[Cbonilla]

Finally finished this job last weekend (after a false start) and got the other two wheels done. The false start was caused by the wheel lock key breaking as I tried to remove the wheels. I was able to sand them in place with the car jacked up, but impending rain and the difficulty in getting the index cards (used to mask the tires) to stay put when the wheels were in a vertical position put an end to that day's efforts. Ordered a new wheel lock key (again, the first one got lost) and paid another $40 to Porsche and had a shop with an impact gun drive the wheel locks off. And then promptly took off the wheel locks never to be used by me again. Replaced them (and a few others that were in bad shapte) with (used) lug bolts (with a light coating of antiseize per the manual).

All in all I think they look great, particularly for wheels on 14 year old car.

The verdict? Subject to how well the primed/painted/clear-coated lip holds up, not only was it a project worth doing, but I'm glad I didn't try and remove the 20 titanium bolts that hold each wheel together. Interestingly, the wheel in the worst shape had the most liquid trapped in the seam between the wheel halves, reinforcing my belief that cleaning solutions slowly oozing out onto the clear coat were a major part of the corrosion problem.

My advice for anyone breaking the wheels apart for a complete refinish:

1) Paint, and not just clear coat the barrels (which includes the lip). A polished surface just doesn't provide enough adhesion for the clear coat. A pure clear coat finish requires a smoother surface than one destined for paint. In my case most of the sanding was done with 150 grit, followed by quick passes with 220 and 400.

2) I would consider a fine bead of silicone at the seam between the wheels and the centers, after they're reassembled and painted. On both the inside of the wheel and the outside seams of the barrel with the centers. This would solve the problem of cleaning fluids seeping out over time and eating the finish. My caveat on this is that this may make it impossible to ever get the wheels apart again.