I bought a set of Advan AVS 17 "twin spoke mags in shadow chrome . Was just washing them this morning and found the the chrome on the rim side of the spokes is flaking off!!!!! These are not cheap rims. They are atleast $2000 for the rims themselves! I got them second hand. What can I do to repair, or stop the process?

how old is the chrome?

what is with chrome these days, my chrome on my rims are becoming tarnished and starting to loose its shine :eek2:

i found out the only option for me was to get it re-plated, it could be different for you, being that yours is shadow chrome though.

to slow the process i could suggest some sought of polish or something to protect it... not sure

what are you using to clean them?
depending on the company they should be under warranty, but seeing as you've got them second hand i dunno if you can still do it
other option is to get them rechromed or powdercoated

They should be clear coated..
All I can say is shadow chrome is one of the most expensive silver's to get your wheels painted in (thus, I didn;t get mine repainted in SC..) to get them done in shadow chrome your looking at minimum $350ish a wheel from ANY paint store for true shadow chrome.
I would get them sand blasted...and repainted....IF you wanna hold onto them...being 17"s though I'd sell them now, maybe a tad cheaper then what they usually go for and upgrade to some 18"s. You'll find a set of 18"s with tyres for like $600-$800 wouldn't bother with 17"s. (2nd hand of course)

I use sonax cleaner on them. Supposed to be top stuff. They can't be that old. I have only had them on the car for 7 months. But no way to contact the seller now unfortunately. Whe you say repainted, can they be re-chromed or do you mean powder-coated a set color? I have a white TF, not sure a colored mag would look any good.

Who would clear coat them? Do you think that it would stop them flaking? Couldn't really sell them with the flaking unfortunately.

I use sonax cleaner on them. Supposed to be top stuff. They can't be that old. I have only had them on the car for 7 months. But no way to contact the seller now unfortunately. Whe you say repainted, can they be re-chromed or do you mean powder-coated a set color? I have a white TF, not sure a colored mag would look any good.
Is it shadow chrome or chrome? Shadow chrome is a paint.
You sure can sell them peeling, they just wont fetch much.
Re-clear them...take them to a panel shop, ask to have all the old clear taken off and re-cleared however its a dangerous exercise.

Definitely shadow chrome.

I have a very good friend here in Canberra who used to run his own independent wheel and tyre business. He used to repair and refinish wheels, amongst many other things. And I vividly remember him saying to me once that chroming alloy was actually a really difficult process to get right. And that even if you did get it right it wasn't a long term durable finish, as delamination of the chrome was a constant threat. I'm not saying this to be a smart****, just passing on what the expert said. Ray always said that once the chrome started leaving the alloy the only thing you could do was chemcially strip it and start again. And as somebody else here has already pointed out, that is freakin expensive and not every chrome plating shop can do it. It will probably be cheapest for you source another second hand one that is in good nick and use your flaking wheel as a spare....

Thanks for the suggestions guys. Unfortunately its on all wheels. Looks like i'll either have to buy new ones or get them repainted in different colour.

Cheers.