel covers, but not sure about the "scratches, gouges." Thought about cleaning best I could and then trying spray paint. Any thoughts?
You can sand out the scratches and such and blend the damaged area into the rest of the cover. Use a very fine grit for the final sanding, and sand the entire cover with it. Use the highest grit you can find. It should just 'cloud' up the surface. This will help the paint to stick. Multiple light coats are better than one thick one. Alternatively, try Plastidip spray paint. It is popular amoung modders because it can just be peeled off if it doesn't work out. It is thicker than regular spray paints. So it might fill in the scratches. I would sand down ant damaged plastic that is sticking up. It should last a couple years. Then just reapply it. Plastidip makes a primer that allows for a permanent adhesion if you like how the trail coat worked out.
Thanks for the advice. Unfortunately, before I had a chance to act upon, I managed a stupid trick and backed into another car in a parking lot today in the Camry. Luckily, his damage was practically nil, as was mine, but I did need to do something about the minor "icks" on the bumper, so stopped in the auto parts store and they handed me a can of Turtle Wax polishing compound. It did wonders on the bumper cover. So, I am going to give it a try on the wheel covers, probably Saturday. They do not need to be perfect, so I have high hopes that this will work. And I am extremely thankful the other driver decided not to hassle with repairs.....knock on wood....he could still come back and bite, I know, but hopefully not.
